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Behavioral Strategy: An Alternative Account of Superior Profitability?

Christina Fang
Chengwei Liu

Behavioral Strategy in Perspective

ISBN: 978-1-78756-348-3, eISBN: 978-1-78756-347-6

ISSN: 0742-3322

Publication date: 21 September 2018

Abstract

Behavioral strategy completes the analyses of superior profitability by highlighting how non-economic, behavioral barriers generate an alternative source of strategic opportunities. Existing internal and external analysis frameworks fail to explain why strategic factors can be systematically mispriced and why large firms’ structural and resource advantage are regularly disrupted by entrepreneurs. We argue that the systematic biases documented in the behavioral and organizational sciences in fact illuminate an alternative source of competitive advantage. Strategists could develop superior insights into the value of resources and recognize factors that are either under- or overvalued while competitors remain blind to such possibilities. Our argument is illustrated by how three “underdogs” disrupted the incumbents in their industries by exploiting rivals’ predictable biases and blind spots. We conclude by discussing how our ideas can be generalized as an alternative, behavioral approach for strategy.

Keywords

  • Decision biases
  • Strategic factor market
  • Stereotype bias
  • Incumbent bias
  • Homophily bias
  • Strategic opportunities

Acknowledgements

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This chapter has benefited from joint work with Jerker Denrell, University of Warwick.

Citation

Fang, C. and Liu, C. (2018), "Behavioral Strategy: An Alternative Account of Superior Profitability?", Behavioral Strategy in Perspective (Advances in Strategic Management, Vol. 39), Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 209-219. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0742-332220180000039015

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018 Emerald Publishing Limited

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