TO CHANGE OR NOT TO CHANGE: HOW MOTOR CARRIERS RESPONDED FOLLOWING 9/11

What happens when firms are confronted by a strategic surprise—defined as “sudden, urgent, unfamiliar change” (Ansoff 1975, p. 22)—such as the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001? Numerous studies have examined how strategic change, in the aftermath of a significant environmental e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of business logistics 2010-09, Vol.31 (2), p.129-155
Main Authors: Atwater, Craig, Gopalan, Ram, Lancioni, Richard, Hunt, James
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
9/11
Airlines
Cluster analysis
Management of change
Motor carriers
September 11 terrorist attacks-2001
Strategic change
Strategic planning
Strategic surprise
Studies
Terrorism
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Summary:What happens when firms are confronted by a strategic surprise—defined as “sudden, urgent, unfamiliar change” (Ansoff 1975, p. 22)—such as the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001? Numerous studies have examined how strategic change, in the aftermath of a significant environmental event, contributes to organizational survival and success. But, is strategic change the appropriate response to unexpected and disruptive environmental change? And is there a preferred trajectory for change, such that certain strategies are better suited than others to the post‐surprise environment? This exploratory research examines whether or not strategic change is an appropriate response to strategic surprise affecting the firms in the trucking industry by considering the actions of motor carriers in the aftermath of 9/11. The data evidences significant disruption to the trucking industry following the event: among the sample, mean operating ratios declined by more than 50%. While nearly 40% of the carriers studied changed strategies in the post‐9/11 environment, this did not guarantee better performance. All carriers fared worse following the attacks, but those carriers that changed strategies actually performed significantly worse than those that persisted with pre‐9/11 strategies.
ISSN:0735-3766
2158-1592
DOI:10.1002/j.2158-1592.2010.tb00145.x