Showing papers in "Academy of Management Review in 2009"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors build on fragmented and disparate extant work to conceptualize the nature of entrepreneurial passion associated with salient entrepreneurial role identities, and also theorize the mechanisms of the experience of entrepreneurial experience that provide coherence to goal-directed cognitions and behaviors during the pursuit of entrepreneurial effectiveness.
Abstract: Entrepreneurial passion plays an important role in entrepreneurship, but theoretical understanding of what it is and what it does is lacking. We build on fragmented and disparate extant work to conceptualize the nature of entrepreneurial passion associated with salient entrepreneurial role identities. We also theorize the mechanisms of the experience of entrepreneurial passion that provide coherence to goal-directed cognitions and behaviors during the pursuit of entrepreneurial effectiveness.
1,356 citations
TL;DR: This work conceptualizes the emergent process of path dependence along three distinct stages of self-reinforcing mechanisms and uses the model to explore breakouts from organizational path dependence and discuss implications for managing and researching organizational paths.
Abstract: To enable a better understanding of the underlying logic of path dependence, we set forth a theoretical framework explaining how organizations become path dependent. At its core are the dynamics of self-reinforcing mechanisms, which are likely to lead an organization into a lock-in. By drawing on studies of technological paths, we conceptualize the emergent process of path dependence along three distinct stages. We also use the model to explore breakouts from organizational path dependence and discuss implications for managing and researching organizational paths.
1,196 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a multilevel perspective integrating entrepreneurship theory with institutional (macro-level) and collective identity theories was employed to examine the role institutions and collective identities play in the recognition and exploitation of opportunities in the informal economy.
Abstract: The entrepreneurial process drives economic activities in the formal economy; however, little is known theoretically about how the entrepreneurial process works in the informal economy. To address this theoretical gap, we employ a multilevel perspective integrating entrepreneurship theory (microlevel) with institutional (macrolevel) and collective identity (mesolevel) theories to examine the role institutions and collective identity play in the recognition and exploitation of opportunities in the informal economy. Additionally, we explore factors that influence the transition to the formal economy.
813 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors define entrepreneurship as efforts to bring about new economic, social, institutional, and cultural environments through the actions of an individual or group of individuals, and define it as "an attempt to create new economic and social, social and institutional environments".
Abstract: We define "entrepreneuring" as efforts to bring about new economic, social, institutional, and cultural environments through the actions of an individual or group of individuals. Thus, we view entr ...
629 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that more theoretical frameworks are needed for exploring the varieties of social change that entrepreneurship may bring about, and they also discuss what difference this would make in extant entrepreneurship perspectives, by reframing entrepreneurship as positive economic activity to social change.
Abstract: We engage in a critical theoretical exercise to extend the boundaries of entrepreneurship theory and research by reframing “entrepreneurship as positive economic activity” to “entrepreneurship as social change.” Reframing entrepreneurship through feminist analytical lenses, we argue that more theoretical frameworks are needed for exploring the varieties of social change that entrepreneurship may bring about. We also discuss what difference this would make in extant entrepreneurship perspectives. Theoretically, methodologically, and analytically, such reframing is the main contribution of this paper.
575 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a systemic, multilevel framework for understanding trust repair at the organizational level is proposed, where each component of an organization's system shapes employees' perceptions of the trustworthiness and can contribute to failures and effective trust repair.
Abstract: We propose a systemic, multilevel framework for understanding trust repair at the organizational level. Drawing on systems theory, we theorize how each component of an organization's system shapes employees’ perceptions of the organization's trustworthiness and can contribute to failures and effective trust repair. We distinguish the framework from prior work grounded in dyadic assumptions and propose underlying principles and a four-stage process for organizational trust repair. Finally, we explore the implications for research and practice.
525 citations
TL;DR: Based on Weiner's (1986) causal attribution theory, it is proposed that causal attributions for the cause of a negative outcome in a trusting relationship explain when trustworthiness is in need of repair and how trustworthiness may be repaired by the trustee's efforts.
Abstract: We examine the repair of one party's trust in another via repairing trustworthiness (Mayer, Davis, & Schoorman, 1995). Based on Weiner's (1986) causal attribution theory, we posit that causal attributions (i.e., locus of causality, controllability, and stability) for the cause of a negative outcome in a trusting relationship explain when trustworthiness is in need of repair and how trustworthiness may be repaired by the trustee's efforts. We also discuss the role of specific emotional reactions of the trustor in this process.
