IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v129y2021icp406-417.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Government policy changes and organizational goal setting: Extensions to the behavioral theory of the firm

Author

Listed:
  • Shinkle, George A.
  • Hodgkinson, Gerard P.
  • Gary, Michael Shayne

Abstract

The increasing frequency and extent of government policy changes in many countries and industries has exposed an important theoretical gap about how such changes influence organizational goal setting. This paper extends the behavioral theory of the firm to account for changes in government policy on goal dimensions (i.e., what goals are adopted) and goal aspirations (i.e., the target levels adopted). We advance propositions regarding the specification of goal dimensions and add a new factor into the aspiration adaptation model to account for anticipatory (i.e., forward-looking) responses on the part of firms to government policy changes.

Suggested Citation

  • Shinkle, George A. & Hodgkinson, Gerard P. & Gary, Michael Shayne, 2021. "Government policy changes and organizational goal setting: Extensions to the behavioral theory of the firm," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 406-417.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:129:y:2021:i:c:p:406-417
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.02.056
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296321001454
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.02.056?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dean A. Shepherd & Jeffery S. Mcmullen & William Ocasio, 2017. "Is that an opportunity? An attention model of top managers' opportunity beliefs for strategic action," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(3), pages 626-644, March.
    2. Michael Shayne Gary & Miles M. Yang & Philip W. Yetton & John D. Sterman, 2017. "Stretch Goals and the Distribution of Organizational Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(3), pages 395-410, June.
    3. Brian T. Pentland & Martha S. Feldman & Markus C. Becker & Peng Liu, 2012. "Dynamics of Organizational Routines: A Generative Model," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(8), pages 1484-1508, December.
    4. Theresa K. Lant, 1992. "Aspiration Level Adaptation: An Empirical Exploration," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 38(5), pages 623-644, May.
    5. Cha Li & Felipe A. Csaszar, 2019. "Government as Landscape Designer: A Behavioral View of Industrial Policy," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 4(3), pages 175-192, September.
    6. Jiang, Guoliang Frank & Holburn, Guy L.F., 2018. "Organizational performance feedback effects and international expansion," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 48-58.
    7. Sucheta Nadkarni & Pamela S. Barr, 2008. "Environmental context, managerial cognition, and strategic action: an integrated view," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(13), pages 1395-1427, December.
    8. William Ocasio, 2011. "Attention to Attention," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 1286-1296, October.
    9. Peter Rodriguez & Donald S Siegel & Amy Hillman & Lorraine Eden, 2006. "Three lenses on the multinational enterprise: politics, corruption, and corporate social responsibility," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(6), pages 733-746, November.
    10. Gerard P. Hodgkinson & Gerry Johnson, 1994. "Exploring The Mental Models Of Competitive Strategists: The Case For A Processual Approach," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 525-552, July.
    11. Lin, Wen-Ting, 2014. "How do managers decide on internationalization processes? The role of organizational slack and performance feedback," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 396-408.
    12. Sapir, Andre & Buigues, Pierre & Jacquemin, Alexis, 1993. "European Competition Policy in Manufacturing and Services: A Two-Speed Approach?," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 9(2), pages 113-132, Summer.
    13. J. Justin Tan & Robert J. Litsschert, 1994. "Environment‐strategy relationship and its performance implications: An empirical study of the chinese electronics industry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(1), pages 1-20, January.
    14. Mark Washburn & Philip Bromiley, 2012. "Comparing Aspiration Models: The Role of Selective Attention," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(5), pages 896-917, July.
    15. Henrich R. Greve, 2003. "Investment and the behavioral theory of the firm: evidence from shipbuilding," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 12(5), pages 1051-1076, October.
    16. Rajwani, Tazeeb & Liedong, Tahiru Azaaviele, 2015. "Political activity and firm performance within nonmarket research: A review and international comparative assessment," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 273-283.
    17. Mike W Peng & Denis Y L Wang & Yi Jiang, 2008. "An institution-based view of international business strategy: a focus on emerging economies," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(5), pages 920-936, July.
    18. Ruth, Derek & Iyer, Dinesh N. & Sharp, Barton M., 2013. "Motivation and ability in the decision to acquire," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(11), pages 2287-2293.
    19. Amit Nigam & William Ocasio, 2010. "Event Attention, Environmental Sensemaking, and Change in Institutional Logics: An Inductive Analysis of the Effects of Public Attention to Clinton's Health Care Reform Initiative," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 823-841, August.
    20. Elizabeth Maitland & André Sammartino, 2015. "Decision making and uncertainty: The role of heuristics and experience in assessing a politically hazardous environment," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(10), pages 1554-1578, October.
