U.S. Metal building industry: A qualitative study on managing change to create a competitive advantage

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative research study was to identify change management strategies and techniques used by leaders in the U.S. metal building industry. The research used the Delphi technique to gather data from a panel of senior industry leaders. This study potentially represents the first such study to ever be conducted about the U.S. metal building industry. Because of this, the study has provided significant opportunity for future learning and growth not only from the existing data, but also through future interpretation of the data. The study represents a benchmark for existing and future leaders in the U.S. metal building industry to gauge their change knowledge and policies. The data supports a model containing specific suggestions for leaders: (a) identify change forces that exist in the environment; (b) establish the capabilities to distinguish between internal and external change forces; (c) develop strategies to manage the change forces; and (d) use the change forces to create a sustainable competitive advantage. The study created a long-term framework that leaders in any industry may use to establish, enhance, or guide their ability to lead change.