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Extant literature highlights the inadequacy of using just four domains – leadership, strategy, structure, and environment – for identifying firms’ configurations. The purpose of this paper is to answer the questions – what firm-level and external elements should be used to identify young firms’ configurations? Which among these is the core element?

This paper relies on literatures on configuration approach and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) to build the assertions concerning the issue of theoretical specification used for generating young firms’ configurations, and its core element. Crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (CS-QCA) of the data collected from 70 young firms supports the arguments. Various robustness analyses reaffirm these assertions.

Literature review reveals that EO represents a firm’s decision-making proclivity concerning new entry and proactive risk-taking. CS-QCA supports the assertions that: inclusion of EO improves the configurational explanation of young firms’ performance; EO is the core element of young firms’ configurations; and market orientation or social capital cannot substitute EO in configurational studies of young firms’ performance. CS-QCA serves as a tool to support an alternative theoretical stance that questions the adequacy of extant domains used to identify configurations.

This paper theorizes for inclusion of EO as an additional domain for identifying young firms’ configurations, and exploits novel capability of set theoretic methods of CS-QCA to explore the issues of model specification and conjunctural causation, and ascertain the core element of configurations.

With the increasing use of crowdfunding platforms in raising funds, it has become an important and oft-researched topic to analyze the critical factors associated with successful or failed crowdfunding. However, as a major subject of crowdfunding, medical crowdfunding has received much less scholarly attention. The purpose of this paper is to explore how contingency factors combine and casually connect in determining the success or failure of medical crowdfunding projects based on signal theory.

The paper adopts the crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis to analyze the causal configurations of 200 projects posted on a leading medical crowdfunding platform in China “Tencent Donation.” Five anecdotal conditions that could have an impact on the outcome of medical crowdfunding campions were identified. Three relate to the project (funding duration, number of images and number of updates) and two relate to the funding participants (type of suffer and type of fund-raiser).

The results show that diversified configurations of the aforementioned conditions are found (six configurations for successful medical crowdfunding projects and four configurations for failed ones).

Despite the fact that there are a considerably large number of medical crowdfunding projects, relatively few researches have been conducted to investigate configurational paths to medical crowdfunding success and failure. It is found that there are certain combinations of conditions that are clearly superior to other configurations in explaining the observed outcomes.

Literature on eco-innovation brings insights that help to understand which factors trigger innovation focused on sustainability in companies. However, when analyzing the studies that comprise such drivers, it appears that most of them were focused only on describing them in isolation. Therefore, this study aims to understand which are the combinations of drivers that favor the adoption of eco-innovation in slaughterhouses located in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

This study has used the crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (csQCA) as the data analysis technique, in addition to the previous application of Most Similar Different Outcome/Most Different Same Outcome (MSDO/MDSO).

This study identified eight internal and external drivers that explain the differences in performance of eco-innovative and non-innovative slaughterhouses. These drivers generate 13 combinations of factors capable of favoring the adoption of five types of eco-innovation.

A limitation identified was the difficulty to obtain information held by companies on environmental issues. In addition, in each company the authors only approached one respondent.

The use of combinations is identified by companies and governmental and non-governmental organizations to promote eco-innovation in slaughterhouses.

This study may be considered original for its contribution to the improvement of eco-innovation literature by describing how the drivers identified combine to favor the adoption of certain types of eco-innovation. In addition, the authors also made an original use of csQCA, linked with MSDO/MDSO, in the field of eco-innovation.

This research aims to explore retail managers' views on how food waste (FW) management activities contribute to sustainable value creation and how the customer value proposition (CVP) for a given food retailer interacts with their approaches to FW management.

A three-stage exploratory qualitative approach to data collection and analysis was adopted, involving in-depth interviews with retail managers, documentary analysis of multiple years of relevant corporate reports and email validation by seven major UK grocery retailers. Thematic content analysis supplemented by word similarity cluster analysis, two-step cluster analysis and crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis was undertaken.

FW management practices have been seen by retail managers to contribute to all forms of sustainable value creation, as waste reduction minimises environmental impact, saves costs and/or serves social needs, whilst economic value creation lies at the heart of retail FW management. However, retail operations are also framed by CVP and size of a retailer that enable or inhibit the adoption of certain FW management practices. Low-price retailers were more likely to adopt practices enabling them to save costs. Complicated cost-incurring solutions to FW were more likely to be adopted by retailers associated with larger size, high quality and a range of services.