457 citations
TL;DR: There is a small but growing body of work on the topic from a number of different disciplinary perspectives using different theoretical lenses and at different levels of analysis as mentioned in this paper, which is a good place to start.
Abstract: How can relationships be repaired after being damaged? There is a small but growing body of work on the topic from a number of different disciplinary perspectives using different theoretical lenses and at different levels of analysis. We begin by examining the existing streams of work on relationship repair and organizing them into a conceptual framework. We then consider four questions that probe assumptions or overlooked issues in existing research with the intent of moving toward a more comprehensive conceptual foundation.
323 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate the repair of trust by examining the cognitive and interpersonal processes through which people resolve differences in their interpersonal beliefs and develop a multilevel conceptualization of how trust repair may be pursued.
Abstract: We investigate the repair of trust by examining the cognitive and interpersonal processes through which people resolve differences in their interpersonal beliefs. We begin by discussing the phenomenon of trust, the ease with which trust can be violated, and the challenge of trust repair. We then draw from an array of literature to develop a multilevel conceptualization of how trust repair may be pursued. Finally, we integrate these insights to identify three overarching implications for research.
318 citations
TL;DR: The authors developed the intractable identity conflict resolution model, which delineates a multiphase process by which the conflicting parties' identities shift in order to permit eventual intergroup harmony.
Abstract: Identity is often at the heart of ongoing intergroup conflicts in organizations. Drawing from theories of conflict management, social identity, and organizational identification, we develop the intractable identity conflict resolution model, which delineates a multiphase process by which the conflicting parties’ identities shift in order to permit eventual intergroup harmony.
299 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors build on the literature that views clusters as venues of enhanced knowledge creation and introduce the concept of a cluster's knowledge creation capability, and develop a model that outlines the antecedents of this concept.
Abstract: I build on the literature that views clusters as venues of enhanced knowledge creation and introduce the concept of a cluster's knowledge creation capability. I then develop a model that outlines the antecedents of this concept. The model concentrates on factors that create opportunities for, enable, and increase the effectiveness of interfirm knowledge exchanges among cluster firms. These three sets of factors point to three types of knowledge creation failures within clusters.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the contextual factors surrounding reputation damage and their potential implications for reputation repair and propose a model that examines how the multidimensional property of reputation, organizational age, diversity of market segments served by the organization, and third parties influence a firm's perceived capability to cope with a reputation-damaging event and the external visibility of the event, which, in turn, determine the difficulty of the firm's reputation repair activities.
Abstract: We explore the contextual factors surrounding reputation damage and their potential implications for reputation repair. We propose a model that examines how (1) the multidimensional property of reputation, (2) organizational age, (3) the diversity of market segments served by the organization, and (4) third parties influence a firm's perceived capability to cope with a reputation-damaging event and the external visibility of the event, which, in turn, determine the difficulty of the firm's reputation-repairing activities.
TL;DR: In this paper, the conditions under which one might expect a negative or positive relationship between preexisting trust and governance complexity, and whether crowding out or complementarity arguments are necessary for such outcomes.
Abstract: Using a simple but general formalization, we state the conditions under which one might expect a negative or positive relationship between preexisting trust and governance complexity, and whether crowding out or complementarity arguments are necessary for such outcomes. Our analysis provides a platform for simple but rigorous analysis of other possible relationships between trust and governance and also suggests that the debate about the relationship between governance and trust could be fruitfully redirected through greater attention to the analytical structure of the arguments.
TL;DR: The authors show that firms can profit when they exhibit superior complementarity to target resources and determine the components of appropriated value in such markets, and demonstrate the power and simplicity of coalitional analysis while shedding light on central issues in strategic management.
Abstract: Strategic factor market theory suggests that, excluding luck, superior expectations are necessary for firms to appropriate gains from valuable resources. I argue that this is only true in the absence of heterogeneous resource complementarity. Extending factor market theory, I show that firms can profit when they exhibit superior complementarity to target resources, and I determine the components of appropriated value in such markets. I thus demonstrate the power and simplicity of coalitional analysis while shedding light on central issues in strategic management.
TL;DR: In this article, a process model, a causal model, and several propositions about effective relationship restoration behavior following relationship conflict are proposed, which is based on the notion of interaction rituals.
