Papers by S. Hossein Jalali
Eurasian Journal of Business and Economics, Nov 30, 2017
Firms increasingly adopt cooperative strategies and form strategic alliances with foreign partner... more Firms increasingly adopt cooperative strategies and form strategic alliances with foreign partners to be prosperous in entering to international market. Most of scholars have typically focused on generic, conceptual models for alliances partner selection, addressing only limited dimensions of the partner characteristics. This paper presents a new empirical framework that considering the effect of partner characteristics on export performance of alliances, in the case of short/mediumterm alliances and long-term ones. The study explores the effective partner characteristics for each type of alliances based on a sample of 540 alliances which rooted in East European region and also, have at least one Iranian partner. The findings stress the differences between varied partner characteristics in short/medium-term and long-term alliances. More specifically, results introduce a framework that addresses certain and specific partner characteristics to improve the export performance of alliances, due to the time frame of strategic alliances.
International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 2020
While extant literature has shown that formal contracts and relational governance are at play in ... more While extant literature has shown that formal contracts and relational governance are at play in strategic alliances design, surprisingly little is known about the prerequisites of administration within these organisational structures to reach to their potential benefits. Alliances' administration needs not only functional but also cognitive capabilities. To deeper understand of relationship between managerial cognition and alliance design, current study was employed the concept of cognitive capability and relationships between psychological underpinnings of cognitive capability and performance of alliances with contractual or relational design were studied. Using OLS regression analysis, the empirical models comprised of perception, attention, problem-solving, communication and social cognition are designed to explain the role of cognitive capability in performance of strategic alliances with contractual and relational designs. Results provide a clear understanding of the importance of cognitive capability in alliances' design and show how these psychological underpinnings fuel alliances' performance in contractual and relational governance's. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Jalali, S.H. (2020) 'Interplay between cognition and design: how performance of strategic alliance with different design affected by cognitive capabilities?', Int.
International Journal of Management and Network Economics, 2019
Pursuing underpinnings of managerial cognition, researchers have been exploring cognitive capabil... more Pursuing underpinnings of managerial cognition, researchers have been exploring cognitive capability in organisations. Although such investigations have largely focused on managerial decision making, few studies have explored the cognitive capability as a needed capability for strategic alliances' partners. In this article, the cognitive capability is considered as a key capability in alliances' partner selection, and relationships between psychological underpinnings of cognitive capability and alliance performance are studied in different time frames of alliances' endurance. Using OLS regression analysis on data from 115 international alliances, the empirical models comprised of perception, attention, problem-solving, communication and social cognition are designed to explain the role of cognitive capability in performance of strategic alliances. Results provide a clear understanding of the importance of cognitive capability in alliances' partner selection and show how these psychological underpinnings fuel alliances' performance in short/medium-term and long-term.
The growth of alliances in developing countries has generated significant interest among scholars... more The growth of alliances in developing countries has generated significant interest among scholars. Forming alliance is a reliable solution for companies based in developing countries to gain an advantage in international markets. Most of the previous studies present generic models or sets of characteristics for partner selection. In contrast, the current study suggests the partner characteristics which alliances' leaders should care about to be financially prosperous in international markets. Grounded in the resource-based view and review of recent studies, the theoretical framework of partner characteristics consisted of 13 variables. The data was gathered from Iranian alliances and analyses were done through the principal component and multiple regression analyses. The findings stress the importance of cognitive capability and knowledge stock as the most effective partner characteristics in export performance of alliances. Specifically, results introduce a framework that addresses why managers select partners with certain, specific characteristics to improve the export performance of alliances.
Firms increasingly adopt cooperative strategies and form strategic alliances with foreign partner... more Firms increasingly adopt cooperative strategies and form strategic alliances with foreign partners to be prosperous in entering to international market. Most of scholars have typically focused on generic, conceptual models for alliances partner selection, addressing only limited dimensions of the partner characteristics. This paper presents a new empirical framework that considering the effect of partner characteristics on export performance of alliances, in the case of short/medium-term alliances and long-term ones. The study explores the effective partner characteristics for each type of alliances based on a sample of 540 alliances which rooted in East European region and also, have at least one Iranian partner. The findings stress the differences between varied partner characteristics in short/medium-term and long-term alliances. More specifically, results introduce a framework that addresses certain and specific partner characteristics to improve the export performance of alliances, due to the time frame of strategic alliances.
