Using ‘simple rules’ may enable managers to take organizational decisions more rapidly. While prior research presents advantages of simple rule use during strategy formation, we lack insights into how firms can deliberately create simple rules and mitigate the challenges therein. This is particularly interesting for established firms struggling to leverage their wealth of experience. We explore how managers of a multinational corporation deliberately create and use simple rules to implement the firm’s growth strategy. Drawing on interviews and secondary data, we reveal the activities through which managers ensure the relevance and legitimacy of codified simple rules, yet also establish causality between simple rules and outcomes. Simple rule creation is accomplished via bottom-up identification and lateral validation, its use via consistent top-down guiding and timely adaptation. Our findings contribute to the growing body of research on the evolution of simple rules and aspects of strategy implementation more generally.
Kratochvil, Renate & Schmeisser, Bjoern (2021)
Book Review: How Will You Measure Your Life?, by Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon
Innovationen im (öffentlichen) Gesundheitssystem: Eine Analyse aus strategischer Perspektive
Pfannstiel, Mario A; Kassel, Kristin & Rasche, Christoph (red.). Innovationen und Innovationsmanagement im Gesundheitswesen Technologien, Produkte und Dienstleistungen voranbringen
Kratochvil, Renate; Tippmann, Esther & Parker, Andrew (2020)
Who do you tap for help when trying to solve an unusual business problem?
Accessing diverse knowledge for problem solving in the MNC: A network mobilization perspective
Global Strategy Journal, 9(3), s. 423- 452. Doi: 10.1002/gsj.1311
The fundamental challenge of problem solving is synthesizing diverse knowledge for solution development. This article addresses the trade‐off between knowledge diversity, that is, approaching the most relevant individual to maximize the likelihood that he/she possesses diverse knowledge and the ability to access, that is, recognize and assimilate this knowledge. We examine this trade‐off in relation to managers in subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs) and two types of diverse knowledge—novel knowledge and specialist expertise. We use a network mobilization perspective and arguments on network range within and across organizational boundaries, testing our hypotheses on a dataset of 838 ties from 120 managers leading problem‐solving projects. Our study offers implications for the knowledge‐based view of the MNC as well as the problem‐solving perspective in strategy.
Kvålshaugen, Ragnhild; kratochvil, Renate, Khanamiryan, Mariya & Moore, Graham (2020)
Bort fra dataklemming - byggebransjen inn i den digitale tidsalder
Byggeindustrien [Kronikk]
Kratochvil, Renate (2021)
Don't tell your boss. The gender effect on the involvement of superiors in problem formulation in international companies
[Academic lecture]. DRUID Annual Conference 2021.
Kratochvil, Renate & Kvålshaugen, Ragnhild (2021)
Symmetric interactions in university-industry research collaboration: Novelty lost
[Academic lecture]. DRUID Annual Conference 2021.
Kratochvil, Renate & Kvålshaugen, Ragnhild (2021)
Implementing strategy: Platforms and data integration as a bundle of solutions to a meta-problem
[Academic lecture]. EGOS 2021, Sub-theme 19: Collaboration and the (Ir)Rationalities of Decision-making in a Digital Landscape.
Kratochvil, Renate; Khanamiryan, Mariya, Soylu, Ahmet & Kvålshaugen, Ragnhild (2021)
Organizational context factors that stimulate digital mindsets to unfold in digital transformation
[Article in business/trade/industry journal]. Academy of Management Proceedings
Güttel, Wolfgang & Kratochvil, Renate (2021)
2.2 Wirkungsvolle Führung: Rollen, Fähigkeiten und Prioritätensetzung
[Popular scientific book]. Nomos.
Kratochvil, Renate; Khanamiryan, Mariya & Kvålshaugen, Ragnhild (2020)
Move away from data hugging - the construction industry into the digital age
[Article in business/trade/industry journal]. Bygg.no
Kratochvil, Renate & Kvålshaugen, Ragnhild (2020)
Collaborative innovation to keep the idea of a (responsible) digital platform alive
[Academic lecture]. PDW KINcubator, VU Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, 2020.
Kratochvil, Renate & Kvålshaugen, Ragnhild (2020)
Collaborative innovation to keep the idea of a (responsible) digital platform alive
[Academic lecture]. Annual Conference of the Academy of Management (AOM).
Kratochvil, Renate; Grünauer, Johanna, Friesl, Martin & Güttel, Wolfgang (2020)
Requisite simplicity: The intentional creation of simple rules in an international company
[Academic lecture]. Annual Conference of the Strategic Management Society (SMS).
Kratochvil, Renate & Kvålshaugen, Ragnhild (2019)
Boundaryless coordination – A Constituting Process for Openness
[Academic lecture]. Open Strategy PDW, University Bern, in Switzerland.
Kratochvil, Renate & Kvålshaugen, Ragnhild (2019)
“Strategically transforming for digitalization – Exploring micro-practices of formulating problems and finding solutions”
[Academic lecture]. Annual Meeting of the European Group of Organization Studies (EGOS).
Grünauer, Johanna; Kratochvil, Renate & Güttel, Wolfgang (2019)
“Requisite Simplicity of Strategic Learning of Organizations: Applying a Heuristics Process Method”
[Academic lecture]. Academy of Management (AOM).
Kratochvil, Renate (2018)
"Solving Local Problems and Seizing Global Opportunities: An Analysis of Individuals’ Knowledge Search Behavior in MNCs"
[Academic lecture]. Nomination for the Gunnar Hedlund Best Dissertation Award 2016-2018.