Table 3.
Overview of main theories in reviewed articles
| Category | Theory | Definitions and constructs | Examples in IA studies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resource | Dynamic capabilities view (Teece et al. 1997) | Refers to a company’s ability to quickly create and reconfigure internal and external capabilities in changing contexts |
Examining the moderating role of institutional pressures on co-production and eco-innovation (Chang and Gotcher 2020) Studying the impact of absorptive capacity (Pangarso et al. 2020a) Exploring the use of business intelligence and analytics (Božič and Dimovski 2019) |
| Knowledge creation theory (Nonaka 1994) | Posits that new organisational knowledge is formed through the interaction of tacit and explicit knowledge | Investigating the mediating role of knowledge sharing between distributed leadership enhances IA (Fu et al. 2018) | |
| Knowledge-Based View (Grant 1996) | Claims that knowledge is the most important strategic asset of a company |
Exploring the influence of alliance network diversity (Zhang et al. 2020a) Analysing the process of coordination and ecological spiral (Long and Liu 2021) Examining the effect of technological, organisational and environmental factors (Soto-Acosta et al. 2018) Examining the moderating influences of supplier involvement and foreignness (Dunlap et al. 2016) |
|
| Resource dependence theory (Pfeffer and Salancik 1978) | Claims that organisational behaviour must be understood in relation to the allocation of power and control in and out of a company |
Assessing the influence of board of directors on the link between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and IA (Arzubiaga et al. 2018) Exploring the impact of EO (Nofiani et al. 2021) |
|
| Resource-based View (Barney 1991) | Posits on resources that are rare, valuable, hard to duplicate, and impossible to replace for long-term success |
Exploring competitive marketing strategies (Hughes et al. 2021) Analysing the impact of learning capability (Lin et al. 2013) Investigating ambidextrous market orientation (Tan and Liu 2014) Identifying value-adding creation of service offerings and the sustainable competitive advantage derived from heterogeneous resources and capabilities (Tsai and Wang 2017) Exploring the antecedent roles of technological and marketing capabilities (Zang and Li 2017) Examining the effects on business model ambidexterity (Liao et al. 2018) Investigating resource allocation mechanisms (Fu et al. 2021) Exploring the relationship between board human capital and enterprise growth (Liu et al. 2019b) Examining the moderating role of institutional pressures on co-production and eco-innovation (Chang and Gotcher 2020) Exploring the impact of EO (Nofiani et al. 2021) |
|
| Leadership | Ambidextrous leadership theory (Rosing et al. 2011) | Suggests that leaders need to show two paradoxical leadership behaviours (opening and closing) to foster employee exploitative and explorative innovation behaviours | Investigating how leadership facilitates employee innovation behaviours (Oluwafemi et al. 2020) |
| Leadership habitual domain theory (Ye et al. 2018b) | Posits on leaders’ habitual behaviours and their potential abilities based on their experience, knowledge, and capabilities | Analysing the impact mechanisms of leadership habitual domain on IA via the mediating role of dynamic capabilities (Ye et al. 2018b) | |
| Strategic leadership theory (Finkelstein and Hambrick 1996) | Emphasises on leaders who execute strategies and oversee organisations | Understanding the importance of strategic leadership in creating a learning company (Lin and McDonough 2011) | |
| Transactional leadership style (Burns 1978) | Proposes that leaders use a system of incentives and punishments to drive their followers | Investigating the impact of the transformational and transactional leadership styles (Berraies et al. 2019) | |
| Transformational leadership theory (Bass 1985) | Suggests that the role of leaders is to transform and inspire individuals for mutually supporting each other |
Investigating the impact of the transformational and transactional leadership styles (Berraies et al. 2019) Examining the inner mechanisms of leader attention scope, and transformational leadership behaviour (Zheng et al. 2016) |
|
| Upper echelon theory (Hambrick and Mason 1984) | Suggests that organisational strategic choices are reflections of the thoughts of executives |
Analysing the effects of top management team (TMT) diversity (Röd 2019) Examining how transactive memory system enhances ambidexterity (Chen and Liu 2018) Exploring the role of overconfident CEO (Wong et al. 2017) Proposing that top teams with task-related diversity effectively addressed the differentiating–integrating challenges of IA when they engaged in effective strategic decision-making processes (Li et al. 2016) Examining the inner mechanisms of leader attention scope, and transformational leadership behaviour (Zheng et al. 2016) Exploring TMT ambidexterity-oriented decisions (Kortmann 2015) |
|
| Organisational | Organisational learning theory (Chiva et al. 2014) | Posits on processes through which organisations change or modify their mental models, rules, processes, or knowledge, for maintaining or improving their performance |
Investigating the mediating role of knowledge sharing between distributed leadership enhances IA (Fu et al. 2018) Highlighting requirements for the adoption of organisational cultures, willingness to cannibalise and willingness to combine existing knowledge (Harmancioglu et al. 2020) Exploring the influence of alliance network diversity (Zhang et al. 2020a) Exploring IA activities (Blomkvist et al. 2020) |
| Technology–Organisation–Environment T-O-E framework (Tornatzky et al. 1990) | Describes how companies use and deploy new technologies, and how these processes are influenced by a variety of variables, including technological, organisational, and environmental contexts | Examining the effects of technological, organisational and environmental factors Soto-(Acosta et al. 2018) | |
| Information | Information processing theory Miller et al. 1998) | Supports the idea that businesses gain from matching their informational support mechanisms with the information requirements of strategic decision-makers | Examining the influence of TMT cognitive diversity (Kanchanabha and Badir 2021) |
| Transaction cost theory (Coase 1937, Williamson 1985) | Theorises that the relative costs of handling transactions dictate governance structures | Exploring the influence of alliance network diversity (Zhang et al. 2020a) | |
| Role-based | Stakeholder theory (Parmar et al. 2010) | Proposes a variety of stakeholders, and relationships among these entities, as influenced by corporate entities, such as employees, suppliers, and local communities, as well as creditors | Examining the effects of knowledge sourcing activities directed toward supply chain stakeholders (Ardito et al. 2020) |
| Stewardship theory (Davis et al. 1997) | Hypothesises that stewards will prioritise collaboration over defection when faced with a choice between self-serving and pro-organisational action | Assessing the influence of board of directors on the link between EO and IA (Arzubiaga et al. 2018) | |
| Other | Componential theory of creativity (Amabile 2011) | Posits on organisational creativity and innovation as well as the work environments that managers build | Investigating how entrepreneurial leadership affects creativity (Khairuddin et al. 2021) |
| Institutional theory (DiMaggio and Powell 2010) | Suggests that homogeneity of firm strategies tend to be the net effect of institutional pressures |
Exploring the moderating role of institutional pressures on effects of co-production on eco-innovation (Chang and Gotcher 2020) Examining the influence of institutional pressures on IA through the moderated mediating role of strategic cognition in clusters (Song and Zhao 2021) |
|
| Social capital theory (Coleman 1988) | Claims that a person's social connections are a valuable source for gaining and maintaining power and influence |
Analysing social relationships among top managers (Li et al. 2014) Examining managerial ties (Zhang et al. 2019) Examining the effects of business and political ties (Zhang and Cui 2017) Exploring resource configuration (Choi et al. 2021) Exploring the impact of corporate social responsibility on IA (Khan et al. 2021) |