Research Methodology in Strategy and Management, Volume 3 (Research Methodology in Strategy and Management)

Cover......Page 1
Research Methodology in Strategy and Management......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
List of Contributors......Page 10
Introduction......Page 14
The Adaptive Cycle and the Organizational Typology......Page 20
A Journey of Adventure......Page 24
The Courage to Pursue Big, Broad Questions......Page 25
Making the World a Better Place......Page 27
Notes......Page 28
Theory, Practice, and Scholarship......Page 30
References......Page 34
Constructs and Construct Measurement in Upper Echelons Research......Page 36
Interesting?......Page 37
Valuable, Inimitable, and Rare?......Page 38
The Upper Echelons Perspective and Its Constituent Constructs......Page 39
TMT Demographics......Page 41
TMT Characteristics......Page 42
Mediating Strategy Processes......Page 43
Contextual Forces......Page 44
Crafting the Causal Story......Page 45
Link to Existing Research......Page 47
Ensuring Construct Validity in UEP Research......Page 48
Determining Construct Valid Measures......Page 49
Challenges to Construct Validity......Page 50
Concluding with a Benchmark Process for Upper Echelons Research......Page 51
References......Page 53
Surveying the Corporate Elite: Theoretical and Practical Guidance on Improving Response Rates and Response Quality in Top Management Survey Questionnaires......Page 56
Determinants of Survey Response and Response Quality......Page 58
Norm of Reciprocity......Page 59
Social Proof......Page 60
Legitimacy and Authority......Page 62
Method......Page 63
Results......Page 66
Conclusion......Page 69
References......Page 72
Managerial Constraint: The Intersection Between Organizational Task Environment and Discretion......Page 76
Common Roots, Different Applications......Page 77
Empirical Applications of Dess and Beard’s Task Environment......Page 82
Industry Variables......Page 83
Empirical Applications of Hambrick and Finkelstein’s Discretion......Page 90
Level of Analysis......Page 92
Implications for Future Research......Page 94
Recommendations for Measurement......Page 95
Temporal Stability......Page 96
Standardization......Page 98
Potential for Omitted Variable Problems......Page 99
Different Labels, Common Phenomenon?......Page 101
Integrating Task Environment and Discretion......Page 104
Conclusion......Page 107
References......Page 108
Assessing the External Environment: An Enrichment of the Archival Tradition......Page 116
Background and Purpose......Page 118
Variation......Page 119
Instability......Page 120
Unpredictability......Page 123
Aggregate Versus Intra-Industry Variation......Page 125
Summary for Variation......Page 126
Complexity......Page 127
Dispersion......Page 128
Heterogeneity......Page 130
Dispersion and Heterogeneity Elaborated as Proximal Complexity......Page 131
Total Complexity......Page 132
Summary for Complexity......Page 133
Implications Related to Variation......Page 134
Implications Related to Complexity......Page 136
References......Page 137
Analysis of Extremes in Management Studies......Page 142
Firm Growth......Page 146
Interfirm Networks......Page 148
How Data Get from Gaussian to Lognormal to Pareto Distributions......Page 149
Where Do Power Laws Come From?......Page 153
The Centrality of Gaussian Assumptions in Current Statistical Analysis......Page 158
Foundations of Extreme Value Theory and Statistics......Page 160
Generalized Extreme Value Distribution (GEVD) Model......Page 161
World’s Fastest Women and Men......Page 167
Home Run Kings......Page 171
A Complication: Non-homogeneity......Page 174
r-Largest Order Statistics Model (GEVD)......Page 175
Intifada Fatalities......Page 177
A Complication: Interdependent Extremes......Page 181
Threshold Exceedences Model......Page 184
U.S. Stock Market Indices......Page 185
Martha Stewart and ImClone......Page 191
A Complication: Dependent Exceedences......Page 194
Multivariate Extremes and Extremal Dependence......Page 197
Bivariate Extreme Value Distribution (BEVD) for Block Maxima......Page 199
Bivariate Extreme Value Distribution (BEVD) for Threshold Exceedences......Page 202
Conclusion......Page 204
Notes......Page 210
References......Page 211
The Role of Formative Measurement Models in Strategic Management Research: Review, Critique, and Implications for Future Research......Page 216
Introduction......Page 217
Formative and Reflective Measurement Models......Page 220
Relationships between First-Order Constructs and Measures......Page 221
Relationships between Higher-Order Multidimensional Constructs, Dimensions, and Measures......Page 225
Consequences of Measurement Model Misspecification......Page 226
Choosing Between Formative and Reflective Measurement Models......Page 228
Measurement of First-Order Constructs......Page 229
Measurement of Higher-Order Multidimensional Constructs......Page 230
Measurement Model Misspecification in Strategy Research......Page 231
Assessment of Measurement Model Misspecification......Page 232
Examples of Mismodeled Constructs in Strategy Research......Page 235
Common Errors in Measurement Model Misspecification......Page 254
Firm Performance as a Construct Having Formative Indicators......Page 259
