TY - JOUR
T1 - Agents’ context-specific conduct in making strategic investment decisions
AU - Huikku, Jari
AU - Harris, Elaine
AU - Elmassri, Moataz
AU - Northcott, Deryl
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited.
PY - 2024/2/15
Y1 - 2024/2/15
N2 - Purpose: This study aims to explore how managers exercise agency in strategic investment decisions (SIDs) by drawing on their knowledgeability of the strategic context. Specifically, the authors address the role of position–practice relations and irresistible causal forces in this conduct.Design/methodology/approach: The authors examine SID-making (SIDM) practices in four case organisations operating in highly competitive markets, conducting interviews with managers at various levels and analysing company documents. Drawing on strong structuration theory, the authors show how managerial decision makers draw upon their knowledge of organisational context when exercising agency in SIDs.Findings: The authors provide insights into how SIDM behaviour, specifically agents’ conduct, is shaped by a combination of position–practice relations and the agents’ comprehension of their organisation’s context.Research limitations/implications: The authors extend the SIDM literature by surfacing the issue of how actors’ conjuncturally-specific knowledge of external structures shapes the general dispositions they draw on in exercising agency in practice.Originality/value: The authors extend the SIDM literature by surfacing the issue of how actors’ conjuncturally-specific knowledge of external structures shapes the general dispositions they draw on in exercising agency in practice. Particularly, the authors contribute to this literature by identifying irresistible causal forces and illuminating why actors might not resist in SIDM processes, despite having the potential to do so.
AB - Purpose: This study aims to explore how managers exercise agency in strategic investment decisions (SIDs) by drawing on their knowledgeability of the strategic context. Specifically, the authors address the role of position–practice relations and irresistible causal forces in this conduct.Design/methodology/approach: The authors examine SID-making (SIDM) practices in four case organisations operating in highly competitive markets, conducting interviews with managers at various levels and analysing company documents. Drawing on strong structuration theory, the authors show how managerial decision makers draw upon their knowledge of organisational context when exercising agency in SIDs.Findings: The authors provide insights into how SIDM behaviour, specifically agents’ conduct, is shaped by a combination of position–practice relations and the agents’ comprehension of their organisation’s context.Research limitations/implications: The authors extend the SIDM literature by surfacing the issue of how actors’ conjuncturally-specific knowledge of external structures shapes the general dispositions they draw on in exercising agency in practice.Originality/value: The authors extend the SIDM literature by surfacing the issue of how actors’ conjuncturally-specific knowledge of external structures shapes the general dispositions they draw on in exercising agency in practice. Particularly, the authors contribute to this literature by identifying irresistible causal forces and illuminating why actors might not resist in SIDM processes, despite having the potential to do so.
KW - Case study
KW - Irresistible causal forces
KW - Knowledgeability
KW - Position–practice relation
KW - Strategic investment decision-making
KW - Strong structuration theory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85185473515&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/JAOC-04-2023-0075
DO - 10.1108/JAOC-04-2023-0075
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85185473515
SN - 1832-5912
VL - 20
SP - 27
EP - 55
JO - Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change
JF - Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change
IS - 6
ER -