Developing a Well-Aligned Doctoral Study: Emphasis on the Problem Statement Alignment Between the Problem, Purpose, Research Question(s), and...

Crafting and Critiquing a Doctoral Problem Statement

Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their peers, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change.

—Robert F. Kennedy, June 6, 1966 

As you have progressed through the early stages of your DBA journey at Walden, you have begun to form relationships with your fellow candidates, and they should have become trusted colleagues. Such colleagues can provide necessary support. They can also provide objective, thoughtful critiques to help you improve upon your work. As Kennedy noted, it takes bravery to face the critique of one’s peers. It also takes courage to give thoughtful, rigorous, and constructive criticism. Yet both are vital to your continued success. If you expect to receive the full benefit of such a critique, you must invest the time and thought necessary to give such a critique to your colleagues. Your doctoral problem statement will serve as the foundation for the remainder of your doctoral study. Nothing is more important to success than constructing a proper foundation. Use the opportunity to give and receive critique from your colleagues to ensure that foundation is solid and secure. 

To prepare, recall the potential research question you identified in DDBA 8006: Contemporary Challenges in Business. You may wish to develop that question into a formal problem statement for this Discussion. If your research interests have changed, you can develop a new question into a problem statement for this Discussion.

 post a 100–150 word doctoral problem statement that adheres to the guidelines outlined in the DBA rubric. The problem statement must comprise of the following four parts:

• The hook with citation (current/peer-reviewed scholarly article)
• The anchor with citation (current/peer-reviewed scholarly article)
• The general business problem
• The specific business problem

Note: Your problem statement must include proper APA citations and adhere to APA guidelines.

• Jambekar, A. B. (2005). Viewing personal quality management through a systems thinking lens. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 16(7), 877–886.Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Van de Ven, A. H., & Johnson, P. E. (2006). Knowledge for theory and practice. Academy of Management Review, 31(4), 802–821. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

My problem statement will be " Lack of communication in the workplace"