This study is the first of its kind to empirically explore retail managers' perception of sustainable value creation through FW management activities and to provide empirical evidence of the linkages between retail CVP and sustainable value creation in the context of retail FW management.

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors influencing the transaction costs (TCs) in megaprojects to provide a basis for controlling project costs.

This study selects six factors influencing the TCs in megaprojects from the perspective of TC theory and relational contract theory (RCT) through literature review. On the basis of crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), this study tests combined factors influencing the TCs and the interaction between them.

Results show that in megaprojects, TCs are affected by combination factors. The combination of asset specificity, uncertainty, transaction frequency and trust and the combination of asset specificity, reputation and trust will control TCs in certain situations. In the configuration leading to high project TCs, the combination of environmental and behavioral uncertainties is a necessary condition.

This paper fills up the research gap in the field of megaproject TCs, and researchers can focus on this field in the future.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on possible combinations of the key determinants of high performance in sport governing bodies (SGBs) which go well beyond the net effects of independent variables.

The research focused on 18 sport governing bodies from the French‐speaking community of Belgium (CSGBs). Their strategic goals are emphasized and their potential determinants of performance are measured and assessed. Due to the small n‐sample and the causal complexity inherent in this research, a crisp‐set qualitative comparative analysis (csQCA) was performed.

Three generic combinations of the key determinants linked with high performance were highlighted. The first was high‐performing CSGBs that provide innovative activities for their membership and are proactive in elite sport services. The second was other high‐performing CSGBs of large size that involve paid staff in decision‐making processes and also develop innovative activities. The third was small‐sized governing bodies which, although they do not have extensive resources, could perform highly when they relied on volunteer leaders and delegates activities they were not able to deliver.

Due to country and sport specificities, these results may not be generalized to all SGBs. Nevertheless, it is possible to argue that when trying to understand the performance of such complex nonprofit sport organizations, researchers and practitioners need to take into account combinations of factors, rather than independent performance variables.

Using an innovative mixed method design dealing with causal complexity – qualitative comparative analysis – the paper highlights combinations of factors observed in high performing SGBs.

Enabled by increased (“big”) data stocks and advanced (“machine learning”) analyses, the concept of human resource analytics (HRA) is expected to systematically improve decisions in human resource management (HRM). Since so far empirical evidence on this is, however, lacking, the authors' study examines which combinations of data and analyses are employed and which combinations deliver on the promise of improved decision quality.

Theoretically, the paper employs a neo-configurational approach for founding and conceptualizing HRA. Methodically, based on a sample of German organizations, two varieties (crisp set and multi-value) of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) are employed to identify combinations of data and analyses sufficient and necessary for HRA success.

The authors' study identifies existing configurations of data and analyses in HRM and uncovers which of these configurations cause improved decision quality. By evidencing that and which combinations of data and analyses conjuncturally cause decision quality, the authors' study provides a first confirmation of HRA success.

Major limitations refer to the cross-sectional and national sample and the usage of subjective measures. Major implications are the suitability of neo-configurational approaches for future research on HRA, while deeper conceptualizing and researching both the characteristics and outcomes of HRA constitutes a core future task.

The authors' paper employs an innovative theoretical-methodical approach to explain and analyze conditions that conjuncturally cause decision quality therewith offering much needed empirical evidence on HRA success.

In this study, the authors explore how sensing and seizing of market opportunities, asset reconfiguration and top management team (TMT) consensus on these elements jointly relate to a firm's international expansion. By doing this, the authors contribute to the existing literature by addressing dynamic managerial capabilities at the TMT level instead of considering them as individual executives' traits. The authors use the qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) method to analyze our data from 261 TMT executives in 63 firms. The findings indicate that sensing, seizing and reconfiguration capabilities are highly relevant for internationalization but in different configurations for specific stages and elements of international business. Presence of sensing as a part of configurations is observable, especially in connection to a firm having foreign customers and explicit internationalization strategies, while configurations where seizing and reconfiguration emerge are connected to firms showing continuity in the international markets. The authors’ results also indicate that a lack of TMT consensus in connection to dynamic managerial capabilities is a driving force that allows the firm not to stagnate with regards to internationalization. Yet, lack of TMT consensus combined with low reconfiguration capabilities seems to generate negative results, which suggests that different views are not helpful if the firm is incapable of changing its approaches.

This study uses data gathered with a questionnaire where the executives select either “yes” or “no” in response to statements describing the firm situation with regard different managerial aspects and progress of international growth. The authors analyze these data from 261 TMT executives from 63 firms using the QCA method.

