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Small Business Economics
Published in: Small Business Economics 3/2020

02-03-2019

Configurations of effectuation, causation, and bricolage: implications for firm growth paths

Authors: Wenwen An, Charles-Clemens Rüling, Xin Zheng, Jianqi Zhang

Published in: Small Business Economics | Issue 3/2020

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Abstract

This study examines how firms’ decision-making logics and entrepreneurial resourcing behaviors combine to create value. We conduct a qualitative comparative analysis investigating configurations of effectuation, causation, and bricolage that are associated with firm performance. We consider firm size and development stage as contextual factors that differentiate the effectiveness of ways in which firms combine effectuation, causation, and bricolage. Using a sample of 305 Chinese firms, we find six solutions explaining entrepreneurial processes in high-performing firms. Based on a comparison of effective configurations across firm size and development stages, we theorize three paths along which small early-stage firms can evolve into large late-stage firms while maintaining high performance.
previous article The rise of art movements: an effectual process model of Picasso’s and Braque’s give-and-take during the creation of Cubism (1908–1914)
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Metadata
Title
Configurations of effectuation, causation, and bricolage: implications for firm growth paths
Authors
Wenwen An
Charles-Clemens Rüling
Xin Zheng
Jianqi Zhang
Publication date
02-03-2019
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Small Business Economics / Issue 3/2020
Print ISSN: 0921-898X
Electronic ISSN: 1573-0913
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-019-00155-8

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