Developing theory from strategic management research in China

What are the main approaches to theory development based on strategic management research in China? What are some of the recent efforts in developing theory in this area? What is our recommended approach? To address these questions, this article outlines the three approaches to theory development in China research, articulates the Chinese context within the global economy, and highlights two streams of recent work as examples of following the recommended, integrative approach to theory development.     

Innovation strategies in the enzyme industry

Abstract The enzyme industry is characterised by a rapid rate of technological change and market dynamism. There are over 2000 different types of enzymes with patent cover and yet only a fraction of these have been successfully commercially exploited. What innovation strategies are used by UK suppliers? Could the success rate be improved? This paper reports the findings of a recent survey of UK enzyme suppliers to investigate their approaches to the management of innovation. The main thrust of the research considered the role of marketing and especially the role of customer involvement in the innovation process. A variety of approaches were found but essentially the customer has a fairly restricted part to play in innovation in this dynamic and technological market.     

Complementary approaches to preliminary foreign market opportunity assessment: country clustering and country ranking

Companies seeking to expand abroad are faced with the complex task of screening and evaluating foreign markets. How can managers define, characterize, and express foreign market opportunity? What makes a good market, an attractive industry environment? National markets differ in terms of market attractiveness, due to variations in the economic and commercial environment, growth rates, political stability, consumption capacity, receptiveness to foreign products, and other factors. This research proposes and illustrates the use of two complementary approaches to preliminary foreign market assessment and selection: country clustering and country ranking. These two methods, in combination, can be extremely useful to managerial decision makers in the early stages of foreign market selection.     

Ultra-fast broadband investment and adoption: A survey

In recent years, and in line with EC plans, telecom operators have been facing the need to deploy high-speed, fiber-based infrastructure. What is the socio-economic impact of these new investments on growth and local development? What are their effects on the labor market outcomes, in terms of firm productivity and entrepreneurship? What is the role of regulation and competition in spurring the deployment and the adoption of ultra-fast broadband networks? In this survey, we review the existing literature on ultra-fast, fiber-based broadband network, devoting special attention to the results and to the methodology used in the most recent studies.     

CONFIGURATIONS REVISITED

My 1986 article in SMJ represented an early attempt to apply the approach of configuration to the field of strategy. Now, 10 years later, we still have far to go. What is often lacking from the configurational literature is the search for configuration itself: for complex systems of interdependency and their core orchestrating themes. In this note I address the two major approaches to configuration: conceptually derived typologies and empirically based taxonomies. Some shortcomings of this work are identified and a few ambitious remedial suggestions are advanced. I then propose a third approach—studying configuration as a variable or quality within each organization that can create or destroy competitive advantage.     

Innovation and Design in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

At the heart of any innovation process lies a fundamental practice: the way people create ideas and solve problems. This “decision making” side of innovation is what scholars and practitioners refer to as “design.” Decisions in innovation processes have so far been taken by humans. What happens when they can be substituted by machines? Artificial Intelligence (AI) brings data and algorithms to the core of the innovation processes. What are the implications of this diffusion of AI for our understanding of design and innovation? Is AI just another digital technology that, akin to many others, will not significantly question what we know about design? Or will it create transformations in design that current theoretical frameworks cannot capture? This paper proposes a framework for understanding the design and innovation in the age of AI. We discuss the implications for design and innovation theory. Specifically, we observe that, as creative problem-solving is significantly conducted by algorithms, human design increasingly becomes an activity of sensemaking, that is, understanding which problems should or could be addressed. This shift in focus calls for the new theories and brings design closer to leadership, which is, inherently, an activity of sensemaking. Our insights are derived from and illustrated with two cases at the frontier of AI—Netflix and Airbnb (complemented with analyses of Microsoft and Tesla)—which point to two directions for the evolution of design and innovation in firms. First, AI enables an organization to overcome many past limitations of human-intensive design processes, by improving the scalability of the process, broadening its scope across traditional boundaries, and enhancing its ability to learn and adapt on the fly. Second, and maybe more surprising, while removing these limitations, AI also appears to deeply enact several popular design principles. AI thus reinforces the principles of Design Thinking, namely: being people-centered, abductive, and iterative. In fact, AI enables the creation of solutions that are more highly user centered than human-based approaches (i.e., to an extreme level of granularity, designed for every single person); that are potentially more creative; and that are continuously updated through learning iterations across the entire product life cycle. In sum, while AI does not undermine the basic principles of design, it profoundly changes the practice of design. Problem-solving tasks, traditionally carried out by designers, are now automated into learning loops that operate without limitations of volume and speed. The algorithms embedded in these loops think in a radically different way than a designer who handles the complex problems holistically with a systemic perspective. Algorithms instead handle complexity through very simple tasks, which are iterated continuously. This paper discusses the implications of these insights for design and innovation management scholars and practitioners.     

