IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wsi/jecxxx/v25y2017i02ns0218495817500054.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Business Growth in Established Companies; Roles of Effectuation and Causation

Author

Listed:
  • Marko Matalamäki

    (Department of Management, University of Vaasa, Finland)

  • Tero Vuorinen

    (Department of Management, University of Vaasa, Finland)

  • Elina Varamäki

    (Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, Finland)

  • Kirsti Sorama

    (Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, Finland)

Abstract

This multiple case study illustrates how ten selected industrial companies have managed to accomplish rapid growth after a long period (3–5 years) of slow growth. A particular aim was to determine whether these companies grew by adapting to the situation and responding to the demands of the market with their resources (effectuation) or by following previously determined plans and proceeding towards set goals (causation). Effectuation was originally connected to the creation of new business activities and an operating model covering the early stages of an organisation’s growth. However, recent studies have considered effectuation in the context of an existing business. This paper adds business growth to the context of established companies and explores the roles of effectuation and causation in their growth processes. The findings indicate the usage of both logics, but in nine of the ten companies’ effectuation influences as the dominant approach. Only one of the ten studied companies can be stated to follow the operating principles of causation.

Suggested Citation

  • Marko Matalamäki & Tero Vuorinen & Elina Varamäki & Kirsti Sorama, 2017. "Business Growth in Established Companies; Roles of Effectuation and Causation," Journal of Enterprising Culture (JEC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 25(02), pages 123-148, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:jecxxx:v:25:y:2017:i:02:n:s0218495817500054
    DOI: 10.1142/S0218495817500054
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0218495817500054
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1142/S0218495817500054?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. James G. March, 1991. "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 71-87, February.
    2. Fischer, Eileen & Reuber, A. Rebecca, 2011. "Social interaction via new social media: (How) can interactions on Twitter affect effectual thinking and behavior?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 1-18, January.
    3. Ivan Pongracic Jr., 2009. "Employees and Entrepreneurship," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13075.
    4. Brinckmann, Jan & Grichnik, Dietmar & Kapsa, Diana, 2010. "Should entrepreneurs plan or just storm the castle? A meta-analysis on contextual factors impacting the business planning-performance relationship in small firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 24-40, January.
    5. Helge Helmersson & Jan Mattsson, 2013. "Text-analytic measurement of effectuation and causation orientations among small and global business managers," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 47(6), pages 3493-3507, October.
    6. Baron, Robert A., 2009. "Effectual versus predictive logics in entrepreneurial decision making: Differences between experts and novices: Does experience in starting new ventures change the way entrepreneurs think? Perhaps, bu," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 310-315, July.
    7. Dew, Nicholas & Read, Stuart & Sarasvathy, Saras D. & Wiltbank, Robert, 2009. "Effectual versus predictive logics in entrepreneurial decision-making: Differences between experts and novices," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 287-309, July.
    8. David Neumark & Brandon Wall & Junfu Zhang, 2008. "Do Small Businesses Create More Jobs? New Evidence from the National Establishment Time Series," NBER Working Papers 13818, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Murphy, Gregory B. & Trailer, Jeff W. & Hill, Robert C., 1996. "Measuring performance in entrepreneurship research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 15-23, May.
    10. Alexander McKelvie & Johan Wiklund, 2010. "Advancing Firm Growth Research: A Focus on Growth Mode Instead of Growth Rate," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(2), pages 261-288, March.
    11. John C. Haltiwanger & Ron S. Jarmin & Javier Miranda, 2010. "Who Creates Jobs? Small vs. Large vs. Young," NBER Working Papers 16300, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Brettel, Malte & Mauer, René & Engelen, Andreas & Küpper, Daniel, 2012. "Corporate effectuation: Entrepreneurial action and its impact on R&D project performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 167-184.
    13. Nicholas Dew & Saras Sarasvathy, 2007. "Innovations, Stakeholders & Entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 74(3), pages 267-283, September.
    14. Davidsson, Per, 1989. "Entrepreneurship -- And after? A study of growth willingness in small firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 211-226, May.
    15. Kalinic, Igor & Sarasvathy, Saras D. & Forza, Cipriano, 2014. "‘Expect the unexpected’: Implications of effectual logic on the internationalization process," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 635-647.
    16. Nicholas Dew & Stuart Read & Saras Sarasvathy & Robert Wiltbank, 2011. "On the entrepreneurial genesis of new markets: effectual transformations versus causal search and selection," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 231-253, May.
    17. Henry Mintzberg, 1978. "Patterns in Strategy Formation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(9), pages 934-948, May.
    18. Chandler, Gaylen N. & DeTienne, Dawn R. & McKelvie, Alexander & Mumford, Troy V., 2011. "Causation and effectuation processes: A validation study," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 375-390, May.
    19. Simon Parker & David Storey & Arjen Witteloostuijn, 2010. "What happens to gazelles? The importance of dynamic management strategy," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 203-226, September.
    20. John T. Perry & Gaylen N. Chandler & Gergana Markova, 2012. "Entrepreneurial Effectuation: A Review and Suggestions for Future Research," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(4), pages 837-861, July.
    21. Jeffrey G. Covin & Dennis P. Slevin, 1989. "Strategic management of small firms in hostile and benign environments," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(1), pages 75-87, January.
