Ignacio Tamayo-Torres, Leopoldo J. Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, Francisco Javier Llorens-Montes and Francisco J. Martínez-López
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the roles played by organizational learning (OL) and innovation in organizations immersed in the processes of adaptation and strategic fit…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the roles played by organizational learning (OL) and innovation in organizations immersed in the processes of adaptation and strategic fit in dynamic and turbulent environments. The authors analyze whether OL and innovation act as sources of strategic fit, and whether strategic fit positively affects performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use data from a survey of a representative sample of 204 respondents from European firms active in high-technology sectors (response rate: 10.42 percent) and structural equation modeling (using the EQS 6.1 program) to undertake a transversal study.
Findings
The model confirms that OL and the capacity to innovate positively influence managers’ decisions to adapt their organizations to changes in dynamic environments. The achievement of strategic fit, in turn, improves organizational performance. The authors propose considering the innovation climate as a facilitator of new product and process development, although the innovation climate is not a direct antecedent of fit.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited by the fact that the analysis is cross-sectional and by the fact that all measures used are based on managers’ perceptions.
Practical implications
Managers should create and support an entrepreneurial culture that stresses continuous learning. They should also foster programs aimed at developing abilities, and promote the development of capabilities that facilitate acceptance of organizational change. Investments in building certain capabilities, such as OL and the capacity to innovate, are strategically justified, especially in turbulent environments.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to investigate the complex interactions among OL, innovation, strategic fit, and performance. The results improve our understanding of the links between strategic fit and performance.
Details
Keywords
Cristina Sancha, Leopoldo Gutierrez-Gutierrez, Ignacio Tamayo-Torres and Cristina Gimenez Thomsen
This article studies the role played by sustainability operations management (OM) practices in the relationship between governance and environmental and social performance…
Abstract
Purpose
This article studies the role played by sustainability operations management (OM) practices in the relationship between governance and environmental and social performance adopting the lenses of the upper echelons theory and the resource-based view. In particular, the authors study three main relationships: (1) the impact of governance on the implementation of sustainability OM practices, (2) the impact of sustainability OM practices on sustainability performance and (3) the mediating role of sustainability OM practices in the relationship between governance and sustainability performance.
Design/methodology/approach
To test this study’s research model, the authors retrieved secondary data of 430 firms from the United Stated (US) and Europe and analyzed it using partial least squares (PLS)-based structural equation modeling (SEM).
Findings
This study’s results suggest that sustainability OM practices are needed to achieve higher social and environmental performance outcomes from governance, highlighting the key role of the OM department in the achievement of a sustainability strategy.
Originality/value
This paper adopts the environmental, social, governance (ESG) neglected focus and aims to provide a better understanding of and reveal the interrelationship between governance and sustainability OM practices (i.e. environmental and social).
Details
Keywords
Carmen Haro‐Domínguez, Teresa Ortega‐Egea and Ignacio Tamayo‐Torres
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of the manager's strategic orientation concerning technology acquisition and its repercussions for the firm's performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of the manager's strategic orientation concerning technology acquisition and its repercussions for the firm's performance.
Design/methodology/approach
These relationships are studied using a sample of Spanish engineering consulting firms, most of them small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises.
Findings
The results obtained show that the proactive character adopted by managers will directly influence the decision‐making process concerning technology acquisitions. Managers with a proactive strategic orientation adopt both internal technological development and the external acquisition of technology, but a slight preference is observed for internal development, even though it achieves considerably less satisfactory results than those achieved with external technology acquisition.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is exploratory in character, and its goal is to show whether interrelations exist between the variables. The sample refers only to engineering consultancies. Another limitation is the cross‐sectional character of the analysis performed.
Practical implications
To obtain perfect adaptation of the firm to its environment, it is crucial that the manager be committed on both the tactical and the operating strategic levels. The paper shows the important role of the manager's strategic orientation in his or her decisions on technology acquisition. Success in this kind of decision is of vital importance to the firm. The high costs of internal development prevent immediate profits, and external acquisition brings high risks.
Originality/value
The paper seeks to stimulate new lines of research regarding these two variables (technology acquisition and manager's strategic orientation) and their repercussions for the firm.