Socio-cognitive dynamics in strategic processes

Process-related considerations in strategy research and approaches to managerial cognition constitute two highly valuable, yet still only limitedly integrated, fields of interest in strategic management. To fill this void, the work starts from a cognitive perspective with the overall aim of examining the emergence of organisational strategies in strategic processes. The central research object ‘strategy’ is thereby conceptualized as shared strategic orientations among an organisation’s key actors. The existing gap between strategy process research and cognitive strategy research is closed on a conceptual level first by developing and specifying a socio-cognitive perspective on strategic processes. In recognition of the central importance of social interactions in this context, the focus is then set on a specific core forum for strategic activities, i. e. strategic decision making groups. In this, the nature and the role of social interactions for the developing strategy-related knowledge structures is examined first conceptually, leading to the development of a socio-cognitive model on strategic decision making in groups, followed by a qualitative empirical study in this kind of activity forum. With its truly interdisciplinary nature, the dissertation is of interest for strategy scholars as it enlarges the pool of knowledge in strategic management both content-wise and also method(olog)ically with the innovative empirical research approach adopted. For practitioners contributions are made by detailing the different dimensions of strategic processes and hence sensitizing to important factors for careful overall process designs. At the micro level, concrete suggestions are derived for composing and instructing strategy teams in such a way as to allow for efficient interchanges during the discussions themselves, as well as to enable the effectiveness of these efforts beyond the specific group context and for the performance of the wider organisation.