    21. Lant, Theresa & Shapira, Zur, 2008. "Managerial reasoning about aspirations and expectations," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 60-73, April.
    22. George A. Shinkle & Aldas P. Kriauciunas, 2012. "The impact of current and founding institutions on strength of competitive aspirations in transition economies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 448-458, April.
    23. Jan Bouwens & Peter Kroos, 2017. "The Interplay Between Forward-Looking Measures and Target Setting," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(9), pages 2868-2884, September.
    24. Rodolphe Durand, 2003. "Predicting a firm's forecasting ability: The roles of organizational illusion of control and organizational attention," Post-Print hal-00480860, HAL.
    25. Dai, Weiqi & Si, Steven, 2018. "Government policies and firms' entrepreneurial orientation: Strategic choice and institutional perspectives," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 23-36.
    26. Andrew J. Hoffman & William Ocasio, 2001. "Not All Events Are Attended Equally: Toward a Middle-Range Theory of Industry Attention to External Events," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(4), pages 414-434, August.
    27. Brian Shaffer & Amy J. Hillman, 2000. "The development of business–government strategies by diversified firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(2), pages 175-190, February.
    28. Sergio G. Lazzarini, 2015. "Strategizing by the government: Can industrial policy create firm-level competitive advantage?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(1), pages 97-112, January.
    29. Lv, David Diwei & Chen, Weihong & Zhu, Hang & Lan, Hailin, 2019. "How does inconsistent negative performance feedback affect the R&D investments of firms? A study of publicly listed firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 151-162.
    30. David Souder & Philip Bromiley, 2012. "Explaining temporal orientation: Evidence from the durability of firms' capital investments," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(5), pages 550-569, May.
    31. H. Igor Ansoff, 1979. "Strategic Management," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-349-02971-6.
    32. Robin Stevens & Nathalie Moray & Johan Bruneel & Bart Clarysse, 2015. "Attention allocation to multiple goals: The case of for-profit social enterprises," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(7), pages 1006-1016, July.
    33. Alessandri, Todd M. & Pattit, Jason M., 2014. "Drivers of R&D investment: The interaction of behavioral theory and managerial incentives," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 151-158.
    34. Rodolphe Durand, 2003. "Predicting a firm's forecasting ability: the roles of organizational illusion of control and organizational attention," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(9), pages 821-838, September.
    35. James P. Walsh, 1995. "Managerial and Organizational Cognition: Notes from a Trip Down Memory Lane," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 6(3), pages 280-321, June.
    36. William Ocasio, 1997. "Towards An Attention‐Based View Of The Firm," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(S1), pages 187-206, July.
    37. Michael Shayne Gary & Robert E. Wood, 2016. "Unpacking mental models through laboratory experiments," System Dynamics Review, System Dynamics Society, vol. 32(2), pages 99-127, April.
    38. Daniela P. Blettner & Zi-Lin He & Songcui Hu & Richard A. Bettis, 2015. "Adaptive aspirations and performance heterogeneity: Attention allocation among multiple reference points," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(7), pages 987-1005, July.
    39. Theresa S. Cho & Donald C. Hambrick, 2006. "Attention as the Mediator Between Top Management Team Characteristics and Strategic Change: The Case of Airline Deregulation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(4), pages 453-469, August.
    40. Yoon, Hyungseok (David) & Kim, Namil & Buisson, Bernard & Phillips, Fred, 2018. "A cross-national study of knowledge, government intervention, and innovative nascent entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 243-252.
    41. Murray L. Weidenbaum, 1980. "The Changing Nature of Government Regulation of Business," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(3), pages 345-357, April.
    42. Fainshmidt, Stav & Judge, William Q. & Aguilera, Ruth V. & Smith, Adam, 2018. "Varieties of institutional systems: A contextual taxonomy of understudied countries," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 307-322.
    43. Mona V Makhija & Alice C Stewart, 2002. "The Effect of National Context on Perceptions of Risk: A Comparison of Planned Versus Free-Market Managers," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 33(4), pages 737-756, December.
    44. Short, Jeremy C. & Palmer, Timothy B., 2003. "Organizational performance referents: An empirical examination of their content and influences," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 90(2), pages 209-224, March.
    45. Deb, Palash & David, Parthiban & O'Brien, Jonathan P. & Duru, Augustine, 2019. "Attainment discrepancy and investment: Effects on firm performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 186-196.
    46. Kuckertz, Andreas & Berger, Elisabeth S.C. & Mpeqa, Andrew, 2016. "The more the merrier? Economic freedom and entrepreneurial activity," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 1288-1293.
    47. Daniel Levinthal & Claus Rerup, 2006. "Crossing an Apparent Chasm: Bridging Mindful and Less-Mindful Perspectives on Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(4), pages 502-513, August.
    48. Lant, Theresa K. & Montgomery, David B., 1987. "Learning from strategic success and failure," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 503-517, December.