Partner selection is one of the most discussed issues in strategic alliances literature. However,... more Partner selection is one of the most discussed issues in strategic alliances literature. However, the majority of research has typically focused on generic partner characteristics and presented conceptual models for alliance partner selection, addressing clan image but only limited pieces of the partner selection puzzle. Rooted in the resource-based view, this paper suggests that partner selection is contingent upon the intended time frame of strategic alliances and presents a new and intensive conceptual framework that examines the appropriate partner capability for strategic alliances, in the case of short/medium-term alliances and long-term ones. Based on empirical evidences from 736 alliances in the CEE region, the findings stress the differences between varied partner capabilities in short/medium-term and long-term alliances. Accordingly, the significance of technological capability increases with the number of year's alliances endured. Moreover, the importance of market capability decreases significantly when alliances last for a longer time frame.
This study empirically examines the direct relationship between export promotion programmes and e... more This study empirically examines the direct relationship between export promotion programmes and export performance; as well as indirect effects which have been conceptualised through export strategy, export knowledge and export commitment. The questionnaire of the study was applied to 200 decision makers in charge of exports during July-August 2011 and the response rate was 71%. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling techniques to test the hypothesised relationships. Results clearly show that export promotion programmes do not only have a significant direct effect on export performance, but also a significant indirect effect via three different paths. The most influential indirect path is delineated through export strategy with coefficient of 0.40; other path depicted through export knowledge, then export strategy (0.31) and also, export commitment, then export strategy (0.20). These results confirm the pivotal role of export strategy in the process of export performance development and stress the mediation effect of export strategy on the effects of export promotion programmes on the path to export performance.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between export barriers and the export p... more The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between export barriers and the export performance of Greek firms targeting the Iranian market. Reviewing the literature and using expert opinions, 18 variables were identified. A structured questionnaire was applied to 141 Greek firms and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to categorize variables in 6 dimensions. Then, a structural equation model was developed to determine which dimension has a greater effect on export performance. This model identifies the operational dimension (0.65), environmental dimension (0.60), financial dimension (0.58), source dimension (0.44), legal dimension (0.35) and logistic dimension (0.27) as effective export barriers to the export performance of Greek firms.
This paper aims to explore the influence of strategy implementation on export performance. The ma... more This paper aims to explore the influence of strategy implementation on export performance. The main question addressed in this paper relates to how the strategy implementation is linked to the firm's export performance with respect to diverse dimensions of performance in international activities. Data were gathered from food exporter firms in Iran and partial least squares method was used to test the proposed conceptual framework. The finding from this study support the conceptual framework; so it was concluded that strategy implementation influences export performance, both directly, and as a mediating variable between organizational characteristics, export commitment and environmental characteristics with export performance.
This study aims to provide explanation about barriers which faced with engineering service compan... more This study aims to provide explanation about barriers which faced with engineering service companies of developing countries. The qualitative explanatory approach adopted as the research strategy. The findings show that six factors, including strong international competition, quality standards, corporate image, business associated risk, lack of government assistance and shortage of working capital are the most important barriers of the engineering service exporting. Strategic alliance and a clear defined export strategy are the main suggestions for engineering service companies to eliminate the stated barriers.
Explanation of relationship between strategic orientation and export performance
Current study is devoted to provide empirical evidence about the relationship between two constru... more Current study is devoted to provide empirical evidence about the relationship between two constructs, ecommerce adoption and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) export performance. Primary question of this research is how e-commerce can help SMEs to reduce the impacts of export barriers and improve their export performance. The structured questionnaire of the study was applied to SMEs managers and export decision makers from Iranian SMEs, and 114 usable responses were gathered for data analyses. Findings from statistical analyses showed that e-commerce adoption could help SMEs from developing countries to contact with customer easily, be more competitive in foreign markets, coping with regulations of the host country, and efficiently manage the foreign exchange fluctuations as the most important challenges for SMEs in developing countries. SMEs managers should consider e-commerce as a facilitator in initial steps of going international if they want to play an active role in the global market.
