Organizational Leadership Challenges in Federal Marketing Orders Relating to Technology and Market Share ()
1. Background and Introduction
Organizational leaders face numerous challenges in maintaining competitiveness in today’s global economy. In agriculture, educating customers about the nutritional benefits of their commodities and the importance of incorporating these crops into recipes is essential for continuing to produce high-quality products, while new technologies are also necessary. Several agricultural commodities established organizations under federal law that assist in researching and promoting their products. Growers and processors, or handlers, establish organizations referred to as Federal Marketing Orders (FMOs) with government oversight to ensure compliance with all federal regulatory statutes.
Organizations’ leaders develop strategies and implement technologies for their commodities to maintain or increase market share and stay competitive. However, organizational leaders face challenges in implementing these solutions. In the case study, I explored the California Table Olive Committee, a Federal Marketing Order, to understand the challenges faced by organizational leaders when approving and implementing new technologies. In addition, I explored the changes that leadership may employ within the Federal Marketing Order framework to assist in implementing technologies that maintain or increase market share.
The qualitative, single-case study included interviewing current California Table Olive Committee leaders. I incorporated a quantitative survey to capture the thoughts and insights into how leadership approached technology issues. After collecting the data, patterns emerged that explained the challenges leaders face in making technology decisions. The solutions presented could help leaders improve their practices while increasing the industry’s market share.
I divided the study into four sections. The first section included details about, reflected the background of the problem, the purpose statement, research questions, the assumptions, limitations, and delimitations, and the significance of the study. The third section includes the review of academic literature. The third section includes the research methodology which includes data collection, and analysis. The fourth section also includes the application for professional studies, further research, the findings and conclusions.
Farmers can use Federal Marketing Orders to develop the technologies and capture consumption through government-approved activities. However, organizational leaders in the agricultural business face challenges that prevent the approval or implementation of new technologies. An example is the California Table Olive Committee and its leadership in developing competitive tools to reduce input costs while establishing the necessary digital and analytical tools to influence consumer purchasing behavior (Yenerall et al., 2020). However, more research is necessary, including an examination of leadership challenges in adopting and implementing new technologies specifically for Federal Marketing Orders. In addition, researchers lack sufficient literature that includes potential solutions to help organizations integrate these technologies within their existing framework structures. As a result, organizational leaders need to bridge the gap by incorporating a meaningful understanding of the technologies and the challenges leaders face in maintaining or increasing market share.
In 1937, Congress and President Roosevelt approved the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act. Under the Act, agricultural industry leaders establish Federal Marketing Orders (FMOs). FMOs enable agricultural farmers and handlers to form legally recognized organizations to develop generic industry research and advertising programs, establish grades and standards for products and packaging, and collect data (Raszap Skorbiansky et al., 2022). Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has official oversight of these programs to ensure that no collusion exists in pricing and that FMO leaders comply with federal laws and regulations (Agricultural Marketing Service, 2020).
Market share is important because it is a complete analysis of the company’s success over the competition. Further inquiry into the types of legacy strategies and leadership approaches is necessary to understand the leadership decision-making process for success with multi-generation board structures. External pressures place stress on industries. These external pressures, such as rules and regulations, competition from rivals, and changes in consumer preferences, challenge leadership decision-making (Kwon et al., 2021). Agriculture utilizes two types of technology: production for the field and growth of products and digitalization for social and marketing purposes (Sargent et al., 2021; Subeesh & Mehta, 2021).
1.1. Purpose Statement
The purpose of the flexible qualitative single case study was to expand the understanding of the challenges leaders within a Federal Marketing Order face in implementing new technologies to maintain or capture market share. Company leaders who develop innovative technologies pressure rival companies to increase market competition (Moreira et al., 2020). The California Table Olive Committee, a Federal Market Order (FMO) established under the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 (Federal Marketing Order of Olives Grown in California, 1965), is responsible for approving and implementing technologies, a critical task. Olive Committee members are crucial for the table olive industry to maintain or increase its market share in the 21st-century global marketplace economy.
