Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wzw2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-01T11:06:37.866Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Match Between Structural Attributes and Content-Based Orientation of Managerial Cognition: An Exploratory fsQCA Study of ‘Hidden Champions’

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2021

Linan Lei ,
Yanan Fu ,
Xiaobo Wu  and
Jian Du
Linan Lei
Affiliation:
Zhejiang University, China
Yanan Fu
Affiliation:
Zhejiang University, China
Xiaobo Wu
Affiliation:
Zhejiang University, China
Jian Du*
Affiliation:
Zhejiang University, China
*
Corresponding author: Jian Du (dujian@zju.edu.cn)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Strategic decision makers interpret information and translate it into organizational action through the lens of strategic schemas. How should firms realize high performance with various strategic schemas? Cognitive content and structure have been shown to underlie strategic schemas, but few studies have considered them together. This study employs aggregation analysis to clarify the interaction between cognitive content (technology orientation, market orientation) and structure (complexity, centrality) in affecting the firm performance (FP) of ‘hidden champion’ companies, identified by the Economy and Information Technology Department of Zhejiang Province, China. The empirical method applies fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to generate strategic schema profiles for high FP. This exploratory study fills a gap in the literature on managerial cognition and provides key lessons from ‘hidden champion’ companies in China and their paths for small- and medium-sized enterprises to grow.

摘要

战略决策者通过“战略图式”这一滤镜诠释信息并转化为组织行动。企业如何通过不同的战略图式实现高水平绩效呢？认知内容与结构被认为是组成战略图式的基础，但很少有研究将二者同时纳入考虑。本研究采用聚类比较分析以阐明认知内容（技术导向、市场导向）与结构特征（复杂性、集中性）在影响“隐形冠军”企业绩效的交互机制。研究以浙江省经济和信息化厅认定的“隐形冠军”企业为样本，将基于模糊集的定性比较分析（fsQCA）运用于识别高水平绩效的战略图式。这项探索性的研究填补了管理认知已有研究中的理论缺口，并总结中国隐形冠军企业的重要规律与发展路径以指导中小企业的发展。

Keywords

centralitycomplexityhidden championsstrategic orientationstrategic schema集中性复杂性隐形冠军战略导向战略图式
Type
Article
Information
Management and Organization Review , Volume 18 , Special Issue 2: Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Family Business in China , April 2022 , pp. 395 - 423
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The International Association for Chinese Management Research