Abstract: Building on Goffman's (1967) notion of interaction rituals, we propose a process model, a causal model, and several propositions about effective relationship restoration behavior following relationship conflict. We conceptualize relationship restoration as a ritualistic process triggered by a violation. We identify two types of relationship violations and show how they are linked to different restoration processes. We also argue that culture governs restoration rituals for different violations. Therefore, effective relationship restoration results from an interaction of the disputants’ cultures, the violation type, and the type of restoration mechanism offered.
TL;DR: In this article, a taxonomy of hybrid governance forms and a formal theory that predicts when a given hybrid form will be efficient is developed, where cross-task synergies in a multitask principal-agent model are considered.
Abstract: We create a taxonomy of hybrid governance forms and develop a formal theory that predicts when a given hybrid form will be efficient. Our model is unique in that we consider cross-task synergies in a multitask principal-agent model, where hybrid forms result as principals try to motivate cooperation among agents indirectly through incentives, ownership, and formal authority. We conclude with a discussion of other mechanisms that might also help us understand and predict hybrid governance forms.
TL;DR: A theory of action-oriented problem solving is offered that links interpretation and choice, processes usually separated in the sensemaking literature and decision-making literature, and insights emerged that reinforce feedback and confirmation bias are helpful for adaptive problem solving.
Abstract: We offer a theory of action-oriented problem solving that links interpretation and choice, processes usually separated in the sensemaking literature and decision-making literature. Through an iterative, simulation-based process we developed a formal model. Three insights emerged: (1) action-oriented problem solving includes acting, interpreting, and cultivating diagnoses; (2) feedback among these processes opens and closes windows of adaptive problem solving; and (3) reinforcing feedback and confirmation bias, usually considered dysfunctional, are helpful for adaptive problem solving.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors build theory about how the status differences that often accompany demographic characteristics can hinder this development through their influence on disclosure of personal information, and how disclosure may increase status distance instead of bringing individuals closer together, and they also discuss how status characteristics and identification with one's characteristics influence disclosure of status-relevant information.
Abstract: People who are demographically different from one another face a fundamental challenge in developing high-quality relationships in organizations. We build theory about how the status differences that often accompany demographic characteristics can hinder this development through their influence on disclosure of personal information. We theorize about the construct of status distance and how, ironically, disclosure of personal information may increase status distance instead of bringing individuals closer together. Beyond status distance, we also discuss how status characteristics and identification with one's characteristics influence disclosure of status-relevant information.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors introduce a model of interorganizational governance within regional clusters, and show how firms' governance designs are shaped by the relationship between transaction-level characteristics and the cluster macroculture.
Abstract: We introduce a model of interorganizational governance within regional clusters. Drawing on the “new institutional economics” literature, we show how firms' governance designs are shaped by the relationship between transaction-level characteristics and the cluster macroculture. We then consider how subsequent transaction-level governance designs are affected by path dependencies from past governance choices. Finally, we suggest that intertransactional path dependencies exhibit directional asymmetries, and we draw implications for the literature on clusters, on transaction costs, and on interorganizational relationships.
TL;DR: This article developed a theoretical model of the nature, antecedents, and consequences of death awareness at work and differentiated death anxiety and reflection as distinct states that strengthen self-protective versus prosocial motivations, examine how mortality cues and aging processes trigger these states, and explore their impact on withdrawal and generative behaviors.
Abstract: Although death awareness is pervasive in organizations and can have powerful effects on employees' experiences and behaviors, scholars have paid little attention to it. We develop a theoretical model of the nature, antecedents, and consequences of death awareness at work. We differentiate death anxiety and reflection as distinct states that strengthen self-protective versus prosocial motivations, examine how mortality cues and aging processes trigger these states, and explore their impact on withdrawal and generative behaviors.
TL;DR: This paper advances a theory of the technical identity of a technological object that gives due weight to both its form and its function, and uses this theory to categorize different forms of technological change and to unpack some neglected aspects of user-driven innovations in function.
Abstract: Recent research on user innovation has concentrated on changes in the physical form of the objects concerned to the neglect of changes in their intended use or function. In this paper we advance a theory of the technical identity of a technological object that gives due weight to both its form and its function, and we use this theory to categorize different forms of technological change and to unpack some neglected aspects of user-driven innovations in function.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate the relationship between firms' entry characteristics and their subsequent performance as contingent on environmental turbulence and stage of industry life cycle by simulating industry as an NKC landscape.
