Sven Kunisch

The Corporate Headquarters in the Contemporary Corporation: Advancing a Multimarket Firm Perspective

AbstractThe corporate headquarters (CHQ) is the central organizational unit in the contemporary corporation and is critical for value creation in the overall firm. Since the early 1960s, a signific...

From grey to silver : Managing the demographic change successfully

Demographic change is one of the most crucial issues of our time. This book sheds light on the demographic implications companies face. Based on an integrated framework, the book investigates three important perspectives: An economic and social perspective helps organisations and managers better understand the basic parameters of demographic change and its influences on the labour market. A human resources and leadership perspective reveals how age management can help retain employees of different age groups as motivated and productive workforce members. An innovation and marketing perspective examines how companies can exploit the potentials that senior customers offer.nnA combination of research-driven and practice-oriented chapters makes this book a profound and an interesting read. It primarily addresses executives from various organizational fields, including HR, marketing, and management. Professional trainers, scholars and students of economy and business will also gain valuable insights.

An integrated framework for investigating the challenges and opportunities of demographic change

Demographic change is one of the most crucial issues of our time. Owing to its importance for companies, this topic has made it onto decision-makers’ agendas in recent years. This chapter – which serves as the introductory chapter – sets out to first establish a common understanding of the term demographic change. The motivation is that one must first understand the specific developments of demographic change if one is to effectively consider its various implications. Secondly, by taking the company stakeholder perspective, this chapter introduces an integrated framework for examining demographic change’s implications for companies. Thirdly, on the basis of the suggested framework, this chapter integrates and organises the individual book contributions.

What Do We Know About Corporate Headquarters? A Review, Integration, and Research Agenda

During the past five decades, scholars have studied the corporate headquarters (CHQ) – the multidivisional firm’s central organizational unit. The purpose of this article is to review the diverse and fragmented literature on the CHQ and to identify the variables of interest, the dominant relationships, and the contributions. We integrate, for the first time, the existing knowledge of the CHQ into an organizing framework. Based on a synthesis of the literature, we identify major shortcomings and gaps, and present an agenda for future research that contributes to our understanding of the CHQ and the multidivisional firm.

The Agency Perspective for Studying Headquarters-Subsidiary Relations: An Assessment and Considerations for Future Research

Abstract nDespite the increasing use of the agency perspective in studies of headquarters-subsidiaries relations in the multinational corporation (MNC), opponents fundamentally question its utility. In an attempt to contribute to this debate, we evaluate prior studies and develop considerations for future research. Our review of extant studies of headquarters-subsidiaries relations that make (explicit) use of the agency perspective reveals two significant shortcomings. First, we identify a need to validate the underlying assumptions when using the agency perspective in studies of headquarters-subsidiaries relations. Second, we detect a need to better account for the complex nature of headquarters-subsidiary relations in the MNC. A focus on these two areas can improve the use of the agency perspective and, ultimately, help resolve the contentious debate over the utility of the agency perspective.

Feature Topic at Organizational Research Methods: How to Conduct Rigorous and Impactful Literature Reviews?

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Central Perspectives and Debates in Strategic Change Research

This paper appraises and evaluates more than three decades of empirical research on strategic change. Strategic change research has traditionally built on either the deterministic view or the voluntaristic view – two opposing perspectives with fundamentally ndifferent assumptions about the influence of managers on the fortunes of organizations. In addition, a dialectical view on strategic change, which aims to bridge the two traditional views, has emerged. Despite the richness and value of research within these nthree perspectives, the continued accumulation of isolated and idiosyncratic insights adds little to the understanding of strategic change. In this paper, therefore, the authors assess, contrast and integrate research across the three perspectives in order to foster one cumulative body of knowledge about strategic change and to provide guidance for future research. Based on an analysis of 119 studies published in the leading academic journals in the fields of strategy and management, they consolidate existing knowledge and identify shortcomings in the cumulative body of research. On the basis of this assessment concerning prior research foci, study designs and assumptions, the authors propose four pathways for future research across the three perspectives that they believe can help foster full understanding of strategic change: (1) examinations of different types, processes and outcomes of strategic change; (2) expansion of the scope of actors considered in relation to strategic change; (3) exploration of the non-linear nature of strategic change; and (4) investigations of strategic change conundrums.

Does headquarter structure follow corporate strategy? An empirical study of antecedents and consequences of changes in the size of corporate headquarters

Despite the importance that scholars and practicing managers attribute to the organizational design of the corporate headquarters (CHQ), research on changes in CHQ size is lacking. In an attempt to empirically explore the antecedents and potential consequences of such changes, I draw on the contingency and organizational-adaptation perspectives to develop a set of hypotheses for the relationships between corporate-level strategic change (CSC) – defined as changes in the firm’s business portfolio –, changes in the size of the CHQ and firm performance. To test the hypotheses, I analyse data from a comprehensive survey of large public firms in Europe and the US, and data from public sources pertaining to the surveyed firms. While the empirical results lend support to the hypothesized role of CSC, they also reveal differences between related CSC and unrelated CSC. However, I find no support for the expected performance implications. The study contributes to research on the CHQ, corporate-level strategic change, and the relationship between strategy and structure in the contemporary corporation. The findings also inform corporate managers and those involved in advising firms, such as strategy consultants.

Corporate Programs: Analysis of a Major Structural Choice in Strategy Implementation

This study examines the incidence and performance effects of corporate programs, which are temporary structures intended for the implementation of corporate strategy. Drawing on coordination and behavioral theories, we propose that certain enabling conditions (why?) and precipitating circumstances (when?) influence the decision to use a corporate program for corporate strategy implementation and its effect on firm performance. An analysis of a unique 10-year data set of the European financial service sector shows large support for our hypotheses regarding both sets of factors, which increase the likelihood of corporate program presence. Moreover, while we find a positive direct performance effect of corporate program presence, we find limited support for the performance effects in situations characterized by the internal factors studied. While these findings provide important initial insights on this emerging corporate phenomenon, they merit further investigations of corporate programs.

Das strategische Programm organisieren

Strategische Programme stellen das Management vor mehrere Herausforderungen – nicht zuletzt hinsichtlich des organisationalen Designs [1]. Hierbei lassen sich zwei Aspekte unterscheiden [2]: Auf der Design-Ebene wird zwischen der Gesamtunternehmensebene und der Einheitenebene (z.B. strategische Programme) differenziert wobei aus Sicht der Design-Komponenten/-Elemente verschiedene Dimensionen wie die formale und informale Organisation naher betrachtet werden [3]. Auf Basis dieser zwei Aspekte ergeben sich beim “Organisieren” von strategischen Programmen vor allem drei Gestaltungsfelder, die in diesem Kapitel betrachtet werden: (1) die Analyse der Organisation strategischer Programme im Kontext des Gesamtunternehmens hilft, strategische Programme einerseits zielgerichtet in das Gesamtunternehmen einzubetten und sie andererseits aber auch von der Primarorganisation abzugrenzen; (2) die formale Organisation des strategischen Programms beinhaltet, die einzelnen Organisationseinheiten zu kennen, Programme entsprechend zu organisieren und zu strukturieren sowie Entscheidungen uber den geeigneten Zentralisierungsgrad zu treffen; und (3) die informale Organisation des strategischen Programms zu berucksichtigen, insbesondere hinsichtlich der Einbettung der strategischen Programme in soziale Netzwerke und der Moglichkeiten der Virtualisierung der Zusammenarbeit.