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

ACCEPTED BY Deputy Editor Xiaowei Rose Luo

References

REFERENCES

Adams, P., Freitas, I. M. B., & Fontana, R. 2019. Strategic orientation, innovation performance and the moderating influence of marketing management. Journal of Business Research, 97: 129–140.10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.12.071CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Al-Ansaari, Y., Bederr, H., & Chen, C. 2015. Strategic orientation and business performance: An empirical study in the UAE context. Management Decision, 53(10): 2287–2302.10.1108/MD-01-2015-0034CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armstrong, J. S., & Collopy, F. 1996. Competitor orientation: Effects of objectives and information on managerial decisions and profitability. Journal of Marketing Research, 33(2): 188–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Auh, S., & Menguc, B. 2005. The influence of top management team functional diversity on strategic orientations: The moderating role of environmental turbulence and inter-functional coordination. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 22(3): 333–350.10.1016/j.ijresmar.2004.12.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barr, P. S., Stimpert, J. L., & Huff, A. S. 1992. Cognitive change, strategic action, and organizational renewal. Strategic Management Journal, 13(S1): 15–36.10.1002/smj.4250131004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barr, P. S. 1998. Adapting to unfamiliar environmental events: A look at the evolution interpretation and its role in strategic change. Organization Science, 9(6): 644–669.10.1287/orsc.9.6.644CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bogner, W. C., & Barr, P. S. 2000. Making sense in hypercompetitive environments: A cognitive explanation for the persistence of high velocity competition. Organization Science, 11(2): 212–226.10.1287/orsc.11.2.212.12511CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, S. L., & Eisenhardt, K. M. 1995. Product development: Past research, present findings, and future directions. Academy of Management Review, 20(2): 343–378.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calori, R., Johnson, G., & Sarnin, P. 1994. CEOs’ cognitive maps and the scope of the organization. Strategic Management Journal, 15(6): 437–457.10.1002/smj.4250150603CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carley, K., & Palmquist, M. 1992. Extracting, representing, and analyzing mental models. Social Forces, 70(3): 601–636.10.2307/2579746CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chakravarthy, B. S. 1982. Adaptation: A promising metaphor for strategic management. Academy of Management Review, 7(1): 35–44.10.2307/257246CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, D. N., & Liang, T. P. 2016. Knowledge diversity and firm performance: An ecological view. Journal of Knowledge Management, 20(4): 671–686.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, Y., Tang, G., Jin, J., Xie, Q., & Li, J. 2014. CEOs’ transformational leadership and product innovation performance: The roles of corporate entrepreneurship and technology orientation. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 31(Suppl. 1): 2–17.10.1111/jpim.12188CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheng, S. L., & Chang, H. C. 2009. Performance implications of cognitive complexity: An empirical study of cognitive strategic groups in semiconductor industry. Journal of Business Research, 62(12): 1311–1320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, K. B., & Fujimoto, T. 1991. Product development performance: Strategy, organization, and management in the world auto industry. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.Google Scholar
Cowan, D. A. 1986. Developing a process model of problem recognition. Academy of Management Review, 11(4): 763–776.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daft, R. L., & Weick, K. E. 1984. Toward a model of organizations as interpretation systems. Academy of Management Review, 9(2): 284–295.10.2307/258441CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Day, D. L., Lewin, A. Y., & Li, H. 1995. Strategic leaders or strategic groups: A longitudinal data envelopment analysis of the US brewing industry. European Journal of Operational Research, 80(3): 619–638.10.1016/0377-2217(94)00141-XCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deutscher, F., Zapkau, F. B., Schwens, C., Baum, M., & Kabst, R. 2016. Strategic orientations and performance: A configurational perspective. Journal of Business Research, 69(2): 849–861.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dutton, J. E., & Duncan, R. B. 1987. The creation of momentum for change through the process of strategic issue diagnosis. Strategic Management Journal, 8(3): 279–295.10.1002/smj.4250080306CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dutton, J. E., Fahey, L., & Narayanan, V. K. 1983. Toward understanding strategic issue diagnosis. Strategic Management Journal, 4(4): 307–323.10.1002/smj.4250040403CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eden, C., Ackermann, F., & Cropper, S. 1992. The analysis of cause maps. Journal of Management Studies, 29(3): 309–324.10.1111/j.1467-6486.1992.tb00667.