This example shows that the cultural factors have to be congruent and focused on attainment of the objective, and most importantly, the structure of the company needs to provide plenty of resources for its attainment, all factors that favored the success of Southwest Airlines.
The implications for managers and leaders of companies are very valuable, in that the value of stretch goals is more dependent on a company's resources than any other factor (Sitkin, See, Miller, Lawless, Carton, 2011). The tendency to see the urgency and intensity that a stretch objective can deliver within an organization needs to be balanced with the realities of whether they can be accomplished or not. Another implication fro managers is whether their focus on stretch objectives are in fact the best course of action for their firm. In examples shown from the research completed, the authors point out that even with stretch goals attained the companies most need in transformation require significantly different levels...
Paradoxically the attainment of stretch goals can expose even greater risks and shortcomings in a business not designed to support the rapid acceleration of programs (Sitkin, See, Miller, Lawless, Carton, 2011).
Conclusion
The approach of creating a taxonomy based on studies has proven effective in this analysis, as the researchers have ascertained valuable insights and implications for leaders of enterprises. The most significant is that the greater the level of urgency around a stretch objective, the greater the need for resources to support them. This carries over throughout many of the example shown, in both a positive and negative context, with Southwest Airlines anchoring the former examples.
References
Sitkin, S.B., See, K.E., Miller, C., Lawless, M.W., & Carton, A.M. (2011). The paradox of stretch goals: Organizations in pursuit of the seemingly impossible. Academy of Management Review, 36(3), 544-566.
