Main causes that lead strategies to decline at execution phase: an analysis of Brazilian companies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify what are the main causes that lead strategies to decline at execution phase. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopted the strategy of survey with the 69 Brazilian businessmen. The questionnaire was developed from 16 causes pointed out in the literature and the results analyzed using Cronbach’s α coefficient, multidimensional scaling, exploratory factor analysis and Pearson correlation coefficient. Findings The results of statistical analysis showed that the main causes are primarily associated to leaders’ defaults during execution strategies, lack of support and feedback of senior management, no involvement of the teams during the strategies formulation, failure of communication on the strategic objectives in all organizational levels, and others. Research limitations/implications The 69 businessmen work in different sectors and there may be specific causes for each sector. The research presented by this paper did not have objectives to analyze specific sectors of the economy. Practical implications The results are extremely important and useful for managers during the implementation phase of the strategies and researchers in the field of business strategies. Originality/value There are no research with the same focus and objective presented by this paper about Brazilian companies.