Better Stories, Not Better Constructs, to Generate Better Theory: A Rejoinder to Eisenhardt

Dyer, W. Gibb; Wilkins, Alan L.

doi:10.2307/258920

Cited by 1,011 publications

(310 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

293

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Using a single organization allows me to examine intra-organizational processes, by providing a situated understanding of the interests of multiple different groups and of the strategies that they pursue to further those interests (Dyer and Wilkins 1991).…”

Section: Research Setting and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Politics and Firm Boundaries: How Organizational Structure, Group Interests, and Resources Affect Outsourcing

Bidwell

2012

Organization Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

How does managers' pursuit of their own intraorganizational interests affect decisions about what work to outsource and how to contract with vendors? I study this question using a qualitative study of outsourcing in the information technology department of a large financial services firm.Traditional transaction cost-based theories argue that decisions about which transactions to outsource should reflect the characteristics of those transactions, yet I find only a weak link between transaction characteristics and outsourcing decisions. Qualitative evidence suggests that managers' pursuit of their own intraorganizational interests helps to explain why outsourcing decisions were often divorced from transaction characteristics. I found that the consequences of outsourcing projects were consistent with the assumptions of transaction cost and capabilities-based theories: managers had less authority over outsourced projects than internal ones, those projects were subject to weaker administrative controls, and outsourced vendors provided different capabilities than internal suppliers. However, the way that those consequences were evaluated often reflected managers' own interests rather than those of the organization.I highlight three aspects of organizational structure that affected how managers evaluated outsourcing: the nature of differentiated goals and responsibilities, the administrative controls that managers faced, and the pressures caused by interdependent workflows within the organization. I also show how the distribution of authority and other resources shaped which projects were outsourced. The analysis highlights the value of understanding make-or-buy decisions as an endogenous consequence of the structure in which those decisions take place, rather than as isolated decisions that are maximized regardless of their context. Keywords: Outsourcing; Firm boundaries; make or buy; transaction cost economics; politics; resource dependence; organizational decision-making; offshoring; information technology.Acknowledgements: I am very grateful to Heski Bar-Isaac, Henrik Bresman, Forrest Briscoe, Diane Burton, Isabel Fernandez-Mateo, Martin Gargiulo, Bob Gibbons, Javier Gimeno, Adam Grant, Quy Huy, Michael Jacobides, Sarah Kaplan, Jackson Nickerson, Joanne Oxley, Sean Safford, Felipe Santos, Brian Silverman, Andrew von Nordenflycht, Christoph Zott, seminar audiences at London Business School and the Rotman School, Nick Argyres and three anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions on various drafts of this paper. I am particularly grateful to all of the employees of the Bank who spent so much time talking with me and sharing the data that led to this paper.

show abstract

Section: Research Setting and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Politics and Firm Boundaries: How Organizational Structure, Group Interests, and Resources Affect Outsourcing

Bidwell

2012

Organization Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Single cases are often used to extend existing theories and to build new theories (Dyer & Wilkins, 1991;Siggelkow, 2007) and are commonly used to study network dynamics (Easton, 1995;Halinen & Törnroos, 2005).…”

Section: Research Context and Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Network mobilizers and target firms: The case of saving the Baltic Sea

Ritvala

Salmi

2011

Industrial Marketing Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper examines why and how firms participate in issue networks that aim at solving contemporary complex problems. We build mainly on network and stakeholder literatures to understand mobilization from a relational perspective. Drawing on a single embedded case study of four initiatives to save the Baltic Sea, we build a multilevel model for firm participation in issue networks. Besides discovering diverse motivational factors, the model sheds light on the interaction between individual, organization, and network levels factors explaining mobilization. We argue that there is high theoretical, managerial, and societal relevance for studying the dynamics of issue networks − a topic which could be better incorporated in the research agenda of business network scholars.

show abstract

“…This is achieved by focusing on getting as close as possible to the world of what is under study and interpret this world and its problems from the inside (Dyer and Wilkins, 1991). A case study approach was therefore selected as the principle method of locating this in-depth information.…”

Section: Data Collection and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Alliances and Networks: Creating Success in the UK Fair Trade Market

Davies

2008

J Bus Ethics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Data from a longitudinal study into the key management success factors the fair trade industry, provides insights into the essential nature of inter-organisational alliances and networks in creating the profitable and growing fair trade market in the UK.Drawing on three case studies and extensive industry interviews, we provide an interpretive perspective on the organisational relationships and business networks, and the way in which these have engendered success for UK fair trade companies. Three types of benefit are derived from the networks, Competitive Developments through virtual integration the organisations remain flexible and small whilst projecting size to the market, Intellectual Developments through the sharing of intellectual capital with a diverse network of organisations in many fields, and Ideological Developments through an Ideological Network of like minded individuals the companies can protect themselves from the assimilation of the original purpose of fair trade, to help the developing world. However, relative success at leveraging these benefits is influenced by three managerial factors, Partner Choice, Partner Use and Partner Management. Key WordsFair trade Commercialisation Alliances and networks Ideology IntroductionThe fair trade movement sprang from a desire to encourage community development in some of the most deprived areas of the world (Brown, 1993). Fair trade is achieved through the "application, monitoring and enforcement of a fair trade supply agreement 3 and code of conduct typically verified by an independent social auditing system" (Crane and Matten, 2004: p.333). Despite its public perception of being almost like a charity (Mintel, 2004), many fair trade organisations are, in-fact, profit seeking organisations (Davies and Crane, 2003, Moore, 2004). Similarly brands are now aimed at targeting mainstream customer groups and compete head-to-head for shelf space with major retail brands (Low and Davenport, 2006;Moore, 2004; Nichols and Opal, 2005;Wilkinson, 2007). Therefore despite distribution of profits (and supply chains) differing from many businesses within their markets the processes of marketing, sales and logistics are, in principle, identical to other small, social entrepreneurial start up companies (see Mair, Robinson and Hockerts, 2006;Davies, 2007). This paper investigates the importance of inter-organisational alliances and networks in creating the profitable and growing fair trade market in the UK. Drawing on three case studies, data from longitudinal participant observation, interviews and secondary sources provide an interpretive perspective on the organisational relationships and business networks. Focusing on the benefits that accrue from networked partnerships, not the structure of these partnerships, the contribution of this paper is to bring the importance of these networks to the fore in future fair trade discussions. This research uncovers that alliances and inter-company networks have been purposefully embedded in the fair trade industry since it...

show abstract

Better Stories, Not Better Constructs, to Generate Better Theory: A Rejoinder to Eisenhardt

Cited by 1,011 publications

References 0 publications

Politics and Firm Boundaries: How Organizational Structure, Group Interests, and Resources Affect Outsourcing

Politics and Firm Boundaries: How Organizational Structure, Group Interests, and Resources Affect Outsourcing

Network mobilizers and target firms: The case of saving the Baltic Sea

Alliances and Networks: Creating Success in the UK Fair Trade Market

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About