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Intrapreneurs are those employees who identify and pursue opportunities in a firm. By pursuing these opportunities with new products, services or processes, intrapreneurial employees may influence the strategic direction of the firm, a process called intrapreneurial strategy-making. Little consideration has been given to how small firms may use this process to improve performance. To this end this paper describes the results of an empirical study conducted with 454 small firms. Analysis of the data indicates that intrapreneurial strategy-making has a significant positive relationship with firm performance, depending on the size of the firm, its organizational structure and the dynamism of the environment. It further shows that differentiation strategies may mediate this relationship.

The purpose of this paper is to develop contemporary entrepreneurial configurations of small firms and relates them to performance. Adding a process dimension, the authors extend the more commonly used resource and growth taxonomies in this field of research.

A review of current literature on small firm configurations is followed by a discussion of its dimensions, namely, context (external and internal environment), content (entrepreneurial orientation (EO)) and process (strategy making). These are related to perceived performance, using cluster analysis and ANOVA for a sample of 320 small New Zealand firms.

The results isolate young corporates, young simple and mature consolidator clusters. Young corporates outperform their counterparts in dynamic environments in how they use formal structures, and their high EO and generative strategy-making (GSM).

This study uses self-reporting measures and a cross-sectional design.

The findings show how young, small firms can enhance their performance practically by aligning the key dimensions of an entrepreneurial configuration. These firms could benefit from early formalization of systems and structures, a high EO, and by using a GSM approach.

The contribution is threefold. First, the authors empirically verify the existence of three clusters of small firms and then link these to perceived performance. Second, by basing the small-firm configurations on a content, context, process framework, the authors highlight the importance of aligning these dimensions to performance. Third, the authors find evidence of the role of early formalization to accompany GSM and EO if small firms want to improve performance outcomes.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between individuals’ discursive practices and organizational-level strategic change with respect to sustainability strategy.

The approach taken integrates Hart’s natural resource-based view of the firm with discourse theory.

A conceptual model of the relationship between discursive practices and strategic change is proposed.

The paper’s model serves as a foundation on which future empirical research on the effectiveness of specific discursive practices can be conducted.

Much of strategy research is notable for the absence of discussion on human actors and actions. The paper helps to fill this gap, contributing to existing scholarship by examining the micro-foundations of sustainability strategy through the fundamental role of individuals’ discursive practices.

The purpose of this paper is to consider how the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) may support or diminish the creation of social value.

The approach applies Lumpkin and Dess’s multidimensional conceptualization of EO to the growing body of literature on social entrepreneurship.

Propositions on the effects of autonomy, competitive aggressiveness, innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking on social value creation are developed.

The propositions offered in the paper suggest avenues for future empirical studies that seek to examine the impact of EO on social, rather than financial, performance.

A significant body of research has examined the relationship between EO and financial performance, but potential implications for social value creation remain unclear. This paper seeks to address this gap in understanding of EO and social entrepreneurship and argues that two components of EO may adversely impact the creation of social value.

It is the purpose of this study to demonstrate theoretically and empirically how the marketing strategy creation style implemented by a channel leader in a franchise system impacts the overall climate of trust within the channel system. Specifically, this study seeks to answer two important research questions: should franchisors direct franchisees in prescribed behaviors, or should the franchisees be allowed to play a more fundamental role in the strategy‐making process? How does this decision affect the overall level of trust within the franchise system relationship?

The paper investigates the impact of four common strategy‐making styles in a study of 244 fast food franchise businesses and compares the findings with those previously obtained in other settings.

Support was found for the hypotheses, which stated that the channel climate of franchise systems implementing the symbolic, generative, or transactive modes of strategy‐making would be characterized by a higher degree of trust than would the climate of franchise systems implementing the rational mode.

The empirical test considered only one industry (the fast food industry), and only one side of the franchisor‐franchisee dyad (the franchisee's perceptions) was used for the empirical tests.

The findings of the paper contribute significantly to an overall understanding of the development of effective, successful franchise channel relationships.

