Configurational conditions and Sustained Competitive Advantage: A fsQCA approach

Traditional manufacturing firms in emerging markets such as China are increasingly facing the challenge of digital transformation for Sustained Competitive Advantage (SCA). Underpinned by the resource orchestration theory, this study posits that organisational resources (relational and technological), transformation capability, and organisational characteristics are configurational conditions for SCA. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), this study reveals multiple pathways – configurational resources and capabilities in sets of necessary and sufficient conditions – leading to SCA in a sample of 206 Chinese clothing manufacturing firms. Results suggest that relational resources are a necessary condition that fundamentally drives SCA; small firms can achieve SCA by combining relational resources and transformation capability, while portfolio technological resources are sufficient for large firms. For organisations with higher levels of global market engagement, both relational and portfolio technological resources are essential for achieving SCA. This study enhances understanding of the interdependence of the causal conditions (e.g., organisational resources and capability) in set relations with the outcome of SCA in different firms considering their size and level of global market engagement.     

Industrial digitalization. A systematic literature review and research agenda

This paper addresses the recent growth in publications on the topic of digitalization by systematically reviewing the literature dealing with this major technological and organizational transformation in the manufacturing sector. Our aim is to enhance the understanding of this phenomenon and provide a critical account of the state of the art of the research on industrial digitalization. After summarizing the different conceptualizations of digitalization and the stages of its evolution, we identify four thematic areas (technologies, impacts, enabling factors, and barriers) and create a meaningful segmentation of the existing publications along these dimensions. We then develop a future research agenda on industrial digitalization at both a conceptual and an empirical level, encompassing the following themes: (i) the need for a more nuanced conceptualization; (ii) the potential evolution of one or more digital technologies toward the category of “general-purpose technology”; (iii) the search for new contingency approaches; (iv) the development of accurate models of inter-firm collaboration among digital manufacturers; and (v) the elaboration of suitable solutions able to guarantee the compatibility of industrial digitalization with ethical and sustainability principles.     

Strategic Alliance Research in the Era of Digital Transformation: Perspectives on Future Research

The emerging digital transformation in the twenty‐first century is rapidly and significantly changing the business landscape. The fast‐changing activities, expectations and new modes of collaboration suggest it is time to review the current theoretical insights from strategic alliance (SA) research, which are based on assumptions from a different era. We therefore aim to stimulate multidisciplinary debate and theoretical reflections to better understand emerging paradoxes and challenges that contemporary firms face in the formation, evolution and dissolution of strategic alliances. Specifically, we offer alternative visions of SA research and suggest fresh applications or supplements of existing theoretical perspectives and research methods that can better address the research questions emerging from an era of digital transformation.     

Voluntary Work‐related Technology Use during Non‐work Time: A Narrative Synthesis of Empirical Research and Research Agenda

The Internet and mobilization of information and communication technologies (ICTs) have made non‐manual work increasingly portable and remotely accessible. As a result, a considerable number of employees use their ICTs to engage in work‐related tasks during designated non‐work time, even without contractual obligation. However, existing research on such voluntary work‐related ICT use remains fragmented and spread across disciplines. The authors conducted a narrative review of 56 studies to identify themes in existing research, synthesize the evidence base and identify gaps in understanding. They identify five themes: (1) Social‐normative organizational context, (2) Job‐related characteristics and work processes, (3) Person characteristics, (4) Designated non‐work time and well‐being, and (5) Empowerment/Enslavement Paradox. A conceptual model of voluntary ICT use is developed by integrating the identified themes with existing organizational research, outlining the relationships between the identified themes and voluntary ICT use. The discussion emphasizes the need for more conceptual clarity on voluntary ICT use and related constructs, and for the integration of different disciplines and methodological approaches to advance knowledge in the field. The authors further identify person‐centred research as a critical future avenue to explore different ICT user types. Additionally, more research into the mechanisms and moderating influences regarding voluntary ICT use and its outcomes is considered advisable to advance knowledge on the Empowerment/Enslavement Paradox and its potential resolution. The paper concludes with preliminary implications to inform practice, addressing the need for employers to provide control over voluntary ICT use and employees enacting this control.     

