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Environmental Structure And Theories Of Strategic Choice

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  • R. Whittington

Abstract

This article argues that the prevailing dichotomization of organizational studies into voluntarist and deterministic orientations is too simple, and that this simplicity has dangerous consequences for accounts of strategic choice. Determinism has been equated exclusively with the operation of environmental constraint, with the implication that the agency necessary for strategic choice can be secured simply by the removal of this constraint. This focus on external constraint has obscured the continuing influence of ‘action determinist’ positions, in which action is determined by mechanisms internal to the actor him/herself. This article argues that many recent theorists of strategic choice have relied too much on the interpretive voluntarist dissolution of environmental structure and neglected to safeguard themselves from the action determinism latent in the Carnegie tradition. the article proposes an alternative Realist account that, by contrast with interpretive voluntarism, incorporates environmental structure as an essential precondition to actors’ internal and external capacities for strategic choice.

Suggested Citation

  • R. Whittington, 1988. "Environmental Structure And Theories Of Strategic Choice," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(6), pages 521-536, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:25:y:1988:i:6:p:521-536
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.1988.tb00045.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Parrish, Bradley D., 2010. "Sustainability-driven entrepreneurship: Principles of organization design," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 510-523, September.
    2. Qinqin Zheng & Yadong Luo & Stephanie Wang, 2014. "Moral Degradation, Business Ethics, and Corporate Social Responsibility in a Transitional Economy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 120(3), pages 405-421, March.
    3. Maureen Benson-Rea & Christina Stringer, 2015. "Small Firm Specialisation in Global Value Chains: Evidence from the Cut Flower Industry," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 14(1), pages 43-62, June.
    4. Greenley, Gordon E. & Oktemgil, Mehmet, 1997. "An Investigation of Modulator Effects on Alignment Skill," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 93-105, June.
    5. Wong, Chee Yew & Wong, Christina W.Y. & Boon-itt, Sakun, 2017. "Do arcs of integration differ across industries? Methodology extension and empirical evidence from Thailand," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 183(PA), pages 223-234.
    6. Daniele Tumidei & Constantinos Alexiou & Michael Bourne, 2021. "A choice and inevitability framework in strategic management: empirical evidence of its real-life existence," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(6), pages 1729-1766, August.
    7. Abatecola, Gianpaolo, 2014. "Research in organizational evolution. What comes next?," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 434-443.
    8. Tamim Elbasha & Alex Wright, 2017. "Reconciling structure and agency in strategy -as-practice research: Towards a strong- structuration theory approach," Post-Print hal-01557268, HAL.
    9. Marco Aurélio Lima de Queiroz & Flávio Carvalho de Vasconcelos & Rafael Guilherme Burstein Goldszmidt, 2007. "Economic rents and legitimacy: incorporating elements of organizational analysis institutional theory to the field of business strategy," RAC - Revista de Administração Contemporânea (Journal of Contemporary Administration), ANPAD - Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração, vol. 11(spe1), pages 177-198.
    10. Alain Desreumaux, 2008. "Refaire de la stratégie?," Revue Finance Contrôle Stratégie, revues.org, vol. 11(Special), pages 67-107, June.
    11. Rowena Barrett & Al Rainnie, 2002. "What's So Special About Small Firms?," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 16(3), pages 415-431, September.
    12. Mariotto, Fábio Luiz & Zanni, Pedro Pinto & Moraes, Gustavo Hermínio Salati Marcondes de, 2014. "Para que serve um estudo de caso único na pesquisa de gestão?," RAE - Revista de Administração de Empresas, FGV-EAESP Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (Brazil), vol. 54(4), July.
    13. Hernan G. Roxas & Val Lindsay & Nicholas Ashill & Antong Victorio, 2007. "Institutional analysis of strategic choice of micro, small, and medium enterprises : a conceptual framework," Philippine Review of Economics, University of the Philippines School of Economics and Philippine Economic Society, vol. 44(1), pages 151-186, June.

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