Applying the dynamic capabilities perspective, this paper develops a theoretical model of organizational ambidexterity at the boundaries. The boundary-spanning activities of nurturing and reverse nurturing are suggested as the processes that lead to contextual ambidexterity at the boundaries of intra-organizational business units. It is argued that the higher the level of nurturing is, the higher will be the level of contextual ambidexterity at the boundaries of the exploratory unit. Conversely, the higher the level of reverse nurturing is, the higher will be the level of contextual ambidexterity at the boundaries of the exploitative unit. Concerning the research design, a survey based on a large-scale sample of business units in a single firm is proposed. Thus, the framework introduced in the paper contributes to the current revival of the boundary-spanning concept as a core analytical element in organization theory.
The management of agricultural trade organizations in Switzerland is characterized by completely new entrepreneurial challenges due to a progressive opening of agricultural markets and a corresponding reform in the state's agricultural policy. The need for well-suited strategic management tools has suddenly become manifest. Given this background, the intervention described in this article took place in a division of a union of cooperatives in the Swiss agribusiness, which is a typical example of a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME). The aim of the project was to search for possible ways to sustain the viability of the division in the future. The intervention started with the development of an overall descriptive network-type model of the strategically relevant issues faced by the division. A system dynamics (SD) model was built as a decision support tool for one of two crucial strategic issues: the organization of the distribution system. Based on the insights derived from model-building and simulation, the management team changed its shared mental model of the issue at hand, achieving a deeper understanding of the situation faced, the options available and their implications. Thereupon, they have started to reorganize the whole distribution system. In sum, the modeling and simulation activities undertaken had a powerful trigger function in the process by inducing organizational learning at a very fast pace.
This article examines the process through which multilevel network structures translate into knowledge acquisition from alliance partners. The degree of knowledge transfer a multidivisional company achieves from its network of alliance partners is determined not only by the organization's external network structure, but also by the structure of relationships among its business units. By distinguishing two perspectives on the distribution of social capital's benefits - private versus collective - this article's approach reconciles the competing views on what types of network structures create social capital, that is, the brokerage and closure views of the social network literature. Private benefits of brokerage and centrality are more beneficial in interfirm networks, whereas collective benefits provided by network closure and low levels of centralization are more beneficial in intrafirm networks
Using a sample of 106 organizations engaged in strategic alliances, we develop and test a framework of alliance-related organizational decision-making processes and their impact on alli-ance performance. With regard to direct effects, our results show a negative impact of decision-making recursiveness and no significant relationship for openness and procedural rationality. Acknowledging the importance of the organization's micropolitical context in which these deci-sion processes are embedded, we also test the moderating influence of politicality. Our findings provide support for our hypotheses that in a context of low politicality, the decision-making characteristics of openness and procedural rationality have a positive influence, whereas recur-siveness negatively affects alliance performance. In a context of high politicality, however, openness and procedural rationality exert a negative influence, and the negative impact of recur-siveness is aggravated. We suggest that alliance-related decision making cannot be adequately understood without explicitly considering the micropolitical context in organizations.
This study extends research on strategic decision making into the realm of strategic al-liances by examining the interactive effect of decision process characteristics at the firm and al-liance levels on alliance performance. Located both within and at the boundary between partners, alliance-related decision processes have to balance each partner's self-interest on one hand and collective actions on the other hand, with both partners being dependent on each other's collabo-ration. Using primary, cross-sectional data obtained from 103 high-technology alliances, we study the effects of procedural rationality and politics in decision making. Our results corroborate the importance of procedural rationality that facilitates collective actions between alliance partners, but also uncover the pitfall of an unconditional reliance on procedural rationality at the firm level. Our results further show that politically charged decision processes impair decision makers' ability to reconcile individual interests both within and between alliance partners, and therefore jeopardize alliance performance.
Nach erfolgter Restrukturierung setzen zahlreiche Unternehmen seit einiger Zeit wieder auf nachhaltige Wachstumsstrategien. So zeigen die Ergebnisse der Global CEO Study 2006, dass an der Spitze der Prioritätenlisten der CEOs inzwischen wieder Wachstum statt Kostenreduzierung steht. Auch hierzulande lässt sich dieser globale Trend beobachten: Im Januar 2006 brachte die FAZ die Schlagzeile „120 Milliarden Euro für Übernahmen in der Hinterhand – Mehr Optimismus und größeres Selbstbewusstsein unter Deutschlands DAX-Konzernen“. Firmen kündigen vermehrt ehrgeizige Wachstumsziele an, beispielsweise möchte der Siemens- Konzern doppelt so schnell wachsen wie das weltweite Bruttoinlandsprodukt. Derart ambitionierte Ziele sind nicht durch organisches Wachstum allein realisierbar. Externe Wachstumsmechanismen wie Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) spielen hier eine wichtige Rolle. So befinden wir uns derzeit denn auch mitten in einer sechsten M&A-Welle. Diese Entwicklungen geben einem der in der Strategieforschung und zahlreichen anderen Forschungssträngen meist diskutierten Themen neue Bedeutung: das Management von M&A.
