Conceptualizing Processes of Strategic Change. The Contribution of an Attention-Based View to Strategy Formulation

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Literature Review Strategic Management
  • Definitions
    • Definition of Strategic Management
    • Definition of Strategy
    • Definition of Strategic Change
    • Definition of/Differences between Strategic Process and Strategic Content
  • Definition of Strategy Formulation and the Concept of Corporate Strategy
  • Strategic Choice Under Conditions of Bounded Rationality
  • Deliberate and Emergent Strategies
  • Consensus in Strategy Formulation
  • Issue Selling to Top Management and understanding Strategic Agenda Building
  • Preliminary Conclusion
• The Contribution of the Attention-Based View of the Firm to Strategy Formulation
  • Definition of Attention
  • The Carnegie School: Assumptions and Theoretical Pillars
    • Bounded Rationality
    • Specialized Decision-Making Structures
    • Conflicting Interests and Cooperation
  • The Attention-Based View of the Firm
    • The Three Principles of the ABV of the firm
    • A Model of Situated Attention and Firm Behavior
  • An Attention-Based Theory of Strategy Formulation
  • Strategic Framework and Specific Research Questions
• Empiricism
  • The Contribution of the Focus of Attention to Strategy Formulation
    • Cognition, Capabilities, and Incentives: Assessing Firm Response to the Fiber-Optic Revolution (Kaplan 2008)
    • Cognition and Renewal: Comparing CEO and Organizational Effects on Incumbent Adaptation to Technical Change (Eggers & Kaplan 2009)
    • Competing for Attention in Knowledge Markets: Electronic Document in a Management Consulting Company (Hansen & Haas 2001)
    • An Attention-Based View of Service Orientation in the Business Strategy of Manufacturing Companies (Gebauer 2009)
    • Environmental Context, Managerial Cognition and Strategic Action: An Integrated View (Nadkarni & Barr 2008)
  • The Contribution of Situated Attention to Strategy Formulation
    • Competition and Beyond: Problems and Attention Allocation in the Organizational Rulemaking Process (Sullivan 2010)
    • Attention Allocation to Multiple Goals: The Case of For-Profit Social Enterprises (Stevens et al. 2014)
    • Commanding Board of Director Attention: Investigating How Organizational Performance and CEO Duality affect Board Members' Attention to Monitoring (Tuggle et al. 2010)
    • International Attention and Multinational Enterprise Performance (Bouquet et al. 2009)
  • The Contribution of the Structural Distribution of Attention to Strategy Formulation
    • How Global Strategies Emerge: An Attention Perspective (Bouquet & Birkinshaw 2011)
    • Weight Versus Choice: How Foreign Subsidiaries Gain Attention from Corporate Headquarters (Bouquet & Birkinshaw 2008)
    • The Plurality of Institutional Embeddedness as a Source of Organizational Attention Differences (Hung 2005)
    • Attention as the Mediator between Top Management Team Characteristics and Strategic Change: The Case of Airline Deregulation (Cho & Hambrick 2006)
    • Toward a Theory of Intraorganizational Attention Based on Desirability and Feasibility Factors (Baretto & Patient 2013)
    • Polychronicity in Top Management Teams: The Impact on Strategic Decision Processes and Performance of New Technology Ventures (Souitaris & Maestro 2010)
    • The Integration Journey: An Attention-Based View of the Merger and Acquisition Integration Process (Yu et al. 2005)
    • Additional Empirical Studies
• Discussion (Including Limitations and Implications)

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This master's thesis examines the contribution of an attention-based view to the formulation of strategic change. It aims to explore the role of attention in shaping strategic decision-making processes and to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of strategic change.

• The concept of attention in strategic management
• The attention-based view of the firm and its implications for strategy formulation
• The influence of attention on strategic choice under conditions of bounded rationality
• The role of attention in the emergence of deliberate and emergent strategies
• Empirical evidence on the contribution of attention to strategic change

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The thesis begins with a comprehensive literature review of strategic management, exploring key concepts such as strategic management, strategy, strategic change, and strategy formulation. It also examines the concept of bounded rationality and its influence on strategic choice.

Chapter 3 introduces the attention-based view of the firm, defining attention and exploring its theoretical foundations in the Carnegie School. It examines the three principles of the attention-based view and presents a model of situated attention and firm behavior. The chapter concludes by developing an attention-based theory of strategy formulation.

Chapter 4 presents an empirical analysis of the contribution of attention to strategy formulation, drawing on a range of case studies and research findings. It explores the influence of focus of attention, situated attention, and the structural distribution of attention on strategic decision-making processes.

Chapter 5 discusses the findings of the empirical analysis, addressing limitations and implications for future research. It highlights the importance of considering attention as a key factor in understanding strategic change.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The main keywords and focus topics of the thesis include strategic change, attention-based view, strategy formulation, bounded rationality, situated attention, structural distribution of attention, empirical research, and case studies. The thesis explores the role of attention in shaping strategic decision-making processes and provides a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of strategic change.