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Understanding the interplay of artificial intelligence and strategic management: four decades of research in review

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  • Christoph Keding

    (ESCP Business School)

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) is enabling the automation of many facets of management and is increasingly used in a wide range of strategic tasks, it is necessary to better understand its relevance for strategic management. However, research on the interplay of AI and strategic management is unbalanced and lacks a coherent structure due to its multidisciplinarity. This article contributes to the emerging academic discussion by systematically reviewing and categorizing the substantial amount of research that has been conducted since the first article in the field was published in 1979. Furthermore, it introduces a comprehensive framework that integrates and synthesizes existing concepts. The framework displays the structure of the research field by classifying 58 relevant articles into two research scopes: condition-oriented research, which explores antecedents for leveraging the use of AI in strategic management, and outcome-oriented research, which studies the consequences of AI in strategic management at both the individual and the organizational level. Given the exponential potential of AI to reshape the field in its current form and the need for a realistic assessment of its impact, this review proposes promising research avenues for studying the quantifiable effects of the interplay of AI and strategic management based on the developed framework.

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  • Christoph Keding, 2021. "Understanding the interplay of artificial intelligence and strategic management: four decades of research in review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 71(1), pages 91-134, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:manrev:v:71:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1007_s11301-020-00181-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11301-020-00181-x
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    JEL classification:

    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior
    • M15 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - IT Management

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