Abstract
Recent research on founders’ goal-setting processes suggests that contrasting decision-making approaches, namely, the effectuation and causal approaches, coexist and complementarily affect business performance. This study analyzes the impact that effectuation and causation have on financial performance and the effect of congruence between the two approaches. The contributions and implications of the findings are as follows: First, we show that causal logic has an independent effect on sales growth and that there is no difference in the effect on sales growth when the implementation level of causation and effectuation are similar to each other. This suggests that the contributions of causation and effectuation to sales growth are not complementary; rather, both principles can follow their own paths to increased sales. Second, effectuation has a greater effect on asset growth than causation, i.e., asset growth accelerates as the level of effectuation increases above average. This suggests that effectuation principles are better suited to a startup's growth path than causation principles. Third, we find evidence that causation logic has a negative effect on operating profits, and average operating profits do not vary with the degree of congruence between effectuation and causation principles. Lastly, effectuation and causation decision logics are not mutually exclusive approaches but are based on different assumptions about the process of setting and achieving business goals. This study demonstrates that using the appropriate framework between effectuation and causation, depending on the goals and constraints of the decision, can lead to better performance.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.