As described above, the majority of configurational studies in strategic management have relied on inductively defined strategic groups to examine a posteriori the configurations-performance relationship. In this study, the inductive approach involved using clustering procedures on a comprehensive set of variables using measures employed in previous studies to derive strategic groups. We surveyed all the inductive studies that have been published, a total of 55. We listed the variables used to define groups and (where appropriate) to measure performance and then classified those variables using 15 construct categories (10 grouping and 5 performance constructs) that emerged from the strategic groups literature. One variable from each construct category that had clear relevance for the hospital environment was identified. This was either a direct measure or proxy that could be archival retrieved. We presented these variates to an expert panel consisting of two strategic management and two health policy researchers. The constructs and measures receiving the most agreement constituted the final set of inductive measures.