Competitive renaissance through digital transformation

Dramatic health, environmental, and social-related challenges put pressure on firms to rethink their strategies and growth paths. Is a digital-enabled transformation able to help firms cope with these challenges and drive a competitive renaissance of our economic system? Are extant theories and concepts able to interpret the digital transformation? This management focus section aims to advance a relevant and impactful research agenda in the area of “business strategy and digitalization” through 4 contributions – both conceptual and empirical – that contribute to the understanding of the so-called “digital transformation” and its implications for both scholars and practitioners.     

Job Search: A Multidisciplinary Review and Research Agenda

Scholarly interest in job search has grown significantly over the years and can be located in diverse research streams: namely, economics, sociology and industrial/organizational psychology. This paper reviews these bodies of literature and makes a case for integration by proposing a multidisciplinary approach to understanding job‐seeking behaviors. To this end, the paper categorizes the respective literatures on the basis of common themes located in a conceptual multidisciplinary model of job search behaviors and outcomes. This model provides a more focused understanding of the job search literature and how it has developed in the related disciplines. Based on the review and conceptual model presented, the paper draws attention to several key areas for future research to advance the field further.     

Building dynamic capabilities for digital transformation: An ongoing process of strategic renewal

In this qualitative study, we explore how incumbent firms in traditional industries build dynamic capabilities for digital transformation. Digital transformation has been defined as the use of new digital technologies, such as mobile, artificial intelligence, cloud, blockchain, and the Internet of things (IoT) technologies, to enable major business improvements to augment customer experience, streamline operations, or create new business models. In making sense of digital transformation, we discovered that leaders in various industry circles use the term inconsistently to describe various strategizing and organizing activities; in addition, the term has gained limited scholarly attention as a context for study of strategic change. Drawing on senior executives' experiences with leading digitalization projects at incumbent firms, we propose a process model comprising of nine microfoundations to reveal the generic contingency factors that trigger, enable, and hinder the building of dynamic capabilities for digital transformation. Our findings reveal that digital transformation is an ongoing process of using new digital technologies in everyday organizational life, which recognizes agility as the core mechanism for the strategic renewal of an organization's (1) business model, (2) collaborative approach, and eventually the (3) culture.     

Digital orientation: Conceptualization and operationalization of a new strategic orientation

Although there is ample evidence that digital technologies are strategically important for value creation, extant literature lacks holistic concepts that capture an organization’s strategic orientation concerning digital innovation and transformation initiatives. This study integrates recent digitalization themes with IT business alignment research to conceptualize a new strategic orientation construct: digital orientation. The construct is manifested in four dimensions which we operationalize for computer-aided text analysis. We validate the construct based on 6498 shareholder letters from large US firms over 16 years. Building upon the resource-based view, we validate the digital orientation construct by linking it to firm performance. Our findings advance the literature on strategic orientations and bring the domains of strategy and information systems closer together. The novel digital orientation construct and the validated measurement instrument lead to many new research opportunities.     

Expanding the Domain of Festival Research: A Review and Research Agenda

Festivals are an important sub‐field within event studies which, until recently, have not been studied as separate experiences. A systematic review of the emerging literature on festivals reveals several key characteristics. While festivals are diverse in nature and geographical location, scholarly interest focuses on five main themes: the motivations for organizing, funding and attending festivals; the experiences of festival attendees; the relationship between festivals and their local environments; the economic and sociocultural impacts of festivals; and the management of festivals. Despite growing interest in festivals as research sites, little attention has been afforded to investigating festival processes. In particular, considerations of how festivals are established, and which individuals are involved in their initiation and regular staging, offer opportunities for research. This paper highlights the significant role festivals play within their local communities, including their facilitation of social cohesion and regional identity. Our study reveals that the literature rarely discusses the development of festivals over time and the wider networks in which festivals are embedded. This critical review of festival research identifies various research gaps and directions for future research to develop theory and practical understanding of festivals.     

Performance measurement in the Third Sector: the development of a stakeholder-focussed research agenda

This paper addresses a need for greater insight into the theory and practice of performance measurement (PM) in the Third Sector (TS). Effective PM is crucial to the long-term viability of Third Sector organisations (TSOs), since it provides funders with the requisite evidence to demonstrate value for money and to convince them to provide further funding. It also serves to ensure that vulnerable societal groups receive the social care they need and that the internal management processes of TSOs continuously improve their effectiveness and sustainability. PM research has been scant in this sector and our literature review suggests that no extant models or frameworks are particularly suitable in this context, due in part to the wide range of stakeholders and the distinctive characteristics of TSOs. Drawing on a comprehensive review of the literature, we develop the conceptual foundation of PM in the Third Sector and derive a research agenda that provides a platform for future work. This draws in part on the notions embedded in Stakeholder Theory.     

