Marc André Baumgartner and Vincent Mangematin
Repeatedly engaging in strategic exercises may lead to a certain weariness, as the same strategic processes are used over and over again. The authors advocate looking at business…
Abstract
Purpose
Repeatedly engaging in strategic exercises may lead to a certain weariness, as the same strategic processes are used over and over again. The authors advocate looking at business model as a new concept to challenge existing beliefs and what is taken for granted. This paper aims to better understand how business model renews strategic processes. Does it change the strategic process, or is it a new strategic tool? Based on an analysis of the strategic processes of eight small- and medium-sized enterprises, the authors identify four mechanisms for challenging existing strategic processes: cognitive challenge, focus on process, mindset and mindset change, cognition and capabilities. Renewing strategic tools and processes is necessary to change the lens through which the environment is viewed. This change of perspective happens because of newness in the process of how top managers read the organisation and the environment, thus adapting their business more quickly than do other companies. To combine the understanding of history necessary for strategic thinking with the ability to think outside the box requires a certain flexibility of mind, which can be called cognitive strategic ambidexterity.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on an analysis of the strategic processes of eight small- or medium-sized enterprises, this paper shows that it is not because of business modelling that top managers may renew their strategic approach and think outside the box.
Findings
Based on an analysis of the strategic processes of eight small- and medium-sized enterprises, the authors identify four mechanisms for challenging existing strategic processes: cognitive challenge, focus on process, mindset and mindset change, cognition and capabilities. Renewing strategic tools and processes is necessary to change the lens through which the environment is viewed. This change of perspective happens because of newness in the process of how top managers read the organisation and the environment, thus adapting their business more quickly than do other companies.
Originality/value
A lot of research has been conducted in the fields of strategy as practice and business model. The newness added by this article is the interlinkage between the two fields of research. Looking at the process of strategy through the lens of business modelling has so far not been covered. Cognitive strategic ambidexterity is the key.
Marc André Baumgartner and Esther Tippmann
Strategizing in a multinational corporation requires balancing global and local strategy. The purpose of this paper is to provide some insights into how multinational corporations…
Abstract
Purpose
Strategizing in a multinational corporation requires balancing global and local strategy. The purpose of this paper is to provide some insights into how multinational corporations succeed in this endeavor.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a detailed qualitative investigation of the strategy-development processes at Gamma – a European multinational corporation in the materials industry. Specifically, the authors investigated strategy development in the DACH region (i.e., for the German, Austrian and Swiss subsidiaries). To collect data, they conducted interviews with key informants at the corporate headquarters and the subsidiaries and collected archival data.
Findings
The data revealed that Gamma had found an approach to strategy development that balanced its global strategy with local conditions, finding a suitable way to align its global and local strategies. The authors therefore unravel three key insights revolving around subsidiaries’ unique interpretations of the basic idea of global strategy, idiosyncratic strategy development processes in subsidiaries and globally and locally synchronized temporal structures.
Originality/value
Knowing how to balance the strategic needs of headquarters and subsidiaries allows multinational corporations to follow a general strategy while simultaneously developing a local market strategy responsive to the individual market requirements.
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Keywords
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
One of the essential aspects of strategy that many executives struggle to come to terms with is the ethereal nature of it as a pursuit. Unlike logistics or finance, it has a wispy, intangible nature that refuses to be nailed down for a minute. Just as one executive thinks they have the right strategic plan, then the market will change, the environment will change, or any of the thousands of things that the strategy depended on will shift, leaving the firm high and dry, still looking for that killer app that will lead to competitive advantage.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
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Philippe Eiselein and Nikolay A. Dentchev
Purpose: This literature review aims to answer the calls for further exploration of scaling challenges and opportunities for social entrepreneurs (SEs). We address the scaling…
Abstract
Purpose: This literature review aims to answer the calls for further exploration of scaling challenges and opportunities for social entrepreneurs (SEs). We address the scaling issue of social entrepreneurship through the theoretical lens of sustainable business models. Methodology: This paper investigates, on a multilevel approach, 340 journal articles published in one of the 20 peer-reviewed journals in management, entrepreneurship, CSR, organizational behavior, and nonprofit. It also considers influential articles due to their relatively high citation count (i.e., more than 150 times) outside of those selected journals. This paper furthermore analyses in-depth 32 scaling articles. Findings: This study positions the topics of social entrepreneurship over the last decades, together with the six types of scaling strategies: scaling up, scaling down, scaling across, scaling deep, scaling out, and diversification. It also discusses 15 challenges related to the scaling efforts by SEs. It furthermore elaborates on potential leads for research and practice regarding scaling social impact. Social Implications: There are many pathways for SEs to increase their impact on society, even though it remains quite challenging to achieve for most. Understanding what possibilities or limitations apply to individual SEs is but a first step in developing the full potential of social entrepreneurship. Originality: This paper approaches scaling from three complementary levels of analysis, i.e., individual, organizational, and institutional. Thus we provide more clarity and a nuanced perspective on past and future research regarding scaling challenges and opportunities.