Boundary Conditions: What They Are, How to Explore Them, Why We Need Them, and When to Consider Them

Organizational Research Methods

Volumn 20, Issue 4, 2017, Pages 574-609

  Busse, Christian ^a   Kach, Andrew P ^a   Wagner, Stephan M ^a  

^a ETH ZURICH   (Switzerland)

Author keywords

boundary condition; context; generalizability; research practice gap; theorizing; validity

Indexed keywords

EID: 85028299972     PISSN: 10944281     EISSN: 15527425     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/1094428116641191     Document Type: Article

References (80)

1. Adams R., Bessant J., Phelps R., (2006). Innovation management measurement: A review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 8(1), 21–47.
2. Aguinis H., Boyd B. K., Pierce C. A., Short J. C., (2011). Walking new avenues in management research methods and theories: Bridging micro and macro domains. Journal of Management, 37(2), 395–403.
3. Aguinis H., Sturman M. C., Pierce C. A., (2008). Comparison of three meta-analytic procedures for estimating moderating effects of categorical variables. Organizational Research Methods, 11(1), 9–34.
4. Bacharach S. B., (1989). Organizational theories: Some criteria for evaluation. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 496–515.
5. Bamberger P., (2008). From the editors: Beyond contextualization—Using context theories to narrow the micro-macro gap in management research. Academy of Management Journal, 51(5), 839–846.
6. Baum J. R., Wally S., (2003). Strategic decision speed and firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 24(11), 1107–1129.
7. Burns T., Stalker G. M., (1961). The management of innovation. London: Tavistock.
8. Busse C., Mahlendorf M. D., Bode C., (2016). The ABC for studying the too-much-of-a-good-thing effect: A competitive mediation framework linking antecedents, benefits, and costs. Organizational Research Methods, 19(1), 131–153.
9. Cefis E., Marsili O., (2006). Survivor: The role of innovation in firms’ survival. Research Policy, 35(5), 626–641.
10. Corley K. G., Gioia D. A., (2011). Building theory about theory building: What constitutes a theoretical contribution? Academy of Management Review, 36(1), 12–32.
11. Cortina J. M., (2003). Apples and oranges (and pears, oh my!): The search for moderators in meta-analysis. Organizational Research Methods, 6(4), 415–439.
12. Damanpour F., Gopalakrishnan S., (2001). The dynamics of the adoption of product and process innovations in organizations. Journal of Management Studies, 38(1), 45–65.
13. Davis M. S., (1971). That’s interesting. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 1(2), 309.
14. Delbridge R., Fiss P. C., (2013). Editors’ comments: Styles of theorizing and the social organization of knowledge. Academy of Management Review, 38(3), 325–331.
15. Delfmann W., Albers S., Gehring M., (2002). The impact of electronic commerce on logistics service providers. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 32(3), 203–222.
16. Dietz J., Pugh S. D., Wiley J. W., (2004). Service climate effects on customer attitudes: An examination of boundary conditions. Academy of Management Journal, 47(1), 81–92.
17. DiMaggio P. J., (1995). Comments on “what theory is not.” Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(3), 391–397.
18. Dubin R., (1978). Theory building (Rev. ed.). New York, NY: The Free Press.
19. Edwards J. R., Berry J. W., (2010). The presence of something or the absence of nothing: Increasing theoretical precision in management research. Organizational Research Methods, 13(4), 668–689.
20. Eisenhardt K. M., (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532–550.
21. Eisenhardt K. M., Martin J. A., (2000). Dynamic capabilities: What are they? Strategic Management Journal, 21(10/11), 1105–1121.
22. Esteve Pérez S., Sanchis Llopis A., Sanchis Llopis J. A., (2004). The determinants of survival of Spanish manufacturing firms. Review of Industrial Organization, 25(3), 251–273.
23. Garcia R., Calantone R., (2002). A critical look at technological innovation typology and innovativeness terminology: A literature review. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 19(2), 110–132.
24. Gibbert M., Ruigrok W., (2010). The “what” and “how” of case study rigor: Three strategies based on published work. Organizational Research Methods, 13(4), 710–737.
25. Goldsby T. J., Knemeyer A. M., Miller J. W., Wallenburg C. M., (2013). Measurement and moderation: Finding the boundary conditions in logistics and supply chain research. Journal of Business Logistics, 34(2), 109–116.