1.2. Research Questions
The following research questions guided the study.
RQ (Main Question) How can the practice of approving and implementing new technologies within the California Table Olive Committee to maintain or increase market share be improved?
RQa. What technologies are important to maintain or increase market share?
RQb. What leadership or management actions or behaviors contribute to success or failure in implementing new technologies?
RQc. What changes can leadership within the Federal Marketing Order make to implement new technologies to increase market share?
I created the main RQ question to explore the challenges organizational leaders in the California Table Olive industry face in approving new technologies. Additionally, I sought to understand the leadership actions or behaviors that contribute to the success or failure of approving technologies. I created the RQa to explore the importance of implementing new technologies in maintaining and increasing market share. I created RQb to explore potential barriers to change. Chychun et al. (2023) outlined many challenges organizational leaders face when implementing change. I used RQc to examine the changes in leadership within the Federal Marketing Order as it implemented new technologies to increase market share.
1.3. Significance of the Study
The significance of this case lies in the opportunity to examine a smaller Federal Marketing Order and how its leaders and management identified the technologies needed for the industry. Secondly, the study provided an opportunity to examine the limitations of the structure in implementing the necessary technologies for industry. Next, the study included solutions to leaders’ challenges in approving or implementing these technologies. Lastly, the study filled a gap in the literature on leadership challenges within Federal Marketing Orders.
1.4. Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations
The first assumption in the study’s assumptions includes that the adoption and implementation of new technologies are essential for the California Table Olive Committee to maintain or increase its market share. The second assumption is that understanding and meeting consumer preferences are critical to the success of the California Table Olive Committee. The third assumption is that external pressures, such as Government regulations, significantly influence decision makers to adopt new technologies. The fourth assumption is that the participants may be honest in their answers. The final assumption is that relationships within industry with government agencies are essential for the success of new technologies. A limitation of the study is that it is based on a single case study. The study comprises a qualitative single-case study, involving industry interviews, and a quantitative survey for triangulation purposes. This approach may limit the data collected and the ability to generalize the findings. I acknowledge that external pressures and consumer pressures impact technology. These pressures may limit the applicability of the findings to other contexts or industries. Generalization from this single case can inform other FMOs, thereby justifying the study’s broader relevance. I emphasized the importance of understanding the diversity in cultural farming practices. Diversity may introduce variability in conclusions and limit the generalizability of the results. The delimitations include the scope of the study. The study location is limited to the California Table Olive Committee, focusing on leadership challenges in implementing technology to maintain or increase market share. I used a single case study, which involves qualitative interviews. This approach may limit the breadth of data collected and the ability to generalize the findings. The geographic location is confined to specific regions in California. The specific region may affect the applicability of the findings to other areas of the country. The study involves interviews with leaders of the California Table Olive Committee and quantitative surveys with committee members. This selection of participants may limit the perspectives.
2. Review of the Academic Literature
Decision-making in agriculture is challenging. Making tough decisions or choosing a path that is not traditional can either lead to success or set a course for failure in an organization or business. With the increased use of technology, competing in the global economy is fierce, and the decisions leaders make in utilizing these new advancements will make or break an industry. For agriculture, leaders constantly evaluate the costs of doing business, with input costs impacting agriculture’s production side as one part of the equation, and marketing products to consumers, balancing the other side of the equation. The result is that leaders must make decisions to keep costs low while maximizing profits to stay competitive.
Over time, agriculturists established tools through federal legislation to develop new methods to assist specific commodities in researching and developing technologies for their industry to stay competitive. Federally created organizations, known as Federal Marketing Orders (FMOs), have developed a tool. Although these organizations provide an opportunity for the industry to work together, challenges exist that these organizational leaders need to recognize and adopt new technologies to maintain or capture market share. The following literature review provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges and decision-making processes that FMO leaders encounter within their organizations. Additionally, literature provides an opportunity to understand the organizations’ strengths and weaknesses in providing valuable services to the industry. Furthermore, the review outlines the specific demographics and background of the California Table Olive industry and its Federal Marketing Order, which was the focus of the individual case study. Lastly, the review provided information to fill the literature gap regarding the leadership of Federal Marketing Orders, the challenges of FMOs related to change and the implementation of programs, and the need for FMOs to incorporate technology into their decision-making processes.
