Patterns of change in manufacturing strategy configurations

摘要

Purpose - The paper aims to address the question of how and how often companies change their manufacturing strategy in the medium and long run, thus addressing a lack of evidence in the literature. Design/methodology/approach - This paper explores the movements made by companies among four manufacturing strategy configurations drawn from the literature (market-based, product-based, capability-based and price-based configuration). Analyses are based on three longitudinal samples from the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS) database. Findings - Results show that while strategic configurations are rather stable, many companies do indeed change strategy and identifies which patterns of change prevail. Product-based strategy is the most-widely spread and most stable strategy. Capability-based competition is the rising star. The market-based strategy is struggling and price-based competition is on its way out. Research limitations/implications - The main limitation is the small size of longitudinal samples, leading to tentative propositions for further testing. Practical implications - No strategic configuration appears to be the final "maturity" target for manufacturers. Companies select their configurations according to life cycle of the organization and market competition. Originality/value - The paper contributes to fill a lack of longitudinal evidence of strategic change and flexibility of manufacturing companies. '"