When examining the link between strategy formation and organizational
performance, researchers have typically not explored or controlled for the obvious
intervening impact of strategy implementation. This is symptomatic of a strategic
management literature that is stuck at evaluating causal effects between strategy
formation process and organizational performance. To move forward, insight is needed
into the causal mechanisms embedded in the processes that create the relationships, i.e.,
how the various components and characteristics interact to result in a positive outcome.
Methodological challenges of this type of inquiry are partly to blame, but so is the fact
that the key process components and relevant domains of variation within
implementation have not been systematically identified and described in order to measure
the process sufficiently. Understanding these processes is crucial to the development of
sensitive and robust measures for future research and providin