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fernandez-Perez, V., Garcia-Morales, V. J., & Cabeza Pulles, D. 2016. Entrepreneurial decision-making, external social networks and strategic flexibility: The role of CEOs' cognition. European Management Journal, 84(3): 296–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferreira, F. A., Jalali, M. S., & Ferreira, J. J. 2016. Experience-focused thinking and cognitive mapping in ethical banking practices: From practical intuition to theory. Journal of Business Research, 69(11): 4953–4958.10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.058CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finkelstein, S., & Hambrick, D. C. 1990. Top-management-team tenure and organizational outcomes: The moderating role of managerial discretion. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35(3): 484–503.10.2307/2393314CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. 1991. Social cognition, (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Fiss, P. C. 2011. Building better causal theories: A fuzzy set approach to typologies in organization research. Academy of Management Journal, 54(54): 393–420.10.5465/amj.2011.60263120CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frambach, R. T., Fiss, P. C., & Ingenbleek, P. T. M. 2016. How important is customer orientation for firm performance? A fuzzy set analysis of orientations, strategies, and environments. Journal of Business Research, 69(4): 1428–1436.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gary, M. S., & Wood, R. E. 2011. Mental models, decision rules, and performance heterogeneity. Strategic Management Journal, 32(6): 569–594.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gatignon, H., & Xuereb, J. M. 1997. Strategic orientation of the firm and new product performance. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(1): 77–90.10.1177/002224379703400107CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gavetti, G., & Rivkin, J. W. 2007. On the origin of strategy: Action and cognition over time. Organization Science, 18(3): 420–439.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greckhamer, T., Furnari, S., Fiss, P. C., & Aguilera, R. V. 2018. Studying configurations with qualitative comparative analysis: Best practices in strategy and organization research. Strategic Organization, 16(4): 482–495.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grégoire, D. A., Corbett, A. C., & McMullen, J. S. 2011. The cognitive perspective in entrepreneurship: An agenda for future research. Journal of Management Studies, 48(6): 1443–1477.10.1111/j.1467-6486.2010.00922.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grewal, R., & Tansuhaj, P. 2001. Building organizational capabilities for managing economic crisis: The role of market orientation and strategic flexibility. Journal of Marketing, 65(2): 67–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gröschl, S., Gabaldón, P., & Hahn, T. 2019. The co-evolution of leaders’ cognitive complexity and corporate sustainability: The case of the CEO of Puma. Journal of Business Ethics, 155(3): 741–762.10.1007/s10551-017-3508-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guion, L. A., Diehl, D. C., & McDonald, D. 2011. Triangulation: Establishing the validity of qualitative studies. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press.Google Scholar
Hahn, T., Preuss, L., Pinkse, J., & Figge, F. 2014. Cognitive frames in corporate sustainability: Managerial sensemaking with paradoxical and business case frames. Academy of Management Review, 39(4): 463–487.10.5465/amr.2012.0341CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hakala, H. 2011. Strategic orientations in management literature: Three approaches to understanding the interaction between market, technology, entrepreneurial and learning orientations. International Journal of Management Reviews, 13(2): 199–217.10.1111/j.1468-2370.2010.00292.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hambrick, D. C., & Mason, P. A. 1984. Upper echelons: The organization as a reflection of its top managers. Academy of Management Review, 9(2): 193–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes-Roth, B. 1977. Evolution of cognitive structures and processes. Psychological Review, 84(3): 260–278.10.1037/0033-295X.84.3.260CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Judge, W. Q., Fainshmidt, S., & Brown, J. L. 2014. Which model of capitalism best delivers both wealth and equality? Journal of International Business Studies, 45(4): 363–386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kandemir, D., Yaprak, A., & Cavusgil, S. T. 2006. Alliance orientation: Conceptualization, measurement, and impact on market performance. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34(3): 324–340.10.1177/0092070305285953CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kiesler, S., & Sproull, L. 1982. Managerial response to changing environments: Perspectives on problem sensing from social cognition. Administrative Science Quarterly, 27(4): 548–570.10.2307/2392530CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirca, A. H., Jayachandran, S., & Bearden, W. O. 2005. Market orientation: A meta-analytic review and assessment of its antecedents and impact on performance. Journal of Marketing, 69(2): 24–41.10.1509/jmkg.69.2.24.60761CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kriz, A., Sonntag, S., & Kriz, A. 2015. Australian hidden champions: Fool's gold or eureka? ISPIM Innovation Symposium. The International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM), 6-9 December, Brisbane, Australia.