Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T20:39:59.100Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Strategic Culture and Environmental Dimensions as Determinants of Anomie in Publicly-Traded and Privately-Held Firms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Jean L. Johnson ,
Kelly D. Martin  and
Amit Saini
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract:

Anomie is a condition in which normative guidelines for governing conduct are absent. Using survey data from a sample of U.S. manufacturing firms, we explore the impact of internal (cultural) and external (environmental) determinants of organizational anomie. We suggest that four internal organizational factors can generate or suppress organizational anomie, including strategic aggressiveness, long-term orientation, competitor orientation, and strategic flexibility. Similarly, we argue that external contextual factors, including competitive intensity and technological turbulence, can influence organizational anomie. We extend anomie and ethics research by considering the impact of these firm cultural and environmental factors according to whether firms are publicly-traded or privately-held. Findings demonstrate that a number of firm cultural and environmental factors can generate or reduce anomie in firms. Moreover, strategic aggressiveness, long-term orientation, and strategic flexibility influence organizational anomie differently depending on whether the firm is publicly-traded or privately-held. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.

Type
Articles
Information
Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , July 2011 , pp. 473 - 502
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Aldrich, H. 1979. Organizations and environments. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Argote, L. 1982. Input uncertainty and organizational coordination in hospital emergency units. Administrative Sciences Quarterly, 27: 420–34.Google Scholar
Armstrong, J. S., & Collopy, F. 1996. Competitor orientation: Effects of objectives and information on managerial decisions and profitability. Journal of Marketing Research, 33: 188–99.Google Scholar
Armstrong, J. S., & Overton, T. S. 1977. Estimating nonresponse bias in mail surveys. Journal of Marketing Research, 14: 396–402.Google Scholar
Ashforth, B. E., & Anand, V. 2003. The normalization of corruption in organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, 25: 1–52.Google Scholar
Ashkanasy, N. M., Broadfoot, L. E., & Falkus, S. 2000. Questionnaire measures of organizational culture. In Ashkanasy, N. M., Wilderom, C. P. M. & Peterson, M. F. (Eds.), Handbook of organizational culture and climate: 131–47. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Ashkanasy, N. M., Wilderom, C. P. M., & Peterson, M. F. (Eds.). 2000. Handbook of organizational culture and climate. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Baucus, M. S., & Near, J. P. 1991. Can illegal corporate behavior be predicted? An event history analysis. Academy of Management Journal, 34: 9–36.Google Scholar
Boatright, J. R. 2004. Employee governance and the ownership of the firm. Business Ethics Quarterly, 14: 1–21.Google Scholar
Campbell, D. T. 1955. The informant in quantitative research. American Journal of Sociology, 60: 339–42.Google Scholar
Casile, M., & Davis-Blake, A. 2002. When accreditation standards change: Factors affecting differential responsiveness of public and private organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 45: 180–95.Google Scholar
Christensen, C. M., & Raynor, M. E. 2003. The innovator’s solution. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.Google Scholar
Cohen, D. V. 1993. Creating and maintaining ethical work climates: Anomie in the workplace and implications for managing change. Business Ethics Quarterly, 3: 343–58.Google Scholar
Cullen, J. B., Parboteeah, K. P., & Hoegl, M. 2004. Cross-national differences in managers’ willingness to justify ethically suspect behaviors: A test of institutional anomie theory. Academy of Management Journal, 47: 411–21.Google Scholar
Day, G. S., & Nedungadi, P. 1994. Managerial representations of competitive advantages. Journal of Marketing, 58: 31–44.Google Scholar
Firms De Cremer, D., Mayer, D., & Schminke, M. 2010. On understanding ethical behavior and decision making: A behavioral ethics approach. Business Ethics Quarterly, 20: 1–6.Google Scholar
Deshpandé, R., Farley, J. U. Webster, F. E. Jr. 1993. Corporate culture, customer orientation, and innovativeness in Japanese firms: A quadrad analysis. Journal of Marketing, 57: 23–37.Google Scholar
Dess, G. G., & Beard, D. W. 1984. Dimensions of organizational task environment. Administrative Science Quarterly, 29: 52–73.Google Scholar
