Coordinating Growth Initiatives in Multi-Unit Firms
Journal
Long Range Planning
ISSN
0024-6301
ISSN-Digital
1873-1872
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2010-02-01
Author(s)
Abstract
Realising corporate growth remains a challenging task for most firms. In this paper, we examine how multi-unit corporations can effectively coordinate the evolution of their growth initiatives. Based upon research on coordination, we identify four ideal modes that corporations can adopt as a means to dealing with their growth ambitions. We label these four: agenda-setting, context-setting, directing and self-organising. We show how these coordination modes represent different options for corporate management and have different implications for the role split between top managers and managers on subsequent levels. We illustrate them by using primary and secondary data from 51 corporations based in Europe, North America and Asia. Each mode is connected with particular managerial challenges and is most effective in combination with specific context factors. Practitioners can use these insights to deliberately apply an appropriate coordination mode for their growth initiatives.
Funding(s)
Language
English
Keywords
strategic initiatives
growth
multi-unit firms
coordination
control
coordination modes
centralization
formalization
informal social relations
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Elsevier
Publisher place
Amsterdam
Volume
43
Number
1
Start page
6
End page
32
Pages
27
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
56371