Conclusions and Implications for the Field of Strategy......Page 264
References......Page 266
Further Reading......Page 270
Individuals and Organizations: Thoughts on a Micro-Foundations Project for Strategic Management and Organizational Analysis......Page 272
Introduction......Page 273
Organizational Capabilities: A Lack of Micro-Foundations......Page 276
Mechanisms and the Individual Level......Page 277
A General Model of Social Science Explanation......Page 279
Examples: Collectivism in Management Research......Page 281
Some Reasons Why Micro-Foundations are Critical......Page 286
Observation and Interventions Made at Lower Level......Page 287
Alternative Explanations......Page 288
Organizations and Strategies Resultant of Individuals......Page 289
More General Arguments......Page 290
Building Bridges Between Levels......Page 291
Mode of Explanation......Page 293
Fundamental Choices in Theory-Building: Making Assumptions About Human Agency......Page 294
Rationality......Page 296
Choice......Page 297
Causal Mechanisms......Page 298
What Are Your Assumptions About Human Nature?......Page 299
What are the Origins of Collective-Level Variables?......Page 300
Conclusion......Page 301
Notes......Page 302
References......Page 304
Rigor and Relevance Using Repertory Grid Technique in Strategy Research......Page 308
Importance of Cognitions Research in the Strategy Field......Page 309
Overview of Past Repertory Grid Applications in the Strategy Literature and their Key Contributions to the Field......Page 311
Overview of Theoretical Foundations: Personal Construct Theory......Page 316
Elements (Listed Vertically in the Middle of the Grid)......Page 318
Homogeneous......Page 320
As Short as Possible......Page 321
Supply the Elements or Elicit the Elements......Page 322
Constructs (Elicited from Respondent and Listed Along the Rows from Left to Right)......Page 326
A Meaningful Approach to the Grid Technique’s Reliability and to its Validity......Page 328
How to Administer the Repertory Grid Technique in Strategy Research......Page 332
Car Horse Train......Page 333
How to Read a Repertory Grid Cognitive Map......Page 338
From Individual Level to Collective Cognitions: Taking Grid Work to a Whole New Level......Page 340
How to Analyze the Resultant Collective Cognitive Maps, Focus Tree Diagrams (Cluster Analysis), and Construct Correlations......Page 342
Acknowledgment......Page 353
References......Page 354
Studying the Dynamics of Reputation: A Framework for Research on the Reputational Consequences of Corporate Actions......Page 362
The Need for Research on the Dynamics of Reputation and the Reputational Consequences of Firm Actions......Page 364
Theoretical Perspectives on the Foundations of Reputation and the Consequences of Corporate Actions......Page 365
Reputation as a Function of Organizational Character Traits......Page 366
Reputation as a Function of Symbolic Conformity and Cultural Prominence......Page 367
Reputation as a Function of Technical Efficacy......Page 369
Reputation as a Function of Relational Status......Page 370
Actions that Appear to Send Signals about Organizational Character (or the Lack Thereof)......Page 372
Actions that Signal Organizational Conformity (or Nonconformity) with Field Level Demands......Page 373
Actions that are Themselves Performance Signals......Page 374
Actions that Appear to Send Complex and Conflicting Signals......Page 375
What Should Scholars Aspire to Learn from Dynamic, Action-Focused Studies of Reputation?......Page 376
How Should Dynamic, Action-Focused Studies of Reputation Be Theoretically Framed?......Page 377
What Needs to Be Taken into Account Empirically?......Page 378
Consider How the Action Relates to Field Level Institutional Demands and Broader Institutional Dynamics......Page 379
Consider How the Action Affects Technical Performance......Page 380
Consider the Audience(s)......Page 381
Reputation Should be Measured as a Global, Omnibus Evaluation of the Firm as a Whole......Page 382
Studies Should Use Established Measures of Reputation which Capture Public Attention and which Firms themselves Care About......Page 383
Two Specific Measures of Reputation Worth Considering......Page 384
Rankings and Ratings of Reputation......Page 387
How to Control for Firm Performance......Page 388
An In-Depth Example: Downsizing and Corporate Reputation......Page 389
Conclusion: Potential Directions for Dynamic, Action-Focused Studies of Reputation......Page 394
Studies Examining the Reputational Consequences of Changing Firm Boundaries......Page 395
Studies Examining the Reputational Consequences of Performance Changes, Patterns, or Events......Page 396
Notes......Page 398
References......Page 399
An Assessment of the Use of Structural Equation Modeling in International Business Research*......Page 404
Introduction......Page 405
Key Concerns When Using SEM......Page 406
Data Characteristics......Page 407
Reporting......Page 416
Model Respecification......Page 417
Reliability and Validity......Page 418
Equivalent Models......Page 420
Evaluation of Model Fit......Page 422
Measurement Equivalence......Page 426
Common Method Bias......Page 428
Discussion......Page 429
References......Page 431