Persian Papers by S. Hossein Jalali
Management Research in Iran, 2021
Most of international strategic alliances are failed due to weak choices and decisions about corp... more Most of international strategic alliances are failed due to weak choices and decisions about corporate governance. Todays, as alliance formation is an effective strategy for the competitiveness of Iranian firms and products in international markets; the explanation of foundations and requirements of governance system has a very important role on improvement of operational potency of Iranian alliances with foreign partners. Current research using grounded theory with explorative approach is aimed to present a model for corporate governance in international strategic alliances. The required data were collected from 11 strategic alliances between Iranian and non-Iranian partners. The research model includes interactions between international requirements, conditions of strategic alliance formation, partnership design and expectations of stakeholders which affect corporate governance of international strategic alliances, and optimum decisions in this matters, improved durability and endurance of strategic alliances.
Journal of Business Administration Research , 2022
Introduction: A knowledge-based economy develops when knowledge-based companies have innovation, ... more Introduction: A knowledge-based economy develops when knowledge-based companies have innovation, and whatever has a positive impact on the innovation is valuable for technology owners and policymakers. Due to the business development in Iran in recent years, discourse for the knowledge-based economy has increased, and much knowledge-based companies have been established. Iranian knowledge-based companies should usually compete with other companies, especially reputable old companies and organizations in the traditional sector (Arman and Shafiei, 2017). Innovation is essential for the survival, profitability and development of companies, and knowledge-based companies will certainly fail to survive without innovation. Therefore, one of the most important tasks of managers in knowledge-based companies is to create innovation and encourage the man force to innovate.
Many studies on business management have considered the lack of strategic thinking of top managers as a reason for not achieving the desired level of performance in all aspects, including innovation. Strategic thinking is essential for managers at different levels of an organization (Goldman and Casey, 2010; Moon, 2013). It improves the quality of decision-making (Goldman, 2012). In addition to strategic thinking, organizational learning has a great impact on improving organizational performance in all aspects, including innovation (Karimi and Abbasi, 2017). Although many believe that strategic thinking is an inherent capability, new studies indicate that strategic thinking can be improved using some principles and tools (Lashkarblooki and Jalali, 2018). The present research aims to study the innovativeness of knowledge-based companies from the lens of strategic thinking. It also investigates the impact of strategic learning as a mediating variable to provide more accurate explanation.
Methodology: This empirical study is descriptive research rooted in the positivist philosophy of research. The statistical population compromised of the knowledge-based companies that, in 2018, used the services of Iran National Innovation Fund to implement their innovative plans. Since 168 knowledge-based companies were qualified to use the services, a random sampling method was used for sampling, and Cochran's formula was used to determine the required number of the cases in the samples. The data were randomly collected from 117 knowledge-based companies. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was used to collect the data. The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated by measuring Cronbach's alpha and estimating composite reliability. Experts' opinions and standard questionnaires were also used to ensure the content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validation and diagnostic validation were done to ensure the construct validity. In this research, the SPSS and Smart PLS software programs were used to analyze the data, and the results were presented as statistical models.
Results and Discussion: The findings confirm the fit of the research model and reveal that the tendency of the knowledge-based companies to innovate is directly influenced by the level of strategic thinking and strategic learning. In addition, strategic learning can increase the impact of strategic thinking on the tendency to innovate. Therefore, the managers of knowledge-based companies can use the concepts and tools of strategic thinking and strategic learning to promote innovation.
Conclusion: Knowledge-based companies are formed based on innovation and create a new market by innovative changes. Given the dependence of these companies on innovation, the lack of innovation reduces their profitability and endangers their survival. Studying the innovation of such companies should be in the different aspects, and it should not include only the barriers to innovation such as insufficient human resources, inappropriate business environment conditions, limited access to required resources and technologies. Another aspect that should be discussed is the tendency for innovation. Assuming that there are no obstacles in the way of innovation, the tendency for it is necessary to continuously innovate products, processes, and business models. Emphasizing this key point, the present study investigates the relationship between strategic thinking and strategic learning for innovativeness in knowledge-based companies. The data analysis shows that strategic thinking directly affects the tendency of knowledge-based companies to innovate. Strategic thinking improves the tendency to innovate by increasing the company's ability to recognize good opportunities, be creative, promote systemic thinking (a holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the system as a whole, not a series of parts, and how systems work overtime within the context of larger systems), and establish vision (or aspiration) and strategic communication. In addition to the direct impact of strategic thinking on innovation, the data show that strategic thinking would increase the tendency of knowledge-based companies to innovate indirectly through strategic learning. Promoting strategic thinking capabilities in knowledge-based companies would make companies increase their strategic knowledge at the organizational level and apply their experiences to innovate.