Business Practices
Agricultural Decision Making. Agricultural decision-making is demanding, complex, and often influenced by factors beyond the industry’s control. Agriculturists face numerous challenges in crop production, including weather, water, infrastructure, pests and diseases, product quality, labor, and other environmental factors (Rehman et al., 2023). These challenges include market and price fluctuations, as well as the need to continually ensure that customers purchase products, making effective communication and targeted product advertising critical for global competitiveness. These decision-making issues occur in input costs and marketing.
For input costs, decision-making involves determining the types of production systems necessary to keep costs low and stay competitive (Kashapov et al., 2020). Agriculture production leaders explore ways to utilize the latest technological developments to enhance production. These systems could include commodity varieties, labor input costs, crop protection tools, fertilizers, production yields, and water costs. Arikapudi (2020) stated that harvesting fresh fruit is one of the most expensive areas in agriculture. Rising wages, a shortage of workers, and political factors compel agricultural companies to seek ways to reduce costs. By utilizing these types of technologies, effective practices in the production area begin to emerge, and decision-makers examine how these advances can be effectively applied. These advancements affect top decision-makers on the farm, as well as mid-level and lower-level decision-makers, providing an opportunity to reduce labor workload and the time needed to complete tasks that would otherwise require more time and resources.
Other input costs include the processing of products. Agriculturists can break products down into fresh, canned, and dried fruits with shelf-life expiration dates. To keep products fresh, decision-makers must ensure that the employees pact the product correctly and have confidence in the manufacturer and supply chain to ensure that the product is fresh and compensated (Yan et al., 2020). Developing the packaging of products and developing quality grades and standards provides an opportunity for agriculturists to develop a supply chain that delivers products consumers crave. Leaders make decisions on new equipment based on consumer preferences for packaging.
Hyndman and Menezes (2023) indicated that low input costs are a component, but maximizing customer outreach to achieve maximum profits is just as important. The second component of agricultural decision-making focuses on the consumer and market forces. Additionally, communicating with customers about nutrition, substitutes for taste, or new recipes, and incorporating products into an individual’s diet is critical to capturing customer interests and building loyalty. Staying competitive in the global economy involves several key factors, including product comparison, leadership, response timing, business costs, and customer expenses (Sirinon & Sirinon, 2022).
The two approaches to production and marketing technologies decision-making are critical for an agricultural commodity to stay competitive. The agricultural industry makes decisions based on maximum returns with scarce resources (Rosário et al., 2022). As a result, utilizing scarce resources within the industry requires coordination within a company and the commodity industry. The creation of a marketing organization is a tool. Agricultural marketing leaders help provide tools for the industry to showcase its products while addressing profitability issues (Tomashuk et al., 2024). These tools help industry leaders develop strategies and set goals, while also assisting decision-makers in prioritizing specific commodities. Despite the challenges when utilizing these organizations, working with limited resources allows the industry to collaborate and make decisions.
Congressional Creation of Federal Marketing Orders. During the Great Depression, legislative proposals assisted farmers in marketing, trade, pest and disease management, and price support (Raszap Skorbiansky et al., 2022). The 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act introduced the first agricultural bill focused on marketing, trade, pest, and disease issues. The idea behind the agricultural bill was to prevent farmers from overproducing, stabilizing inflated dollar prices, combat increased production costs, and provide greater returns to the farmer. Unfortunately, the 1933 Act primarily focused on large-scale production crops, including corn, wheat, rice, soybeans, and cotton. Specialty crops, such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts, were not included in the approved legislation. These specialty crops continued to experience depressed prices and struggled to get their products into the marketplace. Additionally, the Act needed to enable the agricultural industry to come together and work cooperatively toward common goals.