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lau, C. M. 2011. Team and organizational resources, strategic orientations, and firm performance in a transitional economy. Journal of Business Research, 64(12): 1344–1351.10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.01.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lei, L., Wu, X., & Tan, Z. 2020. The growth of hidden champions in China: A cognitive explanation from integrated view. Chinese Management Studies, 14(3): 613–637.10.1108/CMS-06-2019-0206CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levinthal, D. 2011. A behavioral approach to strategy-what's the alternative? Strategic Management Journal, 32(13): 1517–1523.10.1002/smj.963CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, C. R. 2016. The role of top-team diversity and perspective taking in mastering organizational ambidexterity. Management and Organization Review, 12(4): 769–794.10.1017/mor.2015.54CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, P. P. 2014. The unique value of Yin-Yang balancing: A critical response. Management and Organization Review, 10(2): 321–332.Google Scholar
Lin, S., & Li, J. 2017. Strategic orientation and performance of new ventures: Empirical studies based on entrepreneurial activities in China. International Entrepreneurship & Management Journal, 13(4): 1–24.Google Scholar
Martin, J. H., Martin, B. A., & Minnillo, P. R. 2009. Implementing a market orientation in small manufacturing firms: From cognitive model to action. Journal of Small Business Management, 47(1): 92–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKiernan, P., & Purg, D. 2013. Hidden champions in CEE and Turkey. Berlin: Springer.10.1007/978-3-642-40504-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McNamara, G. M., Luce, R. A., & Tompson, G. H. 2002. Examining the effect of complexity in strategic group knowledge structures on firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 23(2): 153–170.10.1002/smj.211CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McTavish, R. 1967. The marketing of computers and office machinery. European Journal of Marketing, 1(2): 42–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Menon, A. 2018. Bringing cognition into strategic interactions: Strategic mental models and open questions. Strategic Management Journal, 39(1): 168–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, D., Lant, T. K., Milliken, F. J., & Korn, H. J. 1996. The evolution of strategic simplicity: Exploring two models of organizational adaption. Journal of Management, 22(6): 863–887.10.1177/014920639602200604CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nadkarni, S., & Barr, P. S. 2008. Environmental context, managerial cognition, and strategic action: An integrated view. Strategic Management Journal, 29(13): 1395–1427.10.1002/smj.717CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nadkarni, S., Herrmann, P., & Perez, P. D. 2011. Domestic mindsets and early international performance: The moderating effect of global industry conditions. Strategic Management Journal, 32(5): 510–531.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nadkarni, S., & Narayanan, V. K. 2005. Validity of the structural properties of text-based causal maps: An empirical assessment. Organizational Research Methods, 8(1): 9–40.10.1177/1094428104271999CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nadkarni, S., & Narayanan, V. K. 2007. Strategic schemas, strategic flexibility, and firm performance: The moderating role of industry clockspeed. Strategic Management Journal, 28(3): 243–270.10.1002/smj.576CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Naldi, L., & Davidsson, P. 2014. Entrepreneurial growth: The role of international knowledge acquisition as moderated by firm age. Journal of Business Venturing, 29(5): 687–703.10.1016/j.jbusvent.2013.08.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Narayanan, V. K., Zane, L. J., & Kemmerer, B. 2011. The cognitive perspective in strategy: An integrative review. Journal of Management, 37(1): 305–351.10.1177/0149206310383986CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Narver, J. C., & Slater, S. F. 1990. The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing, 54(4): 20–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Dwyer, M., & Gilmore, A. 2018. Value and alliance capability and the formation of strategic alliances in SMEs: The impact of customer orientation and resource optimization. Journal of Business Research, 87(1): 58–68.10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.02.020CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ozgen, E., & Baron, R. A. 2007. Social sources of information in opportunity recognition: Effects of mentors, industry networks, and professional forums. Journal of Business Venturing, 22(2): 174–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pan, W., & Sun, L. Y. 2018. A self-regulation model of Zhong Yong thinking and employee adaptive performance. Management and Organization Review, 14(1): 135–159.10.1017/mor.2017.33CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Powell, T. C., Lovallo, D., & Fox, C. R. 2011. Behavioral strategy. Strategic Management Journal, 32(13): 1369–1386.10.1002/smj.968CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ragin, C. C. 2008. Qualitative comparative analysis using fuzzy sets (fsQCA). In Benoit, R., & Ragin, C. (Eds.), Configurational comparative analysis: 87–121. