Strategic Responses to Poor Organizational Performance: A Test of Competing Perspectives
研究检验了两种对立理论：行为理论预测绩效不佳的组织会进行战略变革，而威胁刚性理论预测其会保守应对。基于医院样本的数据支持了行为理论。
Two widely cited, yet disparate, theoretical views of the relationship between poor performance and subsequent organizational action appear in organizational research. The behavioral theory of the firm posits that poor performing organizations will make strategic changes in, for example, the products and services they offer. In contrast, the threat-rigidity perspective predicts rather conservative responses; poor performers are expected to rely on previous actions to reverse their poor outcomes. We examined these competing predictions using data from a regional sample of hospitals. The results offer support for the behavioral theory of the firm and no support for threat-rigidity. We derive several implications from these findings in an effort to guide future research.