An examination of the antecedents of readiness for fine-tuning and corporate transformation changes

This study examined employee readiness for fine-tuning changes and for corporate transformation changes. It was proposed that employees would report different degrees of readiness for these two types of change and that different variables would be associated with readiness for the two types of change. Results of regression analyses indicated that trust in peers and logistics and system support displayed strong positive relationships with readiness for fine-tuning changes, while trust in senior leaders and self-efficacy displayed strong positive relationships with readiness for corporate transformation changes. The implications of this study focus on the appropriateness of traditional change management strategies in light of findings that multiple change readiness attitudes exist within an organization.

Small firm internationalisation; understanding the practice through an interpretive approach

The unit of analysis in firm internationalisation studies is the firm but this overlooks the importance of the individual in the internationalisation process. An evaluation of the dominant theories of firm internationalisation highlights an implicit dualistic ontology, that is, where research subject and object are considered to be separate and independent. Implications of this assumption are discussed after reviewing the dominant literatures on firm internationalisation. An alternative approach is proposed that focuses on understanding internationalisation of the firm from an individual practitioner’s perspective. It is suggested that contemporary firm internationalisation research has been hindered by its basic assumptions and its inherent researcher orientation. An interpretive phenomenographic approach is proposed as a means of achieving a first-person, practitioner’s perspective of the process of firm internationalisation, specifically in the context of the small firm. Preliminary interpretations of interviews with owners/managers of small Australian wineries are presented.