Roles, Successes and Challenges of FMOs. Over the last 90 years, many examples of successes and failures within FMOs have occurred. One successful program that impacted its commodity is the creation of a dairy-focused Farm Management Organization (FMO). The dairy industry witnessed a significant decrease in both consumption and prices. However, the industry came together and successfully adopted an FMO focused on standards and marketing. Standards provide an opportunity to increase the quality of milk to the consumer while establishing a minimum price for the commodity (Bozic & Wolf, 2022). The result was an increase in dairy consumption, with prices stabilizing because of the creation, implementation, and enforcement of a milk standardization and pricing program. These successes included increased demand and price stability because of the creation of a milk standardization and pricing program. Additionally, marketing programs such as the “Got Milk?” campaigns provided humorous slogans and advertising campaigns to consumers while increasing awareness of the product’s health benefits (Kraak et al., 2022). The campaign contributed to the success of the standards established by the Milk Board by driving demand, which in turn fueled consumption. The combination of standards, innovative marketing techniques, and technology has helped the dairy industry turn around its depressed state.
California Table Olive Committee. The California Olive Committee, established in 1965 under the 1937 Agricultural Marketing Agreement, comprised 16 voting members (eight growers and eight handlers), 16 alternate members, and one alternate public member, totaling 34 voting and alternate voting members (Agricultural Marketing Service, 2024). Two districts represent the voting grower members and the two main production areas producing California table olives, as demonstrated (California Table Olive Committee, 2023: p. 14). The northern district of California comprises four counties: Shasta, Tehama, Glenn, and Colusa. The southern California olive district includes Madera, Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties. Tulare County is the largest producer of California table olives, followed by Tehama, Glenn, Madera, Fresno, Kern, Shasta, and Colusa. The southern district of the California table olive region produces the most California table olives. However, canners that produce the final product of California olives are in Northern California.
FMO Olive Organizational Leadership and Management Practices. The California Table Olive Committee receives funding from yearly assessments from its processors. However, challenges exist with predicting the budget because of the nature of the table olive crop. The table olive crop is an alternate bearing crop, meaning that the crop fluctuates from high yields one year to low yields the next, resulting in fluctuating assessments for the organization. Consequently, leadership is continually striving to provide accurate assessments to secure the necessary funds for other activities (Federal Register, 2023). The organization’s many activities may increase or decrease depending on the amount of funds received. The Committee also establishes an appropriate per-ton amount to assist the industry in providing the necessary dollars to complete the yearly activities. Figure illustrates the fluctuations in crop production, which directly affect the established assessment rate and budget for the fiscal year (California Table Olive Committee, 2023). A MOAB representative attends all Committee meetings, including subcommittee and budget meetings, to ensure that each approved action aligns with the organization’s governance process and the approved oversight process established by the USDA. Several of these policies and procedures encompass all administrative policies and procedures, including bylaws and financial records (Agricultural Marketing Service, 2020), which an independent auditing company and a USDA compliance office have audited.
Theoretical Framework
Servant leadership is a theory that drives organizational success. Servant leadership places others above self while ensuring and considering all stakeholders’ input (Sousa & van Dierendonck, 2021). Additionally, servant leadership practices include accountability for their actions while understanding the needs of individuals. For this study, servant leadership practices are at the heart of decision-making for Federal Marketing Orders as the leadership’s actions focus on the service of an industry and its management or employees while benefitting the organization (Franco & Antunes, 2020). The Federal Marketing Order applies the servant leadership aspect when addressing challenges relating to increasing market share. Based on the literature, technology is critical to stay competitive (Dutta & Kannan Poyil, 2023). Federal Marketing Orders are voluntary, non-profit government entities. Therefore, understanding the dynamics of organizational leaders’ challenges relating to technology decisions and applying the servant leadership structure to solutions to increase market share will provide an opportunity to see the benefits of this theory in action. This action exemplifies leadership solutions for similar Federal Marketing Order challenges. This study revealed solutions for organizational leaders who may not utilize servant leadership approaches and instead offer a different dynamic in leadership style. Furthermore, the leadership example provides an alternative approach for changes within the organization’s existing structure for managing market and organizational challenges.