Abstract: We investigate the relationship between firms’entry characteristics and their subsequent performance as contingent on environmental turbulence and stage of industry life cycle by simulating industry as an NKC landscape. Diversifying entrants differ from entrepreneurial start-ups in terms of the complexity of their routines. We posit that diversifying entrants outperform entrepreneurial start-ups when turbulence is high. Further, learning—possible in later industry stages—disproportionately favors entrepreneurial start-ups.
TL;DR: In this article, a simple model shows how merely assuming that firms must have a certain degree of commonality in their knowledge to have a successful alliance is enough to produce the above features, without recourse to social capital at all.
Abstract: Properties of strategic alliance networks, such as small world structures, skewed link distributions, and patterns of repeated tie occurrences, are often explained in terms of social capital theories. A simple model shows how merely assuming that firms must have a certain degree of commonality in their knowledge to have a successful alliance is enough to produce the above features, without recourse to social capital at all.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a theory of factor-market rivalry to shed light on atypical rivals and competitive blind spots and applied the concepts of factor market rivalry to mutual forbearance in multimarket competition.
Abstract: With its focus on product-market rivalry, competitive dynamics research fails to tell the whole story. We develop a theory of factor-market rivalry to shed light on atypical rivals and competitive blind spots. Focusing on resource versatility and mobility, the theory introduces dynamic constructs—resource discontinuities, leapfrogging, and captivity—and explains their role in triggering cascading effects. To illustrate the theory's conceptual utility, we apply the concepts of factor-market rivalry to mutual forbearance in multimarket competition.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that entrepreneurial teams can counteract the challenges of novelty by adopting communal relational schemas (caring about one another' s needs) and contracting practices (making expectations explicit and transparent).
Abstract: Entrepreneurial teams often operate under conditions of novelty—the lack of familiarity. Novelty can undermine team members' ability to develop the relational capital (trust, identification, and mutual obligation) needed for a venture to succeed. Building on research on relational schemas and the governance of interfirm relations, I argue that entrepreneurial teams can counteract the challenges of novelty by adopting communal relational schemas (caring about one another' s needs) and contracting practices (making expectations explicit and transparent).
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show how switching analytical mindsets allows for divergent, creative thinking that can help researchers generate new theoretical foci and discuss the importance of attending to methodology when engaging in the process of theory construction.
Abstract: Analytic techniques have associated mindsets that can determine the way scholars conceptualize their objects of study I propose that switching these “analytical mindsets” can lead to new theoretical insights Using two examples, I show how switching analytical mindsets allows for divergent, creative thinking that can help researchers generate new theoretical foci I conclude by discussing the importance of attending to methodology when engaging in the process of theory construction
TL;DR: In this article, a special topic forum contains seven papers that illustrate many of the ways in which management researchers can use formal tools (mathematical methods, simulation, and formal logic) to develop management research.
Abstract: This special topic forum contains seven papers that illustrate many of the ways in which management researchers can use formal tools—mathematical methods, simulation, and formal logic—to develop management research. Here we offer an overview of these methods and their advantages as tools for theory building.
TL;DR: In this paper, a theoretical model of knowledge investments and value creation is developed to provide a more complete understanding of why some organizations make certain types of knowledge investment more than others and why these investments may have positive or negative effects on value creation.
Abstract: Viewing organizations as open, knowledge-dependent interpretation systems and building on the knowledge-based view, we develop a theoretical model of knowledge investments and value creation. By emphasizing the interpretive nature of organizations and examining knowledge requirements, capabilities, and investments, our contribution provides a more complete understanding of why some organizations make certain types of knowledge investments more than others and why these investments may have positive or negative effects on value creation.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose that organizational rule violations are systematically selective and that this selectivity emerges during the problemistic search for solutions to the performance shortfall and that some rules are more likely to be violated than others.
Abstract: Organizational rule violations are more likely when performance falls below aspiration levels. We propose that such violations are systematically selective and that this selectivity emerges during the problemistic search for solutions to the performance shortfall. During this search, contextual conditions (structural secrecy and coupling between violations and outcomes) and characteristics of rules (enforceability, procedural emphasis, and connectedness) direct attention and shape risk perceptions. Consequently, some rules are more likely to be violated than others.