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Ren, Y. Q., & Argote, L. 2011. Transactive memory systems 1985–2010: An integrative framework of key dimensions, antecedents, and consequences. Academy of Management Annals, 5(1): 189–229.10.5465/19416520.2011.590300CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rihoux, B., & Ragin, C. C. 2009. Configurational comparative methods: Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and related techniques. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Schneider, M. R., Schulze-Bentrop, C., & Paunescu, M. 2010. Mapping the institutional capital of high-tech firms: A fuzzy-set analysis of capitalist variety and export performance. Journal of International Business Studies, 41(2): 246–266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schneier, C. E. 1979. Measuring cognitive complexity: Developing reliability, validity, and norm tables for a personality instrument. Educational & Psychological Measurement, 39(3): 599–612.10.1177/001316447903900311CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott-Kennel, J., & Giroud, A. 2015. MNEs and FSAs: Network knowledge, strategic orientation and performance. Journal of World Business, 50(1): 94–107.10.1016/j.jwb.2014.02.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Serrano-Cinca, C., Fuertes-Callén, Y., & Mar-Molinero, C. 2005. Measuring DEA efficiency in internet companies. Decision Support Systems, 38(4): 557–573.10.1016/j.dss.2003.08.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shepherd, D. A., McMullen, J. S., & Ocasio, W. 2017. Is that an opportunity? An attention model of top managers’ opportunity beliefs for strategic action. Strategic Management Journal, 38(33): 5083–5094.10.1002/smj.2499CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simon, H. 1992. Lessons from Germany's midsize giants. Harvard Business Review, 70(2): 115–123.Google Scholar
Simon, H. 1996. You don't have to be German to be a ‘hidden champion’. Business Strategy Review, 7(2): 1–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stake, R. 1995. The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Stroe, S., Parida, V., & Wincent, J. 2018. Effectuation or causation: An fsQCA analysis of entrepreneurial passion, risk perception, and self-efficacy. Journal of Business Research, 89: 265–272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stubbart, C. I. 1989. Managerial cognition: A missing link in strategic management research. Journal of Management Studies, 26(4): 325–334.10.1111/j.1467-6486.1989.tb00732.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tripsas, M., & Gavetti, G. 2000. Capabilities, cognition, and inertia: Evidence from digital imaging. Strategic Management Journal, 21(10/11): 1147–1161.10.1002/1097-0266(200010/11)21:10/11<1147::AID-SMJ128>3.0.CO;2-R3.0.CO;2-R>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tyler, B. B., & Gnyawali, D. R. 2002. Mapping managers’ market orientations regarding new product success. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 19(4): 259–276.10.1111/1540-5885.1940259CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Urde, M., Baumgarth, C., & Merrilees, B. 2013. Brand orientation and market orientation: From alternatives to synergy. Journal of Business Research, 66(1): 13–20.10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.07.018CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Voss, G. B., & Voss, Z. G. 2000. Strategic orientation and firm performance in an artistic environment. Journal of Marketing, 64(1): 67–83.10.1509/jmkg.64.1.67.17993CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walsh, J. P. 1995. Managerial and organizational cognition: Notes from a trip down memory lane. Organization Science, 6(3): 280–321.10.1287/orsc.6.3.280CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wei, H., Bilimoria, D., & Li, S. 2017. How does culture matter? The xin (heart-mind)-based social competence of Chinese executives. Management and Organization Review, 13(2): 307–344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weick, K. E. 1995. Sensemaking in organizations (foundations for organizational science). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Wilms, R., Winnen, L. A., & Lanwehr, R. 2019. Top managers’ cognition facilitates organisational ambidexterity: The mediating role of cognitive processes. European Management Journal, 37(5): 589–600.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woodside, A. G. 2013. Moving beyond multiple regression analysis to algorithms: Calling for adoption of a paradigm shift from symmetric to asymmetric thinking in data analysis and crafting theory. Journal of Business Research, 66(4): 463–472.10.1016/j.jbusres.2012.12.021CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xie, X., Fang, L., & Zeng, S. 2016. Collaborative innovation network and knowledge transfer performance: A fsQCA approach. Journal of Business Research, 69(11): 5210–5215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhou, K. Z., Gao, G. Y., Yang, Z., & Zhou, N. 2005. Developing strategic orientation in China: Antecedents and consequences of market and innovation orientations. Journal of Business Research, 58(8): 1049–1058.10.1016/j.jbusres.2004.02.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhou, K. Z., & Li, C. B. 2010. How strategic orientations influence the building of dynamic capability in emerging economies. Journal of Business Research, 63(3): 224–231.10.1016/j.jbusres.2009.03.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar