Strategizing in the Polish Furniture Industry

Abstract

The Element provides a broad overview of the Polish furniture industry. It tells the story of a sector that grew from a bundle of craftsmen into Europe's largest and the world's second-largest furniture exporter within three decades. This is also the story of a sector marked by a subordinate role in global value chains and a mediocre ranking in the global value capture game. Equipped with the methods of anthropology and the theoretical lenses of strategic management, the author guides the reader through the living world of the sector's strategists – their environment, resources, and dilemmas. The Element reconstructs how the strategists engage in creative dialogue with factors at the macro level (semi-peripheral economy, global value chain position), meso level (human capital, governmental programs) and micro level (family traditions, personal interests) to create their unique business models.