Towards an organic perspective on strategy

Abstract

The strategy field's core issues-the concept of strategy, causal models relating strategy to other constructs, and models of strategic management and choice-have been previously addressed by two key progressions. The mechanistic perspective based on disciplinary-based theories, the design model, and a view of strategy as a planned posture, has provided a unified view, but a narrow and increasingly less pertinent one. The advent of organic developments that included strategy process research, evolutionary and process models, and interactive and integrative views, has provided richness and pertinence, but not a unified perspective. These two progressions marked an epistemological shift from mechanistic to organic assumptions: from discrete to incessant time, from directional to interactive flow, and from differentiated to integrated constructs and models. Building on this shift, this paper proposes an organic perspective that combines the insights and coherence of the mechanistic perspective with the more relevant organic ideas. It makes use of the organic assumptions to advance a view of strategy as an adaptive coordination, introduce the Organization-Environment-Strategy-Performance (OESP) integrative theoretical model, and present an organic model of strategic management. The organic perspective provides a basis for an upgraded, more unified, and better-attuned view on strategy's core issues.

A dynamic human capital perspective on corporate opportunity identification

“…The approach taken is unique in that it develops an endogenous perspective to the analysis of corporate entrepreneurship and human capital. Such a perspective takes an organic view of firm development in that resources, processes and outcomes are reciprocal and interactive (Farjoun, 2002) and thereby appreciates the complexity of causal linkages. We build on and extend extant studies that have explored the antecedents of corporate entrepreneurship to include the role of human capital.…”

“…How organizational outcomes influence the resource base of the firm is a relatively unexplored dyadic relationship (Farjoun, 2002). In this chapter we have sought to address this void by arguing that experiences with corporate opportunity identification can result in the modification of the organization's human capital base.…”

Towards a Stakeholder Perspective on Competitive Advantage

“…Dyer and Singh (1998) suggest four potential sources of inter-organizational competitive advantage: relation-specific assets, knowledge-sharing routines, complementary resources, and effective governance. In the literature, the relational view tends to be regarded as an extension of the resource-based view (e.g., Lavie, 2006;Farjoun, 2002), for example, emphasizing knowledge or capabilities generated by inter-firm relations (Kogut, 2000;Rosenkopf & Nerkar, 2001). However, there are two issues that need to be addressed.…”

Cohérence et cohésion de l’équipe de direction dans la PME

“…Dans la perspective comportementaliste, la cohérence est le résultat de la coordination adaptative d'une équipe (Cyert et March, 1963 ;Hedberg, 1981 ;Lounamaa et March, 1987 ;Winter, 1987 ;Farjoun, 2002). Différentes dimensions de la cohérence se retrouvent dans la coordination engendrée par la division du travail, la coordination des moyens par rapport aux fins de l'organisation, la coordination entre l'action individuelle et collective et la coordination entre les intentions et les actions.…”