The Match Between Structural Attributes and Content-Based Orientation of Managerial Cognition: An Exploratory fsQCA Study of ‘Hidden Champions’

Strategic decision makers interpret information and translate it into organizational action through the lens of strategic schemas. How should firms realize high performance with various strategic schemas? Cognitive content and structure have been shown to underlie strategic schemas, but few studies have considered them together. This study employs aggregation analysis to clarify the interaction between cognitive content (technology orientation, market orientation) and structure (complexity, centrality) in affecting the firm performance (FP) of ‘hidden champion’ companies, identified by the Economy and Information Technology Department of Zhejiang Province, China. The empirical method applies fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to generate strategic schema profiles for high FP. This exploratory study fills a gap in the literature on managerial cognition and provides key lessons from ‘hidden champion’ companies in China and their paths for small- and medium-sized enterprises to grow. 战略决策者通过“战略图式”这一滤镜诠释信息并转化为组织行动。企业如何通过不同的战略图式实现高水平绩效呢？认知内容与结构被认为是组成战略图式的基础，但很少有研究将二者同时纳入考虑。本研究采用聚类比较分析以阐明认知内容（技术导向、市场导向）与结构特征（复杂性、集中性）在影响“隐形冠军”企业绩效的交互机制。研究以浙江省经济和信息化厅认定的“隐形冠军”企业为样本，将基于模糊集的定性比较分析（fsQCA）运用于识别高水平绩效的战略图式。这项探索性的研究填补了管理认知已有研究中的理论缺口，并总结中国隐形冠军企业的重要规律与发展路径以指导中小企业的发展。