Leadership Studies Ed.D. Dissertations

Spinning Wheels & Organizational Decline: Testing an Instrument for Validity and Reliability

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Department

Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Rachel Vannatta (Committee Chair)

Second Advisor

Mihai Staic (Other)

Third Advisor

Judy Jackson-May (Committee Member)

Fourth Advisor

Michael Zickar (Committee Member)

Abstract

The quantitative study tested the reliability and validity of the Organizational Traction (OT) Survey, an original instrument created to operationalize the Spinning Wheels Model. The OT Survey used three factors—Change, Culture, and Continuity--that contribute to organizational performance, from organizational decline (Spinning Wheels) to peak organizational performance (maximum traction). A separate three-item factor was utilized to measure Organizational Performance. The Spinning Wheels Model was developed by categorizing nearly forty causes of organizational decline into three internal factors—Resistance to Change, Dysfunctional Culture, and Assumed Continuity. Spinning Wheels purports that an organization is in decline if the factors exist inside the firm. The Model is the first known to simplify and categorize the extensive literature on organizational decline into something useful for practitioners and researchers. The OT Survey was administered to independent insurance agencies, a segment of small business in the United States. As such, it is the first known survey that examines factors related to the organizational performance of small businesses. Participants who completed the survey received an Organizational Traction score, which ranked their responses on a spectrum from Spinning Wheels to Maximum Traction. Study results indicated that the factors significantly predicted Organizational Performance and the OT Survey was reliable. More research is needed for a reliable measure of Organizational Performance. Factor analysis suggested a two-factor model of Culture and the combined factor of Continuity & Change. Additionally, the study indicated that leaders and employees view change differently (leaders positively and employees negatively). Unfortunately, generalizability is limited due to the low response rate that generated a sample of 88.

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