    22. Greg Fisher, 2012. "Effectuation, Causation, and Bricolage: A Behavioral Comparison of Emerging Theories in Entrepreneurship Research," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(5), pages 1019-1051, September.
    23. Werhahn, Dorothea & Mauer, René & Flatten, Tessa C. & Brettel, Malte, 2015. "Validating effectual orientation as strategic direction in the corporate context," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 305-313.
    24. Saras Sarasvathy & K. Kumar & Jeffrey G. York & Suresh Bhagavatula, 2014. "An Effectual Approach to International Entrepreneurship: Overlaps, Challenges, and Provocative Possibilities," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(1), pages 71-93, January.
    25. Johan Wiklund & Holger Patzelt & Dean Shepherd, 2009. "Building an integrative model of small business growth," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 32(4), pages 351-374, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Martín-Navarro, Alicia & Velicia-Martín, Felix & Medina-Garrido, José Aurelio & Palos-Sánchez, Pedro R., 2023. "Impact of effectual propensity on entrepreneurial intention," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    2. Alicia Martin-Navarro & Jose Aurelio Medina-Garrido & Felix Velicia-Martin, 2023. "How effectual will you be? Development and validation of a scale in higher education," Papers 2312.00916, arXiv.org.
    3. Christopher Idemudia EBEGBETALE & Abdul-Hameed Adeola SULAIMON & Simeon Emezana IFERE, 2024. "Impact of Causation and Effectuation on Competitiveness among Nano Businesses in Nigeria," Management and Economics Review, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 9(1), pages 91-103, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alexander McKelvie & Gaylen N. Chandler & Dawn R. DeTienne & Anette Johansson, 2020. "The measurement of effectuation: highlighting research tensions and opportunities for the future," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(3), pages 689-720, March.
    2. Mumford, Jonathan Van & Zettinig, Peter, 2022. "Co-creation in effectuation processes: A stakeholder perspective on commitment reasoning," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4).
    3. Igor Laine & Tamara Galkina, 0. "The interplay of effectuation and causation in decision making: Russian SMEs under institutional uncertainty," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-37.
    4. Yi Jiang & Charles-Clemens Rüling, 2019. "Opening the Black Box of Effectuation Processes: Characteristics and Dominant Types," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(1), pages 171-202, January.
    5. Katrin M. Smolka & Ingrid Verheul & Katrin Burmeister–Lamp & Pursey P.M.A.R. Heugens, 2018. "Get it Together! Synergistic Effects of Causal and Effectual Decision–Making Logics on Venture Performance," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 42(4), pages 571-604, July.
    6. Igor Laine & Tamara Galkina, 2017. "The interplay of effectuation and causation in decision making: Russian SMEs under institutional uncertainty," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 905-941, September.
    7. Tobias Frese & Ingmar Geiger & Florian Dost, 2020. "An empirical investigation of determinants of effectual and causal decision logics in online and high-tech start-up firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(3), pages 641-664, March.
    8. Fischer, Denise & Greven, Andrea & Tornow, Mark & Brettel, Malte, 2021. "On the value of effectuation processes for R&D alliances and the moderating role of R&D alliance experience," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 606-619.
    9. Jiang, Yi & Tornikoski, Erno T., 2019. "Perceived uncertainty and behavioral logic: Temporality and unanticipated consequences in the new venture creation process," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 23-40.
    10. Ioanna Deligianni & Irini Voudouris & Spyros Lioukas, 2017. "Do Effectuation Processes Shape the Relationship between Product Diversification and Performance in New Ventures?," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 41(3), pages 349-377, May.
    11. Vinciane Servantie & Martine Hlady-Rispal, 2022. "Born globals’ decision-making logics during their entrepreneurial process," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 255-281, June.
    12. Masoud Karami & Ben Wooliscroft & Lisa McNeill, 2020. "Effectuation and internationalisation: a review and agenda for future research," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 777-811, October.
    13. Koller, Sonia & Stephan, Ute & Ahmetoglu, Gorkan, 2022. "Ecological rationality and entrepreneurship: How entrepreneurs fit decision logics to decision content and structure," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4).
    14. Tamara Galkina & Sylvie Chetty, 2015. "Effectuation and Networking of Internationalizing SMEs," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 55(5), pages 647-676, October.
    15. Sebastian Markus Szambelan & Yi Dragon Jiang, 2020. "Effectual control orientation and innovation performance: clarifying implications in the corporate context," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(3), pages 865-882, March.
    16. Gry Agnete Alsos & Tommy Høyvarde Clausen & René Mauer & Stuart Read & Saras D. Sarasvathy, 2020. "Effectual exchange: from entrepreneurship to the disciplines and beyond," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(3), pages 605-619, March.
    17. Kerr, Jon & Coviello, Nicole, 2020. "Weaving network theory into effectuation: A multi-level reconceptualization of effectual dynamics," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(2).
    18. Richard A. Martina, 2020. "Toward a theory of affordable loss," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(3), pages 751-774, March.
    19. Engel, Yuval & Kaandorp, Mariëtte & Elfring, Tom, 2017. "Toward a dynamic process model of entrepreneurial networking under uncertainty," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 35-51.
    20. Jessica Alzamora-Ruiz & María Fuentes-Fuentes & Myriam Martinez-Fiestas, 2021. "Together or separately? Direct and synergistic effects of Effectuation and Causation on innovation in technology-based SMEs," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 1917-1943, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wsi:jecxxx:v:25:y:2017:i:02:n:s0218495817500054. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Tai Tone Lim (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.worldscinet.com/jec/jec.shtml .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.