The Internet and the Deconstruction of the Integrated Banking Model

The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICTs), with the Internet being one of the most significant, is shaking the foundation of the banking industry. Simply deploying the Internet as a more efficient distribution channel will not bring sustainable strategic advantages. To compete effectively, banks may need to embrace a new set of strategic priorities, based on the 'unbundling' of banking services and processes, and the 'deconstruction' of the integrated banking model. Such a radical transformation threatens the profitability and survival of some existing incumbent banks, and at the same time, it brings a cohort of new opportunities and powerful new players to the market. This paper reviews existing studies on the use of the Internet in banking, and highlights two prevailing models and the strategic thinking behind them. Based upon recent empirical evidence gathered from in-depth case studies and other information sources in the UK, the paper discusses a number of emerging tendencies and explores possibilities to reconcile the discrepancies between the two prevailing models. The paper calls for a radical departure from existing strategies in the banking industry based on the concept of process integration and service bundling. A new framework is outlined for banks and other financial organizations in developing and evaluating their strategies. The latest evidence suggests that at least eight models of Internet banking, somewhere on the spectrum between the two prevailing models highlighted by previous studies, have emerged in the UK. These models are illustrated briefly in the paper. This is still a rapidly evolving area, and new research is clearly needed to understand the key dynamics of the banking industry in the networked economy. Finally, some themes for further research are highlighted.     

Nurturing life-science knowledge discovery: managing multi-organisation networks

Advancement of knowledge is the seed of the innovation process. As innovations have become more complex, organisations are driven by an increased need to collaborate in order to combine specialist capabilities to meet emerging market needs. The life sciences are one sector where collaborative innovation is highly evident. This article examines the phenomenon of knowledge-generating networks within the life sciences. The study explores the drivers of collaborative endeavours and investigates how knowledge networks linking the capabilities of public research centres and commercially focused pharmaceutical organisations can be managed to deliver the required synergistic benefits for partnering organisations. Three case studies of functioning university–industry knowledge networks are analysed and a model reflecting their network's life-cycle phases is presented. The discussion identifies the specific challenge posed at each of the network's development stages, together with the management process required to secure sustainable knowledge creation and effective transfer of this knowledge into innovation-generating R&D.     

Journal of International Management: A 25-year review using bibliometric analysis

The Journal of International Management (JIM) is a leading international academic journal in the field of international business. This study presents a retrospect of the publications in JIM for the last 25 years (as JIM was founded in 1995) through a bibliometric methodology using the Scopus database and Web of Science. The study graphically maps the bibliographic material using VOS viewer software and applies co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, and co-occurrence of author keywords. We identify that the journal has expanded consistently and steadily in terms of both number of publications and citations. The collaboration network has expanded over the years, and the geographical focus is more global, encompassing Asia and Oceania. Bibliographic coupling of JIM publications reveals several distinct, major themes in the international management/business domain. Conventional international management themes that have emerged include market entry modes, globalization, international human resource management, cross-cultural management/leadership, and expatriate management. New emerging themes include emerging markets, global sourcing, innovation performance, digital firms, diversity of global teams, internationalization in uncertain environments, and virtual teams. A summary of the shifting research trends and themes in the discipline and their development is presented in this review, culminating in future directions for prospective publishers of JIM.     

QoS in the internal supply chain: the next lever of competitive advantage and organisational performance

This article presents a research that examines the relationship of quality of service (QoS) and organisational performance in a manufacturing setting. There are few empirical studies that measure QoS in the manufacturing supply chain. A model linking QoS with organisational performance through intermediate variables of satisfaction, loyalty and competitive advantage is introduced and tested in the internal supply chain of three automotive organisations. The research design for this article includes a combination of literature review, exploratory interviews with scholars and practitioners, and a survey of 156 practitioners in three automotive companies in North India. Structural equation modelling has been used for data analysis. This research comes out with four factor scale for internal service quality and six-factor scale for external service quality. The research revealed that employee-driven QoS is a source of value addition that is positively linked with the organisational performance. This study would be of interest to manufacturing industry practitioners interested in internal and external service quality improvements. Future researchers could validate this scale, and empirically test the proposed model.     

