Tracking Strategy in an Entrepreneurial Firm

Abstract

This study tracks the strategies of a retail chain over sixty years of its history to show how that vague concept called strategy can be operationalized and to draw conclusions about strategy formation in the entrepreneurial firm that grows large and formalizes its structure. The conclusions focus on patterns of strategic change and on contrasting characteristics of entrepreneurship and planning.

Towards a practice theory of entrepreneuring

“…Reconstructions of the process from the outside in an academic language, cf. Mintzberg and Waters (1982), or narratives carried by a language furnished with metaphors originating in (non-) fiction literature, run the obvious risk of rather revealing the practices of the researchers' communities of practice than the practices that constitute entrepreneuring.…”

A hierarchical perspective of the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation

“…On one hand, industrial conditions provide the basic support for firm development while setting the constraints for managerial action (Child 1972;Jones 1995;Pfeffer 1997). Even though firms are free to apply any strategy, the implementation of the strategy, i.e., the emergent and realized strategy, is typically "context-specific" (Child 1972;Jones 1995;Mintzberg and Waters 1982;Pfeffer 1997). Alternately, in the same industry, rival firms often adopt heterogeneous strategies and attain different outcomes (Rumelt 1991).…”

Small business strategy and the industry life cycle

“…Firms can use one of these approaches exclusively, but it is more likely that firms will use a combination of approaches (Hart 1992); for example, Mintzberg and Waters (1982) illustrate how a firm changes its approach to strategy-making as it matures. Firms can also use more than one approach in combination or, in larger firms, different approaches may be used in different parts of the firm.…”