The relationship of personal values to management behaviours and performance in the tenanted pub estate of a UK Regional Brewer

Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore the role of personal values and their relationship to the management behaviour and performance outcomes of multiple small, UK licensed on-trade, businesses. Few studies of this nature exist that explore personal values and relate them to management behaviour in this way, in this specific context. Project I develops its contribution through the identification of seven core personal values, the inconsistency of language and meaning around these values and highlights five owner/manager types based upon the ways in which values are interpreted and operationalised. A series of typologies and role ordered matrix is developed to assist practical application. Project II identifies two ‘most valuable’ categories and deepens the understanding of their intrinsic motivators and the values they deploy. Personal values combined with risk, momentum and tangible outputs are found to underpin entrepreneurial and enterprising behaviours to varying degrees. Both projects used semi-structured interviews (n = 33) and textual analysis to arrive at their findings. Having identified five owner/manager groups project III establishes new approaches to working with entrepreneurial and enterprising people and builds a new relationship model and potential to strengthen the psychological contract. Support and momentum for change are developed using an Action Research method, specifically, Appreciative Inquiry (AI). The research has engaged participants in ways not previously undertaken through making extensive use of their preferred communication method. The work supports the notion of instrumental and end-state values in human behaviour and relates these to management behaviours in the small/medium sized business setting. The work challenges the idea of value congruence between organisations’ and the individual at anything more than a superficial level and proposes individual meaning and interpretation as critical dimensions in values communication. The work also contests popular and academic definitions of the entrepreneur as a fiercely independent individual who is unlikely to work well and cooperate with others. The study adopts a critical realist perspective using appropriate and differing methods of research within its overall scope. The marriage of semi-structured interviews with individuals followed by the bringing together of owner/manager groups in an appreciative inquiry environment proved to be a valuable in terms of sharing findings, creating a positive framework for discussion and achieving commitment to change. The research has developed an intervention for bigger businesses that have arms length relationships with multiple small/medium businesses and provides indications as to how the psychological contract within such relationships might be further strengthened.