Some empirical evidence on a contingency theory of success factors

Key success factors are important concepts in the strategy area. Several authors have suggested the propositions that different contexts possess different key success factors; and that the more similar two contexts are, the more similar their key success factors will be. To test these two hypotheses (within the domain of mature industrial products) through a large survey conducted in the United States, is the objective of the article. The conclusion reached by the study is that, although a few exception exist, in overall, the empirical evidence supports the study's hypotheses: success factors differ from context to context and they become increasingly different as the contexts are further apart in their make-up. There follows the implication for managers, that a firm wishing to extend its product line should enter preferably into related areas so that the new key success factors will be similar to the old ones. Thus a firm can keep on relying on the same old strengths to match the key success factors. Finally, it is important to note that the methodology used in this research can be applied to studies on other types of products, such as non-mature industrial products, consumer goods and services. The replicability of the methodology constitutes an invitation for follow-up research.