Dietz, J., Pugh, S. D., & Wiley, J. 2004. Service climate effects on customer attitudes: An examination of boundary conditions. Academy of Management Journal, 47: 81–92.Google Scholar
Durand, R., & Vargas, V. 2003. Ownership, organization, and private firms’ efficient use of resources. Strategic Management Journal, 24: 667–75.Google Scholar
Durkheim, E. 1966/1951. Suicide: A study in sociology. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Fama, E. F., & Jensen, M. C. 1983a. Agency problems and residual claims. Journal of Law and Economics, 26: 325–44.Google Scholar
Fama, E. F., & Jensen, M. C. 1983b. Separation of ownership and control. Journal of Law and Economics, 26: 301–25.Google Scholar
Ferrier, W. J. 2001. Navigating the competitive landscape: The drivers and consequences of competitive aggressiveness. Academy of Management Journal, 44: 858–77.Google Scholar
Flannery, B. L., & May, D. R. 2000. Environmental ethical decision making in the U.S. metal-finishing industry. Academy of Management Journal, 43: 642–62.Google Scholar
Fornell, C. D., & Larcker, D. F. 1981. Evaluating structural equation models with unobserved variables and measurement errors. Journal of Marketing Research, 18: 39–50.Google Scholar
Gatignon, H, & Xuereb, J. M. 1997. Strategic orientation of the firm and new product performance. Journal of Marketing Research, 34: 77–90.Google Scholar
George, G. 2005. Slack resources and the performance of privately-held firms. Academy of Management Journal, 48: 661–76.Google Scholar
George, G., Wiklund, J., & Zahra, S. A. 2005. Ownership and the internationalization of small firms. Journal of Management, 31: 210–33.Google Scholar
Gordon, G. G. 1991. Industry determinants of organizational culture. Academy of Management Review, 16: 398–415.Google Scholar
Hamel, G., & Prahalad, C. K. 1989. Strategic intent. Harvard Business Review, 67: 63–76.Google Scholar
Hamel, G., & Prahalad, C. K. 1994. Competing for the future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.Google Scholar
Homburg, C., & Pflesser, C. 2000. A multiple-layer model of market-oriented organizational culture: Measurement issues and performance outcomes. Journal of Marketing Research, 37: 449–62.Google Scholar
Howton, S. D., Howton, S. W., & McWilliams, V. B. 2008. The ethical implications of ignoring shareholder directives to remove antitakeover provisions. Business Ethics Quarterly, 18: 321–46.Google Scholar
Jaworski, B. J., & Kohli, A. K. 1993. Market orientation: Antecedents and consequences. Journal of Marketing, 57: 53–70.Google Scholar
Jensen, M. C. 1998. Self-interest, altruism, incentives, and agency. In Jensen, M.C. (Ed.), Foundations of Organization Strategy: 39–50. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Johnson, J. L., Lee, R. P., Saini, A., & Grohmann, B. 2003. Market-focused strategic flexibility: Conceptual advances and an integrative model. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 31: 74–89.Google Scholar
Johnson, J. L., & Sohi, R. S. 2001. The influence of firm predispositions on interfirm relationship formation in business markets. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 18: 299–318.Google Scholar
Kirca, A. H., Jayachandran, S., & Bearden, W. O. 2005. Market orientation: A meta-analytic review and assessment of its antecedents and performance implications. Journal of Marketing, 69: 24–41.Google Scholar
Kohli, A. K., & Jaworski, B. J. 1990. Market orientation: The construct, research propositions, and managerial implications. Journal of Marketing, 54: 1–18.Google Scholar
Kuenzi, M., & Schminke, M. 2009. A fragmented literature? A review, critique, and proposed research agenda for the work climate literature. Journal of Management, 35: 634–717.Google Scholar
Litz, R. A. 1995. The family business: Toward definitional clarity. Family Business Review, 8: 71–81.Google Scholar
Martin, K. D., & Cullen, J. B. 2006. Continuities and extensions of ethical climate theory: A meta analytic review. Journal of Business Ethics, 69: 175–94.Google Scholar
Martin, K. D., Cullen, J. B., Johnson, J. L., & Parboteeah, K. P. 2007. Deciding to bribe: A cross-level analysis of firm and home country influences on bribery activity. Academy of Management Journal, 50: 1401–22.Google Scholar
Martin, K. D., Johnson, J. L., & Cullen, J. B. 2009. Organizational change, normative control deinstitutionalization, and corruption. Business Ethics Quarterly, 19: 105–30.Google Scholar
Matthyssens, P., Pauwels, P., & Vandenbempt, K. 2005. Strategic flexibility, rigidity and barriers to the development of absorptive capacity in business markets: Themes and research perspectives. Industrial Marketing Management, 34: 547–54.Google Scholar
Menard, S. 1995. A developmental test of Mertonian anomie theory. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 32: 136–74.Google Scholar