Journal of Business Management, 2021
Objective: Most of the failed strategic alliances have suffered from inefficient structures. Deve... more Objective: Most of the failed strategic alliances have suffered from inefficient structures. Developing and choosing a structure for an alliance cannot be effective, unless the alliance's managers consider the contextual parameters. Among different contextual parameters, the industrial context is very important because each industry has its own level of process manageability and outcome interpretability; and these attributes are varied within the range of industries. Thus, this paper aimed to investigate the effect of industrial context on structure of alliances, and also, to identify the first priority for developing and choosing a structure for strategic alliances.
Methodology: The present research is conducted through multiple case study strategies, based on an interpretive paradigm. Applying the interpretive paradigm is necessary for such research to reach a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. So, the researchers conducted 6 independent case studies on strategic alliances between Iranian companies and the international partners in different sectors such as oil and gas, telecommunication, online-services, food and beverage, auto parts, as well as pharmaceuticals.
Findings: Due to the research framework, industries can be classified into four groups by theirs process manageability and outcome interpretability. Alliances were not formed in isolation, and their industrial context would affect their structure and organization. The data from within-case analysis as well as cross-case analysis showed that each type of industrial context may result in a different set of variables which affect the organizational design of an alliance. The findings of the present research suggested that legal safeguards are the first priority for alliances which are formed in high manageability/high interpretability industrial context and trust would have the same role in alliances with low manageability/low interpretability context. Moreover, the formal control mechanisms in low manageability/high interpretability, and the social norms in high manageability/low interpretability are the dominant factors to develop and choose a structure for alliances.
Conclusion: The context is missing parameters in research on the structure of strategic alliances. It is impossible to design a prosperous alliance without considering the context in which the alliances are formed. This research aims to clarify this issue by focusing on industrial context and to provide a better understanding of how to design a better alliance. Furthermore, it can be inferred that the structure of strategic alliances is decided by simply choosing between binary options of contractual-based and equity-based forms. The specific industrial context of each alliance force specific prerequisites and structure of alliances should provide an appropriate response to these requirements.
Transformation Management Journal, 2019
The strategic collaboration is an effective way to promote companies' competitiveness, especially... more The strategic collaboration is an effective way to promote companies' competitiveness, especially technology-oriented SMEs. However, it is not possible to collaborate in this way without considering the institutional environment. This study aimed to investigate the role of political approach in performing strategic collaboration among technology-oriented companies from the viewpoint of institutional theory. To do so, the present study has evaluated the role of political approach in strategic collaboration in regard to four aspects of legal, financial, trust, and value system.
The strategic collaboration is considered as a response to the company's environment. This type of collaboration is a formal/informal agreement among different firms in the form of alliances, joint ventures, or business networks. In each form of these collaborations, partners may come across institutional factors that affect the common performance. In the relationship between the parties, institutional factors establish some guidelines and external constraints affecting the exploitation of collaborative opportunities Particularly, the institutional theory is useful in explaining how organizations respond to external pressures and develop appropriate strategies to cope with the environment and its institutional requirements. Scholars have used different constructs to explain institutional requirements. However, they identified four categories of institutional factors as the basis for companies' economic behaviors and strategic collaborations: legal system, financial system, value system, and trust and authority relationships. Legitimacy is a key issue in the institutional perspective. Searching for legitimacy is a means by which companies moderate the effect of environmental restrictions and make it an advantage in their favor. From this point of view, adopting institutionalized measures and incorporating the external demands of powerful actors such as governance or culture, a strategic collaboration provides different parties with legitimacy.
Innovation Management Journal, 2019
Different theories are presented by strategic management scholars and thinkers to explain how to ... more Different theories are presented by strategic management scholars and thinkers to explain how to achieve a competitive advantage, and dynamic capability theory which believed that gaining a competitive advantage is closely linked with organizational capabilities; is one of the clearest theories about competitive advantage in today's business world. In this regard, current research, based on dynamic capability view, employs a qualitative and explorative approach to identify and analyze of capabilities which influence the competitiveness and gaining competitive advantage in the midstream sector of oil and gas industry. In order to achieve this goal, data were gathered through 21 semi-structured interviews with top level managers of 6 refineries, integrated with comments of some experts, and analyzed by theme analysis method. Findings showed that gaining competitive advantage in the midstream of oil and gas industry rooted in both of inward capability of productivity and value-addition (products qualification, operational efficiency and technological capability) and outward capability of business strategic sustainability (business development, market orientation and sustainability of supply chain). This result reveals the importance of balanced approach in gaining competitive advantage in the oil and gas industry.