Using a state of the art CIMO literature review the paper develops a framework of the relationship between strategy making in the small tourism firm context and four performance outcomes.

The paper uses the CIMO literature review method, adapted from the wider management literature to structure and integrate the existing fragmented literature base.

Premised on the literature review, a framework of the relationship between strategy making and firm performance in context is posited. Emerging from a dominant owner/manager in a deeply embedded context strategy making influences firm performance across four dimensions. The influence is dynamic, continually subject to modification in a changing environment often mediated through emerging technology.

The CIMO method provides an integrated framework of the relationship between strategy making and small firm performance in context hence overcoming limitations of the fragmented nature of the research landscape. Emerging from the review key future research trajectories is posited.

While highlighting the relationship between strategy making and performance, the proposed framework implies owner/managers play the key role in strategy making with opportunities and challenges in modifying existing strategy making emerging from owner/manager embeddedness. Opportunities for improved policy interventions are posited.

The paper applies the systematic review to the relationship between strategy making and the small tourism firm.

The purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative perspective on Zhong-Yong that is different from the notion of “Yin-Yang balancing” and apply it to understand the issue of balancing the top-down and bottom-up processes in strategy making.

The authors adopt a “West meets East” mindset and approach to develop an alternative perspective on Zhong-Yong, and then apply this perspective to understand the issue of balancing the top-down and bottom-up processes in strategy making. There are three steps in the process of developing the alternative perspective. First, the authors argue that the essence of “Yin-Yang balancing” is a ratio-based solution to paradoxical balancing, which is in fact equivalent to Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean and compatible with some western management scholars’ approaches to solving paradox. Second, the authors identify a different generic solution to paradoxical balancing implicit in the western management literature. Third, the authors find in the original text of Zhong-Yong equivalent ideas to the identified different generic solution and then propose an alternative perspective on Zhong-Yong that is fundamentally different from the notion of “Yin-Yang balancing.”

Applied to the issue of balancing the top-down and bottom-up processes in strategy making, the new perspective on Zhong-Yong provides us with the following prescriptive insights from the life-wisdom of eastern philosophy: first, top management (e.g. Shun as the sage-king) must listen to various views and opinions also from employees and low-level managers at the bottom of the organization to be better informed about complex issues. Second, top management must analyze the diverse elements of the various views and opinions they collect and synthesize by taking the good from the bad to find smarter solutions and make decisions with better outcomes. Third, abiding by a set of (more or less) cohesive values help top managers be open and receptive to information and insights from low-level organizational members and enhancing unbiased information.

This paper is mainly a theoretical perspective. Empirical work is needed to test the prescriptions offered in this paper.

Practitioners may learn new perspectives from ancient Chinese philosophies on how to balance.

This paper applies a new perspective on Zhong-Yong to an important paradox in strategic management.

To validate conceptual frameworks for strategic management development. Also, to test the hypothesis that the objectives and design of a strategic management development programme need to match the organisation's level of commitment to strategic management and the degree of maturity of its strategic management processes and competencies, in order that the programme can be effective in enhancing the strategic capability of the organisation.

Earlier work by the author (based on literature review and one case study) had generated two conceptual models which could help in the understanding of strategic management development. One provides a life‐cycle typology matching an organisation's level of commitment to strategic management with the design of an effective strategic management development programme. The second provides a causal network showing how strategic management capability may be developed. In this paper case study research is reported from six organisations to provide data, which are mainly qualitatative, to test the hypothesis and conceptual models.

Both the life‐cycle typology and the conceptual models are supported by the further case study work. It was also found that the dominant strategy‐making mode in the organisation can influence the potential for strategic management development. Where the command mode of strategy making is dominant the strategic aspects of a management development programme are inhibited because this is not consistent with the command culture.

The generalisability of the findings is constrained by the small sample size of six organisations. However, given the paucity of theory in the field of strategic management development, the findings contribute to the conceptual understanding of this subject.

The models proposed give insights into the complexities of strategic management development and can be used to inform analysis and planning of more effective strategic management development interventions.