When hubs forget,lie, and play favorites: Interpersonal network structure,information distortion,and organizational learning

The interpersonal network structure of an organization directly influences the diffusion and recombination of ideas and can thus facilitate or impede organizational learning. Most interpersonal networks have ‘hubs’—individuals who have significantly more connections than does the average member. This raises important questions about how hubs influence organizational learning outcomes. Does the presence of hubs improve or impair performance? What happens if hubs forget or misrepresent information that is transmitted through the network? Using simulation models, we find that moderately hubby networks outperform both very hubby and democratic networks. We also find that moderate amounts of information omission or misrepresentation can be surprisingly beneficial to performance, though the patterns of their effects are strikingly different. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Third generation management of technology intelligence processes

How have the technology intelligence approaches of large technology‐intensive companies changed in the last 30 years? This paper aims to answer this question through case study research in 26 leading European and North American companies in the pharmaceutical, telecommunication equipment and automobile/machinery industries. The empirical results show that technology intelligence approaches have closely followed the changes in R&D organization, project selection and technology planning. Three generations of technology intelligence management can be distinguished. Furthermore, the contingency factors for the location of technology intelligence within technology intensive companies are identified.     

Architectural design education: in varietate unitas

A fascinating and rich landscape of personal views and approaches can be seen in architectural design and in architectural design education. This variation may be confusing for students. This paper focuses on the question: is the framework of generic elements that we developed for explicating the design process helpful to compare the differences in architectural design approaches? The results of interviewing a variety of 15 architectural, urban and landscape designers show all kinds of personal approaches that have a set of five underlying generic elements in common. Therefore, the framework may be helpful for teachers and students to describe these personal approaches and may help students in understanding differences and similarities and in finding out what their own personal approach may be.     

Perspectives on roadmaps: how organizations talk about the future

Roadmaps, in the traditional sense, are concerned mostly with space and position. In the way that industrial and public research institutions use the term, though, roadmaps reveal the time dimension of technological progress. The many and increasing applications of roadmaps have generated confusion about what they are for and what they accomplish amid the many tools and techniques of managing technology. Roadmapping is itself a trend, while it seeks to exploit the trends underlying technology. The practice has side effects, biases, and behavioral consequences that are often not visible to practitioners, and until now, were unexamined by researchers. This study provides an organizational perspective on roadmapping as currently practiced, presents the experience of several organizations that have implemented it, and evaluates the results. Using a case‐based, exploratory method the author addresses several practical questions, such as: What are the effects of roadmapping? How are they measured? Is roadmapping always appropriate? How would an organization know if it was roadmapping well? What are the various kinds of roadmaps and how do they relate to each other? In addition, some more general lessons about organizational behavior emerge from the case data. Cases were selected from several large industrial firms participating in a research consortium exploring the modern challenges and tools of technology management. These firms granted extensive access to the research team and actively participated in the analysis, demonstrating a unique and productive model of research collaboration between academic researchers and business practitioners. Central to an understanding of roadmapping behavior is noticing the tension between its dual nature. Roadmaps are both forecasts of what is possible or likely to happen, as well as plans that articulate a course of action. They are, in a sense, personal to their authors. Roadmaps can be used to align organizations in times of predictable change, but have limited insight into disruptive change. The most influential roadmaps originate as responses to perceived threats, and link the technical storyline to organizational and personal concerns. For those who would implement the technique, the article suggests practical ways to use these and other findings and offers basic definitions and vital questions for future research.     

Tight–loose coupling with customers: the enactment of customer orientation

This article argues that tight linkages with customers present a paradox for the firm. The research question of this study is: What is the behavioral and cognitive process by which a firm establishes close links with its customers, and how can this process be both beneficial and detrimental? Existing theory and data from apparel retailers suggest that firms forge these tight links by enacting their customer environment. In the process of enactment, cognitions and actions reinforce each other and become increasingly focused. The tight coupling generated through enactment comes at the price of increased commitment and restricted vision. The author argues that firms should balance the natural process of tight coupling with a deliberate effort at loose coupling, and draws implications for further research on the organization‐environment interface. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Personal computer networks

In this discussion of the growth of personal computer use in the USA, and the increasing interest in linking these computers into networks, the author describes the expansion of personal computing in the USA since 1975, and cites a number of estimates, surveys, and market research studies concerning projected growth. The activities of the Personal Computer Network (PCNET) are discussed, from its founding in May 1977 to initial experimental operation in early 1978. A number of options for network link media are dealt with, including the dial telephone system and various radio link designs. These various network architectures lead to several policy issues: How will the standards for telephone system use interact with increasing use of personal computer-based telecommunications? How will the cost of telephone service (particularly off-peak hour rates) influence the growth and use of personal computer networks? Could, and should, the telephone carriers and/or the value-added carriers offer a packet-switched service to residential subscribers? What current restrictions are faced by personal computer users in networking via CB and amateur radio? Bandwidth for digital block radio can materially improve the cost-effectiveness of personal computer network activity — what frequencies would be suitable, and what usage restrictions would be appropriate? What are the societal consequences of personal computer networks?     