Journal of Iranian Academy of Management science, 2018
The rate of failure of strategic alliances is high in spite of spending too much money and resour... more The rate of failure of strategic alliances is high in spite of spending too much money and resources for their formation. Theoretical background for this failure has focused on the structure of alliances, but this view does not have the required comprehensiveness for explaining the effect of structural frameworks on the performance of strategic alliances. In addition, there are scattered viewpoints in literature on the structure-performance relationship. We used a meta- synthesis approach in this paper to synthesize these viewpoints, in order to present a framework on structure-performance relationship. By reviewing and screening 129 published papers in accredited international journals, 15 papers were studied. Using content analysis and Shannon method, 9 constructs including 31 codes were used in the final framework. Findings show that contract complexity, quality of relationship and freedom of action have the most effects on structure-performance relationship alliances. Furthermore, the optimization of alliance governance could not be reached without considering contractual and relational governance.
Innovation Management Journal, 2018
Strategic alliances have gained considerable attention, both among strategic management research ... more Strategic alliances have gained considerable attention, both among strategic management research and across managerial decisions in business companies. Despite of this popularity, the failure rate of strategic alliances is high and theoretical literature has been sought the reason in governance mechanism and organizational design of alliances. With considering the importance of this issue and theoretical gap about it, current research devoted to the requirements and specifications of the structure of technology-based international strategic alliances. Findings from this multiple case study research are distinguished three designs and their requirements for effective application: parliamentary, technocratic and committee. In high vertical centralization-low horizontal centralization situation, the parliamentary form has most effectiveness; and in low vertical centralization-high horizontal centralization, the technocratic form is best suited. These forms are on a spectrum in which, any points between extremes, is a favorable place for applying of committee-based structure.
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Papers by S. Hossein Jalali
Persian Papers by S. Hossein Jalali
Many studies on business management have considered the lack of strategic thinking of top managers as a reason for not achieving the desired level of performance in all aspects, including innovation. Strategic thinking is essential for managers at different levels of an organization (Goldman and Casey, 2010; Moon, 2013). It improves the quality of decision-making (Goldman, 2012). In addition to strategic thinking, organizational learning has a great impact on improving organizational performance in all aspects, including innovation (Karimi and Abbasi, 2017). Although many believe that strategic thinking is an inherent capability, new studies indicate that strategic thinking can be improved using some principles and tools (Lashkarblooki and Jalali, 2018). The present research aims to study the innovativeness of knowledge-based companies from the lens of strategic thinking. It also investigates the impact of strategic learning as a mediating variable to provide more accurate explanation.
Methodology: This empirical study is descriptive research rooted in the positivist philosophy of research. The statistical population compromised of the knowledge-based companies that, in 2018, used the services of Iran National Innovation Fund to implement their innovative plans. Since 168 knowledge-based companies were qualified to use the services, a random sampling method was used for sampling, and Cochran's formula was used to determine the required number of the cases in the samples. The data were randomly collected from 117 knowledge-based companies. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was used to collect the data. The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated by measuring Cronbach's alpha and estimating composite reliability. Experts' opinions and standard questionnaires were also used to ensure the content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validation and diagnostic validation were done to ensure the construct validity. In this research, the SPSS and Smart PLS software programs were used to analyze the data, and the results were presented as statistical models.
Results and Discussion: The findings confirm the fit of the research model and reveal that the tendency of the knowledge-based companies to innovate is directly influenced by the level of strategic thinking and strategic learning. In addition, strategic learning can increase the impact of strategic thinking on the tendency to innovate. Therefore, the managers of knowledge-based companies can use the concepts and tools of strategic thinking and strategic learning to promote innovation.
