Relating microprocesses to macro‐outcomes in qualitative strategy process and practice research

Research Summary: A common challenge among qualitative Strategy Process and Strategy‐as‐Practice scholars concerns the need to link micro‐level processes and practices to organizational‐level outcomes in order to make their research more managerially relevant. In this methodological article, we explore and evaluate different ways of addressing this challenge. We draw on a corpus of qualitative process and practice studies to develop and illustrate three micro–macro linking strategies associated with these perspectives: correlation, progression, and instantiation. The strengths and weaknesses of the different linking strategies are discussed, and opportunities for complementarity, combination, and development are proposed. The article reveals the distinctive but complementary contributions of Strategy Process and Strategy‐as‐Practice strands of scholarship to understanding how microprocesses affect macro‐outcomes. Managerial Summary: Managers engage in a variety of strategic management processes and practices in order to develop and implement better strategies, achieve commitment to them from organization members, and ultimately improve organizational outcomes such as financial performance and competitive advantage. Qualitative research on these processes and practices is valuable because it can capture the detail and richness of strategic management as it is practiced in real organizations over time. Yet, it may not always be easy to see how this kind of research can derive useful knowledge about how these processes and practices actually affect outcomes. This article addresses this issue, identifying three methodological approaches (correlation; progression; instantiation) that can help scholars and managers understand these linkages, outlining their strengths and limitations.