3. Research Methodology
Appropriateness of Flexible Design and a Single Case Study
Many different approaches to social research questions exist. After understanding my perspective on the real world, I selected a methodology to help study the problem. A qualitative design enabled me to examine a single case or compare two elements to identify common themes or patterns, reaching an interpretative conclusion. Additionally, I triangulated qualitative survey data, archival records, and primary live interview data to ensure accuracy and identify commonalities, while mitigating biases and enhancing the validity of the results. For the study, a flexible qualitative case study approach, combined with methodological triangulation, addressed the California Table Olive Committee’s leadership challenges in adopting technologies to capture market share.
3.1. Population and Participants
The primary population for this case study consists of the California Table Olive Committee members and their current management, specifically 34 members of the California Table Olive Committee (17 voting members and 17 alternates). According to the California Table Olive Committee (2023), these positions total eight grower and canner voting members and one public voting member. The remaining eight growers, canners, and public members are alternate non-voting members. Alternate members only vote when the elected voting member is unable to attend; they are present and provide input into all decisions (Federal Marketing Order of Olives Grown in California, 1965). The members of the Committee represent 100% of the total canners of the industry and 800 table olive growers (California Table Olive Committee, 2023). Additionally, five management staff members oversee the implementation of the program. I established a primary population by conducting a minimum of 12 interviews, split between canners and growers who serve on the committee, and provided an excellent pool of participants.
3.2. Data Collection Plan
A plan for collecting and organizing data is crucial to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and validity of a research project. For qualitative case study research projects, it is essential to understand the instruments used in the project and that these tools triangulate information to ensure the accuracy of the data while minimizing the potential biases of the researcher. For the study, the primary data was live interviews. I conducted a quantitative survey for those who did not participate in a live interview to collect secondary data, thereby assisting in the triangulation process. Finally, using archival data confirmed information stated in the interviews, providing additional confidence and validity in the information received.
In addition to a collection plan, the organization of the data is vital to ensure confidentiality and accuracy in the information provided. Member checking and follow-up interviews helped to ensure that participants played a crucial role in correcting the record and verifying the information provided for the study. This process eliminated any preconceptions I had about the data collected. Furthermore, these techniques provided an opportunity to validate the information from the source and eliminate any biases from my perspective. I proceeded with the data analysis after collecting and validating the information from the participants.
I issued a Likert scale survey to members who could not participate in the live interviews. Likert scales allow researchers to measure unseen data points (Jebb et al., 2021). With 34 members of the California Olive Committee and a minimum of 12 participating in the live interview, the secondary population totaled 12 participants to ensure that input from over two-thirds of all decision-makers on the Committee captures 100% of those implementing the decisions. Additionally, the secondary population and archival data provided a solid triangulation of information gathered from the primary population.
3.3. Data Analysis
Data analysis enabled me to identify common themes from the gathered information, allowing me to answer a specific research question. Understanding the coding process was crucial for conducting a valid and reliable qualitative case study analysis. Coding broke down the information to look for similar patterns within the data. Practices such as memoing allowed me to capture thoughts in the early phase of the research project. Emerging patterns or themes began to emerge. The next step in coding was grouping the different themes, providing opportunities to identify emerging patterns. After finding the themes, the information began to be interpreted. After the data integration, conducting data representation revealed the relationship between the data and the research question, providing opportunities for me to conclude from the information. However, triangulation of the information was critical for validating the process. Methodological triangulation, for this study, allowed me to compare all the data from the live interviews with other data sources. The result enhanced the validity and reliability of the information collected and the conclusions drawn from the checks and balances implemented in the triangulation process.
4. Presentations of the Findings
The California Table Olive Committee’s organizational leadership develops strategies to identify and implement technologies that help the industry compete in the global marketplace. However, further examination was to determine how these decisions are made. Four main themes emerged based on a single qualitative case study on the California Table Olive Committee. After I coded the data, four themes emerged. The themes were (a) adapt to survive, (b) accept external pressures, (c) account for cultural farming diversity, and (d) adopt changes in relationships to succeed. Sub-themes included the types of technologies required to survive for theme one, understanding the consumer for themes two and three, risk aversion due to cultural farming differences, and legacy strategies and non-traditional research strategies for theme four. What follows is a detailed discussion of the themes identified and their corresponding sub-themes.