PERSPECTIVE: first,fast, and on time: the path to success. or is it?

To be competitive, and become the industry leader, the firm needs to be fast, first, and on time, or so the story goes. Fast development cycle times, first to market, and schedule predictability are the three basic principles of new product development performance, but what does the evidence actually show? A review of current research, schedule performance data, and cycle time data shows that following these principles does not necessarily lead to success. Recent studies indicate that being first to market is not necessarily any better than being second, third, or even fifth. Several leading companies in the fast cycle time movement are rethinking their first-to-market strategy, and some are deliberately lengthening their cycle times. Finally, the correlation between schedule accuracy and business results is practically nonexistent in the product lines reviewed for this article. The evidence found while researching this article has led the authors to recast these three traditional principles into three new market-focused guiding principles: effective market introduction timing, first to mindshare, and managed responsiveness. To provide direction in applying these three principles, three types of market windows are defined: imposed, controllable, and emergent. How one approaches each of the three guiding principles is driven by which type of market window the organization is operating within, and other business characteristics, such as market position and the ability to differentiate.     

What determines the scope of the firm over time and around the world? An Asia Pacific perspective

“What determines the scope of the firm?” is a fundamental question in strategy research. We argue that a new generation of diversification research needs to address the extended question: What determines the scope of the firm—both product and geographic—over time and around the world? This article has three goals: (1) to increase awareness among researchers on the necessity to add the much needed but often neglected time and geographic dimensions by introducing a new typology in diversification research, (2) to review how Asia Pacific research, including articles in this Special Issue, has contributed to our global understanding along both dimensions, and (3) to advance an institution-based view on diversification strategies that has largely been propelled by Asia Pacific research.     

Enhancing New Product Development Performance: An Organizational Learning Perspective

Several years ago, an editorial in a software industry journal asked readers, “Why aren’t they using all those marvelous methods?” The focus of the editorial was on software engineering methods, but the question also applies to the broader realm of new product development (NPD). Proven tools exist for gathering, disseminating, and using market information. But despite widespread recognition of the important role that market knowledge plays in NPD, most firms fail to employ these tools in a consistent manner.Marjorie E. Adams, George S. Day, and Deborah Dougherty contend that the tools for successful NPD cannot be implemented successfully until we understand the barriers that hinder an organization’s capabilities for learning about markets. To foster that understanding, they describe the results of a study that explores the organizational barriers to learning about markets for new products. The study examines 40 NPD efforts in 15 large firms, and it has the following goals: identifying the processes through which organizational barriers impede market learning, developing specific ideas for how NPD professionals can cope more effectively with these barriers, and offering suggestions for improving market tools and techniques to help overcome these barriers.The study identifies three organizational learning barriers: avoiding ambiguity, compartmentalized thinking, and inertia. For the participants in this study, these barriers persistently act in specific ways to inhibit market learning. In acquiring market information, people typically focus on less ambiguous, more easily understood technologies and business truisms. Dissemination of market information is hindered because people focus on their own goals, which are often defined within their department’s role instead of the overall goals of the project. Inertia acts as a barrier to the effective use of market information. That is, people tend to proceed as they always have, maintaining the status quo rather than adjusting actions to capitalize on market learning.By encouraging broad functional participation in the acquisition and interpretation of data, NPD organizations can reduce the perceived ambiguity of market information. However, cross-functional approaches are only one step in overcoming organizational barriers. Managers must enable teams to develop rich, vivid market data, help people extend established routines into new practices, and promote trust. Specific market research tools and methods that promote market learning are also suggested.     

ISO 9000标准和6西格玛管理

针对ISO 9000质量管理与6西格玛管理法均是目前世界范围内被广泛使用的质量管理方法,均给正确实践其理论和方法的企业带来了巨大变化,但2种质量管理方法又有区别,从2种质量管理方法的思想方法入手,从质量标准、业绩改进、过程模式、质量管理等方面进行了对比分析:指出ISO 9000族标准是组织的质量管理工作的基础,可为企业提供一个基本的质量保证系统,是一个工作程序化的基础平台,而6西格玛管理法则给组织的质量管理工作带来了一个新的、垂直的方法体系,并认为对于任何一个组织来说,应该依据ISO 9000标准建立质量管理体系,加强其质量管理的基础建设工作,同时实施6西格玛管理法,以便推进和加强组织的质量改进工作。     

New Forms of Employee Involvement at European Level — The Case of the European Company (SE)

This article focuses on important but widely neglected problems of supranational employee involvement both at the level of information and consultation as well as at board level. It takes the most important pattern, the European Company (SE), and presents a systematic empirical analysis of its negotiated forms of worker representation and employee involvement. The questions addressed are: What do these new forms of collective voice and representation at the supranational level look like? What is the relevance of SEs for the development of an emerging system of European industrial relations in a broader perspective? Is the negotiated form of employee involvement likely to lead to new forms of harmonization and convergence or rather to heterogeneity and fragmentation?