Strategy as a response to organizational uncertainty: An alternative perspective strategy-performance relationship

UNCP Author/Contributor (non-UNCP co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Dr. John Parnell, Belk Chair of Management (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP )
Web Site: http://www.uncp.edu/academics/library

Abstract: Much of the literature suggests that strategies are formulated in light of perceived environmental conditions and internal capabilities. This study supports the notion that strategy is formulated in part as a response to management uncertainties about competitors, customers, and the environment. Responses from wholesale grocers demonstrate that uncertainty varies by generic strategy, suggesting that businesses consider both the type and degree of uncertainty when crafting a competitive strategy. Specifically, the data suggest that viable strategic options maybe limited more by the cognitive and perceptual abilities of an organization's managers than by objective measures of factors such as organizational resources and industry competitiveness. The premise that strategy must ``fit'' with organizational or environmental factors to be effective may be incomplete. Rather, a strategy to be successful should also fit with the psychological characteristics and constraints of the managers responsible for its formulation and implementation.

Additional Information

Publication
Management Decision Vol. 38, No. 8
Language: English
Date: 2000
Keywords
Strategy, Uncertainty, Competition, Grocery, Management

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