These four themes, labeled the four A’s, helped to understand the overall research problem and the challenges these leaders faced in improving the adoption and implementation process of technologies, enabling the California Table Olive industry to remain competitive in the marketplace. First, the industry must adapt to technology trends to survive. Additionally, identified technologies help adapt to consumer trends and preferences, as well as lower input costs. Second, the industry accepts the external pressures while understanding the consumer. These understandings provide insight into the types of technologies needed to compete for market share. Next, the leadership must account for cultural diversity and risk aversion because of these cultural differences in farming. Lastly, the leadership must adopt changes in relationships to succeed. These changes include relationships with government and industry members, developing legacy strategies that leaders can pass down from one leader to another, and adopting non-traditional research strategies.
Converting these strategies and technologies is challenging due to the industry’s limited resources and reliance on older producers. However, the themes identified in the study provided insight into the leaders’ decision-making process for identifying and implementing technologies at the committee level. Additionally, solutions to strengthen relationships include examining the need to increase partnerships within and outside the existing organizational network. Lastly, the research findings correlated with the literature in understanding a single FMO’s leadership challenges in developing and implementing necessary technology to compete for market share.
When comparing the interviews with the quantitative survey, 100% of participants strongly agree or agree that using technology is critical to maintaining or increasing market share. Furthermore, the survey supported the interviews, showing that over 90% of the industry agrees that harvesting technology is important for maintaining or increasing the market share of California Olives. The quantitative survey backed these results, as demonstrated in Question 16 when asked if the industry leaders was unified in identifying the necessary technologies needed to maintain market share. Twenty-five percent disagreed, 8.33% had no opinion, and 66.66% agreed or strongly agreed that the leadership was unified. Twenty-five percent of the survey disagreed that the Committee is unified. Additionally, when examining Question 14 of the survey, 41.67% agreed or strongly agreed that the leadership on the Committee prioritizes production technology over marketing technology. In contrast, 41.67% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 16.66% disagreed or strongly disagreed. The varied results demonstrate the diversity of opinions, solutions, and priorities, as demonstrated in the interview.
Cultural differences add to the challenges of managing an industry or organization (Chua et al., 2023). Leadership continually examines how to best lead an organization with diverse opinions, backgrounds, and thought processes while maintaining a competitive edge. Culture is a form of education that imparts thoughts, behaviors, and moods among individuals (Chua et al., 2023). However, cultural differences became apparent when examining the reasons behind the different answers.
4.1. Application to Professional Practice
The findings in this qualitative, single case study provided insight into improving general business practices and implementing critical strategies. This study identified three key areas for enhancing general business practices. These items included understanding the consumer, the industry’s diverse business or production practices, and building internal and external relationships. Additionally, the study revealed three areas that leaders may utilize for strategic purposes. These strategies included relationship changes, developing a legacy approach across generational leaders, and seeking new ways to partner with public and private relationships relating to research. Utilizing these approaches will assist organizational leaders in addressing similar challenges within the California Table Olive Committee’s leadership approach to approving and implementing technologies that capture market share.
4.2. Improving General Practices
With businesses competing for market share, companies constantly seek an advantage. Federal Marketing Orders, like the California Table Olive Committee, are critical agricultural promotion and research programs. However, the lessons learned in the qualitative, single case study provide some general business practice lessons and may assist leaders in approving and implementing specific organizational decisions. Organizational leaders seek different solutions and mean to address challenges, which may include understanding the problem and building networks and relationships throughout the process (Siriram & Plessis, 2024). For this study, I presented three lessons relating to connections and relationships that leaders may adopt for other general business practices. These areas include understanding the consumer or client, the industry’s diverse business or production practices, and building internal and external relationships. By examining these three items, businesses may incorporate these findings into their general business practices.