    49. Stephen J. Mezias & Ya-Ru Chen & Patrice R. Murphy, 2002. "Aspiration-Level Adaptation in an American Financial Services Organization: A Field Study," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(10), pages 1285-1300, October.
    50. Wei-Ru Chen, 2008. "Determinants of Firms' Backward- and Forward-Looking R&D Search Behavior," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(4), pages 609-622, August.
    51. Wang, Xinchun & Lou, Tianyang, 2020. "The effect of performance feedback on firms’ unplanned marketing investments," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 441-451.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yan Wen & Lu Liu, 2023. "Comparative Study on Low-Carbon Strategy and Government Subsidy Model of Pharmaceutical Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-26, May.
    2. Wuttichai Youngswaing & Sajjakaj Jomnonkwao & Ekkapong Cheunkamon & Vatanavongs Ratanavaraha, 2024. "Key Factors Shaping Green Logistics in Thailand’s Auto Industry: An Application of Structural Equation Modeling," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-25, February.
    3. Luca Berchicci & Murat Tarakci, 2022. "Aspiration formation and attention rules," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(8), pages 1575-1601, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Luca Berchicci & Murat Tarakci, 2022. "Aspiration formation and attention rules," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(8), pages 1575-1601, August.
    2. Choi, Jaeho & Rhee, Mooweon & Kim, Young-Choon, 2019. "Performance feedback and problemistic search: The moderating effects of managerial and board outsiderness," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 21-33.
    3. Songcui Hu & Zi-Lin He & Daniela P. Blettner & Richard A. Bettis, 2017. "Conflict inside and outside: Social comparisons and attention shifts in multidivisional firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(7), pages 1435-1454, July.
    4. Zhe Zhang & Xin Wang & Ming Jia, 2021. "Echoes of CEO Entrepreneurial Orientation: How and When CEO Entrepreneurial Orientation Influences Dual CSR Activities," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 169(4), pages 609-629, April.
    5. Ilídio Barreto & david l. Patient, 2013. "Toward a theory of intraorganizational attention based on desirability and feasibility factors," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(6), pages 687-703, June.
    6. Cheng, Lulu & Xie, En & Fang, Junyi & Mei, Nan, 2022. "Performance feedback and firms’ relative strategic emphasis: The moderating effects of board independence and media coverage," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 218-231.
    7. William Ocasio, 2011. "Attention to Attention," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 1286-1296, October.
    8. Wang, Xincheng & Li, Yuan & Tian, Longwei & Hou, Ye, 2023. "Government digital initiatives and firm digital innovation: Evidence from China," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    9. Brian T. McCann & George A. Shinkle, 2017. "Attention to Fairness versus Profits: The Determinants of Satisficing Pricing," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(5), pages 583-612, July.
    10. Dongil D. Keum & J. P. Eggers, 2018. "Setting the Bar: The Evaluative and Allocative Roles of Organizational Aspirations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(6), pages 1170-1186, December.
    11. Dean A. Shepherd & Jeffery S. Mcmullen & William Ocasio, 2017. "Is that an opportunity? An attention model of top managers' opportunity beliefs for strategic action," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(3), pages 626-644, March.
    12. Weiqi Dai & Mingqing Liao & Qiao Lin & Jincai Dong, 2022. "Does entrepreneurs’ proactive attention to government policies matter?," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(3), pages 396-431, July.
    13. John Joseph & Alex J. Wilson, 2018. "The growth of the firm: An attention‐based view," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(6), pages 1779-1800, June.
    14. Abraham Carmeli & Ari Dothan & Dev Kumar Boojihawon, 2020. "Resilience of sustainability‐oriented and financially‐driven organizations," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 154-169, January.
    15. Donal Crilly & Pamela Sloan, 2014. "Autonomy or Control? Organizational Architecture and Corporate Attention to Stakeholders," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(2), pages 339-355, April.
    16. Kleinknecht, Robert & Haq, Hammad Ul & Muller, Alan R. & Kraan, Karolus O., 2020. "An attention-based view of short-termism: The effects of organizational structure," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 244-254.
    17. Weiqi Dai & Yang Liu & Mingqing Liao & Qiao Lin, 2018. "How does entrepreneurs’ socialist imprinting shape their opportunity selection in transition economies? Evidence from China’s privately owned enterprises," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 823-856, December.
    18. Michael Shayne Gary & Miles M. Yang & Philip W. Yetton & John D. Sterman, 2017. "Stretch Goals and the Distribution of Organizational Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(3), pages 395-410, June.
    19. Gavin M Schwarz & Karin Sanders & Dave Bouckenooghe, 2020. "In the driving seat: Executive’s perceived control over environment," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 45(2), pages 317-342, May.
    20. van den Oever, Koen, 2017. "Uncharted waters : A behavioral approach to when, why and which organizational changes are adopted," Other publications TiSEM 0136c8c2-ecdd-4f82-8ca7-d, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:129:y:2021:i:c:p:406-417. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.