26. Gray P. H., Cooper W. H., (2010). Pursuing failure. Organizational Research Methods, 13(4), 620–643.
27. Green K. M., Covin J. G., Slevin D. P., (2008). Exploring the relationship between strategic reactiveness and entrepreneurial orientation: The role of structure-style fit. Journal of Business Venturing, 23(3), 356–383.
28. Gulati R., Lavie D., Singh H., (2009). The nature of partnering experience and the gains from alliances. Strategic Management Journal, 30(11), 1213–1233.
29. Gwowen S., (2009). Detecting interaction effects in moderated multiple regression with continuous variables: Power and sample size considerations. Organizational Research Methods, 12(3), 510–528.
30. Hambrick D. C., (2005). Upper echelons theory: Origins, twists and turns, and lessons learned. In Smith K. G., Hitt M. A., (Eds.), Great minds in management: The process of theory development (pp. 109–127). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
31. Harvey R. J., Billings R. S., Nilan K. J., (1985). Confirmatory factor analysis of the job diagnostic survey: Good and bad news. Journal of Applied Psychology, 70(3), 461–468.
32. Hayes A. F., (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
33. Johns G., (2006). The essential impact of context on organizational behavior. Academy of Management Review, 31(2), 386–408.
34. Ketokivi M., Jokinen M., (2006). Strategy, uncertainty and the focused factory in international process manufacturing. Journal of Operations Management, 24(3), 250–270.
35. Khandwalla P., (1972). Environment and its impact on the organization. International Studies of Management and Organization, 2, 297–313.
36. Khandwalla P., (1977). The design of organizations. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
37. Kieser A., Nicolai A., Seidl D., (2015). The practical relevance of management research: Turning the debate on relevance into a rigorous scientific research program. Academy of Management Annals, 9(1), 143–233.
38. Klein K. J., Dansereau F., Hall R. I., (1994). Levels issues in theory development, data collection, and analysis. Academy of Management Review, 19(2), 195–229.
39. Kopelman R. E., Thompson P. H., (1976). Boundary conditions for expectancy theory predictions of work motivation and job performance. Academy of Management Journal, 19(2), 237–258.
40. Lawrence P. R., Lorsch J. W., (1967). Organization and environment: Managing differentiation and integration. Boston, MA: Harvard University Press.
41. LeBreton J. M., (2014). Editorial. Organizational Research Methods, 17(2), 113–117.
42. Lofsten H., Lindelof P., (2005). Environmental hostility, strategic orientation and the importance of management accounting: An empirical analysis of new technology-based firms. Technovation, 25(7), 725–738.
43. Luo Y. D., (1999). Environment-strategy-performance relations in small businesses in china: A case of township and village enterprises in southern China. Journal of Small Business Management, 37(1), 37–52.
44. Mayer D. M., Ehrhart M. G., Schneider B., (2009). Service attribute boundary conditions of the service climate-customer satisfaction link. Academy of Management Journal, 52(5), 1034–1050.
45. McNatt D. B., Judge T. A., (2004). Boundary conditions of the Galatea effect: A field experiment and constructive replication. Academy of Management Journal, 47(4), 550–565.
46. Merton R. K., (1968). Social theory and social structure. New York, NY: The Free Press.
47. Milanov H., Justo R., Bradley S. W., (2015). Making the most of group relationships: The role of gender and boundary effects in microcredit groups. Journal of Business Venturing, 30(6), 822–838.
48. Miller D., Friesen P. H., (1983). Strategy making and environment: The 3rd link. Strategic Management Journal, 4(3), 221–235.
49. Miner A. S., (1990). Structural evolution through idiosyncratic jobs: The potential for unplanned learning. Organization Science, 1(2), 195–210.
50. Nandakumar M. K., Ghobadian A., O’Regan N., (2010). Business-level strategy and performance: The moderating effects of environment and structure. Management Decision, 48(5-6), 907–939.
51. Nicholls-Nixon C. L., Cooper A. C., Woo C. Y., (2000). Strategic experimentation: Understanding change and performance in new ventures. Journal of Business Venturing, 15(5-6), 493–521.
52. Nicolai A. T., (2004). The bridge to the “real world”: Applied science or a “schizophrenic tour de force”? Journal of Management Studies, 41(6), 951–976.