4.3. Potential Implementation Strategies
The agricultural industry is caught between maintaining current farming practices and the need to change due to market pressures and consumer preferences (Knook & Turner, 2020). However, when leadership decides to adopt changes, implementing these changes is challenging. Organizational change may include business practices, policies, education, or cultural adaptations (Coutts, 2021). The study provided three areas for implementing change. These three areas included changing relationships to succeed, legacy strategies, and non-traditional research strategies.
4.4. Recommendation for Further Study
Additional research projects will help fill the literature gaps. Additionally, extended research will contribute to understanding the decision-making processes of organizational leaders on critical agricultural issues. The California Table Olive Committee originated in 1965. Since its inception, several changes in production, including the loss of processors and the emergence of multi-generational growers, have occurred. However, being a single-state commodity program allows employees to work with the industry within the same rules, regulations, and climate areas. The findings demonstrated the challenges of diverse cultures and production practices within a single-state program. Other Federal Marketing Order programs cover multiple states, making similar rules and practices even more challenging. Organizations with multiple state members versus those with single states may employ different leadership approaches (Kenda et al., 2024). Further research is necessary to determine whether these multi-state program organizational leaders face challenges similar to those of single-state organizational leaders.
The study demonstrated that relationships are critical to resolving issues. Should challenges arise related to the California Table Olive Committee, the relationships between industry, oversight, and other industry networks will assist in resolving issues. Federal Marketing Orders facilitate collaboration among like-minded industries at the national level. However, states have a similar process for state commodity producers to work together at the state level. The United States Department of Agriculture oversees Federal Marketing Orders, while the state agricultural departments oversee state commissions. Different external factors within state versus federal entities require different decision-making approaches (Bromley-Trujillo & Nolette, 2023). However, further research is necessary on whether organizational leaders’ approaches to research or promotion issues differ between serving on a state commission versus a Federal Marketing Order. One specific aspect is the differences in relationships and decision-making between state and federal entities.
Generational differences played a vital role in the differences in approving and implementing technologies for the California Table Olive Committee. Challenges in modern production versus traditional production pose a significant challenge to the industry’s direction. Additionally, global competition has made it vital for organizational leaders to develop technology to remain competitive. Other Federal Marketing Orders are older than the California Table Olive Committee and continue to see success from one generation to the next. Organizational leaders have adapted to the latest trends to remain competitive (Ibrahim et al., 2024). Further inquiry into the types of legacy strategies and leadership approaches is necessary to understand the leadership decision-making process for success with multi-generation board structures.
4.5. Summary and Conclusions
Technology is critical to staying competitive in today’s global marketplace. For the California Table Olive Committee, a Federal Marketing Order, organizational leaders must decide how to approve and implement these technologies to keep up with consumer preferences and produce a quality product. I employed a qualitative, single-case study to investigate how the approval and implementation of these technologies can enhance maintenance or increase market share. Four central themes and six sub-themes emerged that helped answer how to improve the Committee’s practices.
The industry recognized the importance of technology and understood that providing high-quality products to the marketplace was crucial to expanding market share. Outside factors, such as lowering input costs and understanding consumer trends, are critical in deciding the types of technology. Although the industry recognizes the importance of adapting technology to stay competitive and meet consumer trends, the technologies required vary from leader to leader. The industry faces challenges with generational and technological approaches due to the differences in cultural farming practices. However, to resolve these differences, the industry sought to establish changes in the relationships needed to move goals forward. Developing relationships with leaders of different opinions, regulatory or oversight personnel, and expanding relationships beyond the industry are vital to achieving the industry’s objectives. In addition, legacy strategies are necessary to ensure that leaders continue a smooth transition of ideas and wisdom to the next generation of organizational leadership. Furthermore, the industry has adopted various research approaches and has sought to partner with public, private, or a combination of public and private entities in future research endeavors. Lastly, the research fills a literature gap in the decision-making process of the Federal Marketing Order, the California Table Olive Committee. The research study concluded that understanding the differences between the industry and building relationships, as well as improving communication, will assist in moving the industry forward with new technologies while competing for market share.