Merton, R. K. 1968. Social theory and social structure. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Narver, J. C., & Slater, S. F. 1990. The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing, 54: 20–35.Google Scholar
Nohria, N., & Gulati, R. 1996. Is slack good or bad for innovation? Academy of Management Journal, 39: 1245–64.Google Scholar
Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. 1994. Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Pesämaa, O. & Hair, J. F. Jr. 2007. More than friendship is required: An empirical test of cooperative firm strategies. Management Decision, 45: 602–15.Google Scholar
Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. R. 1978. The external control of organizations: A resource dependence perspective. New York: Harper & Row.Google Scholar
Firms Podsakoff, P. M., McKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. 2003. Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88: 879–903.Google Scholar
Reichers, A. E., & Schneider, B. 1990. Climate and culture: An evolution of constructs. In Schnierder, B. (Ed.), Organizational climate and culture: 5–39. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Rosenfeld, R., & Messner, S. F. 1997. Markets, morality, and an institutional anomie theory of crime. In Passas, N. & Agnew, R. (Eds.), The future of anomie theory: 207–24. Boston: Northeastern University Press.Google Scholar
Sama, L. M. 2006. Interactive effects of external environmental conditions and internal firm characteristics on MNE’s choice of strategy in the development of a code of conduct. Business Ethics Quarterly, 16: 137–65.Google Scholar
Schein, E. 2004. Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Schein, E. H., 2000. Sense and nonsense about culture and climate. In Ashkanasy, N. M., Wilderom, C. P. M. & Peterson, M.F. (Eds.), Handbook of organizational culture and climate: xxii–xxx. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Schminke, M., Arnaud, A. U., & Kuenzi, M. 2007. The power of ethical work climates. Organizational Dynamics, 36: 171–86.Google Scholar
Schneider, B., 2000. The psychological life of organizations. In Ashkanasy, N. M., Wilderom, C. P. M. & Peterson, M. F. (Eds.), Handbook of organizational culture and climate: xvii–xxii. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Schulze, W. S., Lubatkin, M. H., & Dino, R. N. 2003. Exploring the agency consequences of ownership dispersion among the directors of private family firms. Academy of Management Journal, 46: 179–94.Google Scholar
Schweitzer, M. E., Ordonez, L.,& Douma, B. 2004. Goal setting as a motivator of unethical behavior. Academy of Management Journal, 47: 422–32.Google Scholar
Slater, S. F., & Narver, J. C. 1994. Does competitive environment moderate the market orientation-performance relationship? Journal of Marketing, 58: 46–55.Google Scholar
Staw, B. M., & Boettger, R. D. 1990. Task revision: A neglected form of work performance. Academy of Management Journal, 33: 534–59.Google Scholar
Tellis, G. J., Prabhu, J. C., & Chandy, R. K. 2009. Radical innovation across nations: The preeminence of corporate culture. Journal of Marketing, 73: 3–23.Google Scholar
Trice, E. L. & Beyer, J. M. 1993. The cultures of work organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Trostel, A. O., & Nichols, M. L. 1982. Privately-held and publicly-held companies: A comparison of strategic choices and management processes. Academy of Management Journal, 25: 47–62.Google Scholar
Van de Ven, B., & Jeurissen, R. 2006. Competing responsibly. Business Ethics Quarterly, 15: 299–317.Google Scholar
Venkatraman, N. 1989. Strategic orientation of business enterprises: The construct, dimensionality, and measurement. Management Science, 35: 942–62.Google Scholar
Victor, B., & Cullen, J. B. 1988. The organizational bases of ethical work climates. Administrative Science Quarterly, 33: 101–25.Google Scholar
Wilderom, C. P. M., Glunk, U., & Maslowski, R. 2000. Organizational culture as a predictor of organizational performance. In Ashkanasy, N. M., Wilderom, C. P. M. & Peterson, M. F. (Eds.), Handbook of organizational culture and climate: 193–210. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z. K., & Wu, F. 2010. Technological capability, strategic flexibility, and product innovation. Strategic Management Journal, 31: 547–61.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z. K., Yim, C. K., & Tse, D. 2005. The effects of strategic orientations on technology and market based breakthrough innovations. Journal of Marketing, 69: 42–60.Google Scholar
Zohar, D. 2000. A group-level model of safety climate: Testing the effect of group climate on microaccidents in manufacturing jobs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85: 587–96.Google Scholar