Using Qualitative Comparative Analysis in Strategic Management Research: An Examination of Combinations of Industry, Corporate, and Business-Unit Effects

Greckhamer et al.'s study of how industry, corporate, and business-unit attributes combine to produce both superior and inferior performance illustrated QCA's potential to examine all three aspects of causal complexity and to explore the inherent limited diversity of organizational phenomena.

“Their study of how industry, corporate, and businessunit attributes combine to produce both superior and inferior performance illustrated QCA's potential to examine all three aspects of causal complexity (conjunction, equifinality, and asymmetry) and to explore the inherent limited diversity of organizational phenomena.”

One of the seven recipes of industry, corporate, and business-unit attributes found by Greckhamer et al. (2008) to produce high business-unit performance in the manufacturing sector involved large business-units in munificent industries.

“For example, one of the seven recipes of industry, corporate, and business-unit attributes found by Greckhamer et al. (2008) to produce high business-unit performance in the manufacturing sector involved large business-units in munificent industries.”

Greckhamer et al. (2008) aimed to advance the use of QCA in strategic management research.

“Greckhamer et al. (2008) aimed to advance the use of QCA in strategic management research.”

Another recipe among the seven configurations found by Greckhamer et al. (2008) was that high performance in the manufacturing sector resulted when business units were part of highly diversified corporations and operated in munificent industries.

“For example, another recipe among the seven configurations found by Greckhamer et al. (2008) was that high performance in the manufacturing sector resulted when business units were part of highly diversified corporations and operated in munificent industries-i.e., business-unit success came through either large size and high industry munificence or”

A third recipe among Greckhamer et al.'s (2008) findings for high performance in manufacturing involved business units that were not large and part of highly diversified corporations and that competed in industries that were not highly competitive and not highly dynamic.

“Continuing the previous example, a third recipe among Greckhamer et al.'s (2008) findings for high performance in manufacturing involved business units that were not large and part of highly diversified corporations and that competed in industries that were not highly competitive and not highly dynamic.”

Researchers frequently used QCA in an inductive theory elaboration effort to re-evaluate theoretical domains in a configurational manner.

“First, researchers frequently used QCA in an inductive theory elaboration effort to re-evaluate theoretical domains in a configurational manner: for example, in the domains of acquisitions (Campbell et al., 2015), of business- and corporate-level strategies (Greckhamer et al., 2008), of corporate governance (Misangyi & Acharya, 2014), of decoupling (Crilly et al., 2012), and of innovation (Meu”