53. Okhuysen G. A., Waller M. J., (2002). Focusing on midpoint transitions: An analysis of boundary conditions. Academy of Management Journal, 45(5), 1056–1065.
54. Pagell M., Krause D. R., (1999). A multiple-method study of environmental uncertainty and manufacturing flexibility. Journal of Operations Management, 17(3), 307–325.
55. Pinder C. C., Moore L. F., (1979). The resurrection of taxonomy to aid the development of middle range theories of organizational behavior. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24(1), 99–118.
56. Potter D. V., (1994). Rare mettle: Gold and silver strategies to succeed in hostile markets. California Management Review, 37(1), 65–82.
57. Pratt M. G., (2008). Fitting oval pegs into round holes: Tensions in evaluating and publishing qualitative research in top-tier North American journals. Organizational Research Methods, 11(3), 481–509.
58. Rittel H. W. J., Webber M. M., (1973). Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences, 4(2), 155–169.
59. Rynes S. L., Bartunek J. M., Daft R. L., (2001). Across the great divide: Knowledge creation and transfer between practitioners and academics. Academy of Management Journal, 44(2), 340–355.
60. Schwab D., (2004). Research methods for organizational studies (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
61. Shapiro D. L., Kirkman B. L., Courtney H. G., (2007). Perceived causes and solutions of the translation problem in management research. Academy of Management Journal, 50(2), 249–266.
62. Shrivastava P., (1987). Rigor and practical usefulness of research in strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 8(1), 77–92.
63. Smith K. G., Hitt M. A., (2005). Great minds in management: The process of theory development. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
64. Stonebraker P. W., Liao J. W., (2006). Supply chain integration: Exploring product and environmental contingencies. Supply Chain Management—An International Journal, 11(1), 34–43.
65. Suddaby R., (2010). Editor’s comments: Construct clarity in theories of management and organization. Academy of Management Review, 35(3), 346–357.
66. Sun L.-Y., Aryee S., Law K. S., (2007). High-performance human resource practices, citizenship behavior, and organizational performance: A relational perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 50(3), 558–577.
67. Sutton R. I., Staw B. M., (1995). What theory is not. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40, 371–384.
68. Thorngate W., (1976). “In general” vs. “It depends”: Some comments of the Gergen-Schlenker debate. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2(4), 404–410.
69. Van de Ven A. H., (2007). Engaged scholarship: A guide for organizational and social research: A guide for organizational and social research. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
70. Van De Ven A. H., Johnson P. E., (2006). Knowledge for theory and practice. Academy of Management Review, 31(4), 802–821.
71. Van Maanen J., Sørensen J. B., Mitchell T. R., (2007). Introduction to special topic forum: The interplay between theory and method. Academy of Management Review, 32(4), 1145–1154.
72. Wagner S. M., (2008). Innovation management in the German transportation industry. Journal of Business Logistics 29(2), 215–231.
73. Weick K. E., (1979). The social psychology of organizing (2nd ed.). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
74. Weick K. E., (1989). Theory construction as disciplined imagination. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 516–531.
75. Weick K. E., (1995). What theory is not, theorizing is. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(3), 385–390.
76. Weick K. E., (1999). Theory construction as disciplined reflexivity: Tradeoffs in the 90s. Academy of Management Review, 24(4), 797–806.
77. Weick K. E., (2007). The generative properties of richness. Academy of Management Journal, 50(1), 14–19.
78. Whetten D. A., (1989). What constitutes a theoretical contribution? Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 490–495.
79. Wolfe R. A., (1994). Organizational innovation: Review, critique and suggested research directions. Journal of Management Studies, 31(3), 405–431.
80. Zhao X., Lynch J. G., JrChen Q., (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and truths about mediation analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 197–206.