The findings indicate that sensing, seizing and reconfiguration capabilities are highly relevant for internationalization but to different extents for specific elements of international business; generally, while sensing is needed, in particular, for having foreign customers and internationalization strategies in the first place, seizing and reconfiguration became relevant for continuity in the international markets. Consensus or rather lack of it on these elements also plays a role. It seems that some disagreement is a driving force that allows the firm not to stagnate with regards to internationalization. However, TMT disagreement combined with low reconfiguration capabilities seems to generate negative results, which suggests that different views are not helpful if the firm is incapable of changing its approaches.

The findings contribute to existing knowledge by exploring how managerial capabilities influence firm-level dynamic capabilities from the point of view of the TMT. The authors also add to existing research that has often focused on the relationships between TMT executives' demographic traits and TMT consensus and, further, the (subsequent) firm performance by looking at different configuration rather than linear linkages. Together, these notions further mean that the authors change the point of view on diversity. The authors consider the consensus on existing managerial dynamic capabilities rather than evaluate the functional diversity or the TMT executives' agreement on strategic moves.

All capabilities are important. TMT does not need to agree on everything, as long as they acknowledge where their problem areas are, and they can capture at least some of the relevant trends and opportunities. In fact, having some lack of consensus seems to be a driving force that allows capabilities to be questioned and potentially keeps (false) under-appreciation of existing capabilities from becoming a barrier to international expansion.

Unlike previous studies that have focused on the relationship between the TMT executives' demographic characteristics and firm performance or the relationship of the demographics and TMT strategic consensus at a general level – or studies that have explained international performance with TMT consensus (or with dynamic managerial capabilities), this study brings forth how the dynamic managerial capabilities and the TMT executives' strategic consensus with regard to these capabilities influence the firm's international expansion. Here, the authors consider internationalization widely, looking at whether the firm has foreign customers or international expansion strategy in place, and whether there this activity is sustained and continuous (with repeated trading and long-term international contracts, in particular). To our knowledge, there is no research on TMT strategic consensus that explains how the unanimity among executives on dynamic managerial capabilities connects to the firm's international expansion.

The construction industry worldwide is looking for overall efficiency in the entire project life cycle. Lean construction and Building Information Modeling (BIM) are together, key constituents in this quest. This study looks to reinforce the contribution of BIM to deliver applied lean principles to enhance productivity and performance.

The study adopts mixed methodologies of Ethnographic Action Research (EAR) and crisp set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA). The mosaic of case studies provides a descriptive and instrumental approach. While a descriptive approach investigates the interventions and phenomenon relating BIM to Lean, an instrumental approach constitutes exemplars of the interrelated phenomenon of BIM and Lean.

The themes of Elimination of Waste, Kaizen, Respecting the Human Elements, Poke-a-Yoke and Jidoka are contributed to the maximum by BIM. All the case studies discussed evidence of the contribution to Lean, as they enhance end-customer value.

The contribution of BIM towards Lean could encourage collaborations amongst stakeholders for mutual benefits. BIM could enhance decision making, predictive simulation, risk analysis, etc. with many other exciting possibilities of delivering productivity and performance. The study is limited by the insights offered by the individual cases.

The study provides insights into potential developments and research. It is expected to encourage reflective professional practice triggered by innovative thinking for the gainful utilization of BIM to deliver Lean.

Understanding the impact of project complexity on the mega construction project success will help improve the efficiency of project management. However, the influencing mechanism of project complexity on project success has not been clearly depicted. This paper aims to divide project complexity and project success into five dimensions, trying to explore the impact of different complexity combinations on mega construction project success.

This study applies the qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) method to find out the impact of the combinations of different project complexities on the every dimension of mega construction project success. First, 21 cases were interviewed and scored in five categories of project complexities and five aspects of project success. Second, with the QCA program, the combinations of different project complexities influencing every aspect of mega construction project success was obtained.

This research found that high organizational complexity or a combination of high environmental complexity and goal complexity can lead to serious schedule delays of mega construction projects, high technological complexity and goal complexity are important reasons for cost overrun, high technological complexity or a combination of high environmental complexity and low organizational complexity usually lead to low quality of mega construction projects, high goal complexity and cultural complexity are important factors affecting the key stakeholders' satisfaction and high technological complexity and environmental complexity are the reasons for the poor sustainability of mega construction projects.

This study clearly reveals the influencing mechanism of project complexity on mega construction project success, which can help the project managers to understand and assess the complexity of mega construction projects and accurately predict their negative impacts on the mega construction projects.