Conclusion: Knowledge-based companies are formed based on innovation and create a new market by innovative changes. Given the dependence of these companies on innovation, the lack of innovation reduces their profitability and endangers their survival. Studying the innovation of such companies should be in the different aspects, and it should not include only the barriers to innovation such as insufficient human resources, inappropriate business environment conditions, limited access to required resources and technologies. Another aspect that should be discussed is the tendency for innovation. Assuming that there are no obstacles in the way of innovation, the tendency for it is necessary to continuously innovate products, processes, and business models. Emphasizing this key point, the present study investigates the relationship between strategic thinking and strategic learning for innovativeness in knowledge-based companies. The data analysis shows that strategic thinking directly affects the tendency of knowledge-based companies to innovate. Strategic thinking improves the tendency to innovate by increasing the company's ability to recognize good opportunities, be creative, promote systemic thinking (a holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the system as a whole, not a series of parts, and how systems work overtime within the context of larger systems), and establish vision (or aspiration) and strategic communication. In addition to the direct impact of strategic thinking on innovation, the data show that strategic thinking would increase the tendency of knowledge-based companies to innovate indirectly through strategic learning. Promoting strategic thinking capabilities in knowledge-based companies would make companies increase their strategic knowledge at the organizational level and apply their experiences to innovate.
Methodology: The present research is conducted through multiple case study strategies, based on an interpretive paradigm. Applying the interpretive paradigm is necessary for such research to reach a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. So, the researchers conducted 6 independent case studies on strategic alliances between Iranian companies and the international partners in different sectors such as oil and gas, telecommunication, online-services, food and beverage, auto parts, as well as pharmaceuticals.
Findings: Due to the research framework, industries can be classified into four groups by theirs process manageability and outcome interpretability. Alliances were not formed in isolation, and their industrial context would affect their structure and organization. The data from within-case analysis as well as cross-case analysis showed that each type of industrial context may result in a different set of variables which affect the organizational design of an alliance. The findings of the present research suggested that legal safeguards are the first priority for alliances which are formed in high manageability/high interpretability industrial context and trust would have the same role in alliances with low manageability/low interpretability context. Moreover, the formal control mechanisms in low manageability/high interpretability, and the social norms in high manageability/low interpretability are the dominant factors to develop and choose a structure for alliances.
Conclusion: The context is missing parameters in research on the structure of strategic alliances. It is impossible to design a prosperous alliance without considering the context in which the alliances are formed. This research aims to clarify this issue by focusing on industrial context and to provide a better understanding of how to design a better alliance. Furthermore, it can be inferred that the structure of strategic alliances is decided by simply choosing between binary options of contractual-based and equity-based forms. The specific industrial context of each alliance force specific prerequisites and structure of alliances should provide an appropriate response to these requirements.
The strategic collaboration is considered as a response to the company's environment. This type of collaboration is a formal/informal agreement among different firms in the form of alliances, joint ventures, or business networks. In each form of these collaborations, partners may come across institutional factors that affect the common performance. In the relationship between the parties, institutional factors establish some guidelines and external constraints affecting the exploitation of collaborative opportunities Particularly, the institutional theory is useful in explaining how organizations respond to external pressures and develop appropriate strategies to cope with the environment and its institutional requirements. Scholars have used different constructs to explain institutional requirements. However, they identified four categories of institutional factors as the basis for companies' economic behaviors and strategic collaborations: legal system, financial system, value system, and trust and authority relationships. Legitimacy is a key issue in the institutional perspective. Searching for legitimacy is a means by which companies moderate the effect of environmental restrictions and make it an advantage in their favor. From this point of view, adopting institutionalized measures and incorporating the external demands of powerful actors such as governance or culture, a strategic collaboration provides different parties with legitimacy.
Many studies on business management have considered the lack of strategic thinking of top managers as a reason for not achieving the desired level of performance in all aspects, including innovation. Strategic thinking is essential for managers at different levels of an organization (Goldman and Casey, 2010; Moon, 2013). It improves the quality of decision-making (Goldman, 2012). In addition to strategic thinking, organizational learning has a great impact on improving organizational performance in all aspects, including innovation (Karimi and Abbasi, 2017). Although many believe that strategic thinking is an inherent capability, new studies indicate that strategic thinking can be improved using some principles and tools (Lashkarblooki and Jalali, 2018). The present research aims to study the innovativeness of knowledge-based companies from the lens of strategic thinking. It also investigates the impact of strategic learning as a mediating variable to provide more accurate explanation.
Methodology: This empirical study is descriptive research rooted in the positivist philosophy of research. The statistical population compromised of the knowledge-based companies that, in 2018, used the services of Iran National Innovation Fund to implement their innovative plans. Since 168 knowledge-based companies were qualified to use the services, a random sampling method was used for sampling, and Cochran's formula was used to determine the required number of the cases in the samples. The data were randomly collected from 117 knowledge-based companies. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was used to collect the data. The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated by measuring Cronbach's alpha and estimating composite reliability. Experts' opinions and standard questionnaires were also used to ensure the content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validation and diagnostic validation were done to ensure the construct validity. In this research, the SPSS and Smart PLS software programs were used to analyze the data, and the results were presented as statistical models.
