Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Carol-Anne Faint

Abstract

Facing many unique challenges compared to their urban counterparts, rural business owners rely on innovation strategies to successfully operate their businesses. Reflecting only 14% of the population but occupying more than 72% of the geographic United States, the failure of rural business owners jeopardizes the network of goods and services that feed and support the entire nation. Grounded in Castle’s rural capital framework and Van de Ven’s innovation framework, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies rural small business owners use to ensure business innovation. The participants were eight successful rural small business owners from eight rural small businesses in the western United States. Data were collected by conducting in-person, semistructured interviews and business processes, electronic documents, and physical artifacts. Yin’s 5-step approach was employed to analyze the data. Six themes emerged: create a clear context for innovation behaviors by linking them to drivers; foster capability through self-efficacy, personal development, and organizational learning; ensure a capacity for innovation by linking resources and behaviors; utilize rural and nonrural resources; scan, develop, and test ideas; and assess and adjust innovation results through custom results measurement. A key recommendation is for rural small business owners to engage in intentional management practices to cultivate an ongoing and iterative culture of innovation to enhance competitiveness. Implications for social change include the potential to cultivate stronger business practices to ensure healthy rural communities and to secure goods and services used across the United States.

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