Hypotheses
- H0 (null): Poor leadership training is not the cause of the high rate of failure in small businesses.
- H1 (alternative): Military leadership training provides best practices for small business leaders underlying the success of small businesses.
The null hypothesis demonstrates that for small businesses, the failure rate has no correlation with poor leadership training. Failure and leadership are not associated with the success or failure of a small business. Evidence shows that leadership should only be narrowed down to a specific leadership approach to support the argument that a specific leadership style underlies the failure of small businesses in the United States. That in effect leads to the alternative hypothesis which shows that military-style leadership provides direction for a successful business. In this context, justifiably, the lack of appropriate leadership style is the core reason for the high rate of business of small businesses.
The alternative hypothesis indicates that military leadership is the best alternative form of leadership that could provide direction for small businesses to succeed. A lot of evidence in support of the latter argument has indicated that military leadership is appropriate for the success of small businesses (Nyberg, Holmberg, Bernin, Alderling, Akerblom, Widerszal-Bazyl, &Theorell, 2011). That is in addition to the argument that military leaders have to define characteristics such as strong leadership qualities, which can be relied upon to provide direction for able working employees. In addition to that Nyberg et al., (2010) views the appropriateness of military leadership in the context of the high degree of precision they are able to achieve, unconditional austerity, the high degree of adaptability of military leaders in adapting to dynamically changing environments, and the tactical nature of training military leaders undergo combine to add value to the military leadership style (Adhikari, 2010).Conclusion
In conclusion, drawing on the qualitative analysis of the null and alternative hypotheses, military leadership provides the core leadership competencies required for the sustainability, development, and success of small business. The underlying rationale for the conclusion is based on facts which show that high failure rates for small business because ofs poor leadership (Glen & John, 2010; BNM News Team, 2010; Majumdar, 1999; Rate of Small Business Failure in the U.S., 2011). On the other hand, military over the years have demonstrated positive implications military leadership has on the flexibility for military men to adapt to different cultures and environments, and the high success rates these men and women have in executing duty (Useem, 2010). The rationale for the need to integrate military leadership into small businesses includes lessons such as the ability to recruit from multiple channels with underlying benefits of a comprehensively trained workforce (Majumdar, 1999). Military leadership is characterized by access to highly qualified talent with military training background with human resources drawn from different sets of military skills. One case example is the Home depot initiative that has demonstrated the success rate of military training for business leaders by drawing on highly skilled military leadership training. In this case, Home Depot leadership has large highly trained and skilled human resources with the aim to use well skilled and trained individuals from the military. With a strategic partnership with the government in particular the Department of Labor, Home depot provides such military leadership lessons that are appropriate for the success of small businesses.
References
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BMN News Team. (2010). Military Lessons for Your Business. The Small Business Resource for Urban Entrepreneurs. Web.
Glenn, A. V., & John, L. W. (2010). The study of leadership in small business organizations: Impact on probability and organizational success. The Entrepreneurial Executive, 15, 47-71..
Majumdar, S. (1999). Sluggish Giants, Sticky Cultures, and Dynamic Capability Transformation. Journal of Business Venturing, 15, 59-78.
Nyberg, A., Holmberg, I., Bernin, P., Alderling, M., Akerblom, S., Widerszal-Bazyl, M., &… Theorell, T. (2011). Destructive managerial leadership and psychological well-being among employees in Swedish, Polish, and Italian hotels. Work, 39(3), 267-281.
Rate of Small Business Failure in the U.S. (2011). Small and Medium Business Trends. Web.
Useem, M. (2010). Spotlight on Leadership Lessons from the Military: Four Lessons in Adaptive Leadership. Harvard Business Review, 10, 21-27.