Results and Discussion: The findings confirm the fit of the research model and reveal that the tendency of the knowledge-based companies to innovate is directly influenced by the level of strategic thinking and strategic learning. In addition, strategic learning can increase the impact of strategic thinking on the tendency to innovate. Therefore, the managers of knowledge-based companies can use the concepts and tools of strategic thinking and strategic learning to promote innovation.
Conclusion: Knowledge-based companies are formed based on innovation and create a new market by innovative changes. Given the dependence of these companies on innovation, the lack of innovation reduces their profitability and endangers their survival. Studying the innovation of such companies should be in the different aspects, and it should not include only the barriers to innovation such as insufficient human resources, inappropriate business environment conditions, limited access to required resources and technologies. Another aspect that should be discussed is the tendency for innovation. Assuming that there are no obstacles in the way of innovation, the tendency for it is necessary to continuously innovate products, processes, and business models. Emphasizing this key point, the present study investigates the relationship between strategic thinking and strategic learning for innovativeness in knowledge-based companies. The data analysis shows that strategic thinking directly affects the tendency of knowledge-based companies to innovate. Strategic thinking improves the tendency to innovate by increasing the company's ability to recognize good opportunities, be creative, promote systemic thinking (a holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the system as a whole, not a series of parts, and how systems work overtime within the context of larger systems), and establish vision (or aspiration) and strategic communication. In addition to the direct impact of strategic thinking on innovation, the data show that strategic thinking would increase the tendency of knowledge-based companies to innovate indirectly through strategic learning. Promoting strategic thinking capabilities in knowledge-based companies would make companies increase their strategic knowledge at the organizational level and apply their experiences to innovate.
Methodology: The present research is conducted through multiple case study strategies, based on an interpretive paradigm. Applying the interpretive paradigm is necessary for such research to reach a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. So, the researchers conducted 6 independent case studies on strategic alliances between Iranian companies and the international partners in different sectors such as oil and gas, telecommunication, online-services, food and beverage, auto parts, as well as pharmaceuticals.
Findings: Due to the research framework, industries can be classified into four groups by theirs process manageability and outcome interpretability. Alliances were not formed in isolation, and their industrial context would affect their structure and organization. The data from within-case analysis as well as cross-case analysis showed that each type of industrial context may result in a different set of variables which affect the organizational design of an alliance. The findings of the present research suggested that legal safeguards are the first priority for alliances which are formed in high manageability/high interpretability industrial context and trust would have the same role in alliances with low manageability/low interpretability context. Moreover, the formal control mechanisms in low manageability/high interpretability, and the social norms in high manageability/low interpretability are the dominant factors to develop and choose a structure for alliances.
Conclusion: The context is missing parameters in research on the structure of strategic alliances. It is impossible to design a prosperous alliance without considering the context in which the alliances are formed. This research aims to clarify this issue by focusing on industrial context and to provide a better understanding of how to design a better alliance. Furthermore, it can be inferred that the structure of strategic alliances is decided by simply choosing between binary options of contractual-based and equity-based forms. The specific industrial context of each alliance force specific prerequisites and structure of alliances should provide an appropriate response to these requirements.
The strategic collaboration is considered as a response to the company's environment. This type of collaboration is a formal/informal agreement among different firms in the form of alliances, joint ventures, or business networks. In each form of these collaborations, partners may come across institutional factors that affect the common performance. In the relationship between the parties, institutional factors establish some guidelines and external constraints affecting the exploitation of collaborative opportunities Particularly, the institutional theory is useful in explaining how organizations respond to external pressures and develop appropriate strategies to cope with the environment and its institutional requirements. Scholars have used different constructs to explain institutional requirements. However, they identified four categories of institutional factors as the basis for companies' economic behaviors and strategic collaborations: legal system, financial system, value system, and trust and authority relationships. Legitimacy is a key issue in the institutional perspective. Searching for legitimacy is a means by which companies moderate the effect of environmental restrictions and make it an advantage in their favor. From this point of view, adopting institutionalized measures and incorporating the external demands of powerful actors such as governance or culture, a strategic collaboration provides different parties with legitimacy.