The Business Model Paradox: A Systematic Review and Exploration of Antecedents

The business model has become a popular concept in business and management fields. Yet, it is suffering from a paradox between outstanding popularity and severe criticism, which appears to impede the positive development of the scholarly discourse on the business model concept. Against this background, the purpose of this study is to provide insight into the antecedents of this paradox and to understand their implications for the future development of the concept. The following contributions are made. First, the authors apply a narrative approach to recognizing and interpreting the paradox, and introduce the analysis of syntactics of scholarly discourse as a novel method of investigating management concepts. Second, as a result of elaborating on recurrent themes and tensions in scholarly discourse, the authors extend the literature on business models through theorizing on the core of the concept along the dimensions of classification, constitution and configuration. In particular, they identify the simultaneity of separation and attachment as the main antecedent of the business model paradox. Third, the authors offer implications for further advancing the development of this management concept, and highlight the need for spurring integrative research while at the same time maintaining a plurality of perspectives.     

Fostering integrated research on organizational politics and conflict in teams: A cross-phenomenal review

Modern business decisions are naturally prone to political influence and have become increasingly complex. Firms attempt to address this complexity by using decision-making teams, which not only involve the use of politics but also show conflict among members. We know only little about politics in decision-making teams. Paradoxically, the team level is particularly eminent in the related conflict literature. Hence, we incorporate the team level by relating the individual-, dyadic-, team-, and organizational-level politics literature with the team conflict literature to foster exchange between conceptually related yet empirically distant streams of research and to initiate more intensive politics research at the team level. In a thematic analysis of 166 publications, we identify 11 themes that represent ongoing discussions, debates, and trends within and between research in politics and conflict. We map out how research on multilevel politics and team-level conflict can enhance their mutual understanding and strengthen the meaningful team perspective in politics research in the future. Our main theoretical implications are advice for future scholarly research on theory choice within and between these streams of research, on the challenges of researching organizational politics and conflict as multilevel phenomena, and on conceptual boundaries between the positive effects of politics and conflict.     

Cultural Intelligence: A Review and New Research Avenues

Cultural intelligence (CQ), an individual's capability to function and manage effectively in culturally diverse situations and settings, has become the focus of a vibrant scholarly conversation and a flourishing area of multidisciplinary research. Since the introduction of the concept in 2002, substantial research has been conducted concerning its definition, the validation of its measurement, and the examination of its development and predictive capabilities. The present paper systematically reviews 73 conceptual and empirical articles published on CQ from 2002 to 2015 in management and international business journals as well as in education and psychology. The authors discuss two distinct conceptualizations of CQ, developments within the conceptual research, and opportunities for further theorizing. They also cluster the empirical studies based on how CQ was used and identify patterns, achievements and challenges within the literature. Finally, based on their analysis, they identify promising avenues for future research and propose specific questions that can further advance the scholarly conversation on CQ.     

The community of practice-based management model

This conceptual paper offers the convergence between two concepts now separated in the literature: the community of practice and the management model. The paper introduces the results of the theoretical research on the community of practice-based management model, the self-managing, human-friendly, knowledge sharing and innovativeness-supporting management model with high potential for the changeable environment. The research objective to analyse and explain the relationship between the concept of communities of practice and the management model is specified in two research questions: ‘How are the concepts of CoPs and management model connected in the community of practice-based management model?’ and ‘How do CoP-based management models work? What are their characteristics, advantages and disadvantages?’ The paper provides two examples of companies that combined both concepts in the community of practice-based management model and provides a discussion on the specifics of this unique model. The paper fills the research gap in the field of the theory of management – the community of practice-based management model, even though adopted by organisations in practice, still lacks adequate attention in the theoretical literature.     

How smart cities transform operations models: a new research agenda for operations management in the digital economy

Abstract

The notion of smart cities is growing in prominence in the digital economy. The integration of urban infrastructures with information and communication technologies enables the development of new operations models. Digitised infrastructures offer opportunities for public and private organisations to design and deliver more customer-centric products or services, particularly for those that require geographical proximity with consumers in the online to offline (O2O) context. A framework is developed and used to analyse three case examples. These cases illustrate the emergence of new operations models and, demonstrate how smart cities are redefining the characteristics of operations models around their scalability, analytical output and connectivity. We also explore the feasibility, vulnerability and acceptability of each new operation. This paper contributes to our understanding of how smart cities can potentially transform operational models, and sets out a research agenda for operations management in smart cities in the digital economy.