Strategic Fit and the Societal Effect: Interpreting Cross-National Comparisons of Technology, Organization and Human Resources

Abstract

The neo-contingency framework, responding to criticism against previous contingency thinking, appears to be potentially capable of serving as a basis for interpreting research in the tradition of the societal effect approach. This hypothesis is further developed using existing literature. The hypothesis is then examined by looking at the results of various cross-national comparisons of the organizational, human resources and strategic contexts of technical change in manufacturing. This leads to a reflection on the underlying factors influencing competitive advantage in national sectors or industries, and to a proposal on how distinct and different theoretical approaches can be conceived to be related to one another.