Author: Jorge Walter

Paper Nominated for SMS Best Conference Paper Prize

Jorge Walter

I am happy to announce that our paper was nominated for the Strategic Management Society Best Conference Paper Price.

Strategic decision making in an uncertain environment: The case of learning alliances in high-tech industries

Jorge Walter*, Christoph Lechner*, & Franz Kellermanns**

* University of St. Gallen, ** Mississippi State University

Alliance-related strategic decision making within an organization is of paramount importance for the benefits of its strategic collaborations to materialize. In this paper, we empirically examine the strategic decision-making processes within firms related to their strategic alliances as a subgroup of effective alliance management. Specifically, we argue that the decision-making process characteristics rationality, speed, flexibility, and politicality within an organization significantly influence the performance of a firm’s strategic alliances. Our empirical findings from 106 European high-tech firms engaged in strategic alliances largely confirm our argument that a rational-comprehensive and fast decision-making style – in contrast to a more flexible, incremental style – is the appropriate response to the challenges of strategic decision making with respect to collaborative agreements in dynamic industries. Contrary to our expectations, however, this approach has to be balanced with a certain level of decision-making politicality to promote necessary changes and free blocked decisions.

Keywords: Strategic alliances, decision-making processes, organizational learning.

Insults (Source: McCabe, Wirtschaftswoche)

Jorge Walter

One of the biggest handicaps with a foreign language is not being able to insult a man in his own language. Or worse still, not being able to defend yourself against an insult.

Indeed, practically all the bad words in English are German in origin, but we’ll come back to this again. Insulting people is (hopefully) not one of your core activities, but there comes a time at least once every year when what’s needed is a sharp word or two to prick the pomp of that idiot. The trick here is not to show the least amount of emotional annoyance. This would only betray the fact that the idiot has indeed got under your skin. Best to veer towards shades of indifference, like Robert Louis Stevenson did when he said: "I regard you with an indifference closely bordering on aversion."

This was also the tactic of Oscar Wilde when he said of George Bernard Shaw: "He hasn’t an enemy in the world, and none of his friends like him."

Another option is understatement, as when Winston Churchill said: "Mr Attlee is a very modest man. Indeed he has a lot to be modest about." Retorting to insults is a skill in itself, as when Pierre Trudeau replied to Richard Nixon: "I’ve been called worse things by better men." And remember the words of Groucho Marx: "He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don’t let that fool you. He really is an idiot."

Find the Man’s Head

Jorge Walter

This is an actual test – can you find the man’s head within 3 seconds? According to medical experiments:

  • If you can find the man’s head within 3 seconds, your right brain is more developed than normal people’s.
  • If you can find the man’s head within 1 minute, your right brain is developed normally.
  • If you can find the man’s head within 1-3 minutes, your right brain is slow in reacting, you should eat more meat protein.
  • If you can’t find the man’s head in 3 minutes or more, your right brain is a disaster…extremely slow in reacting, eat way more protein and try some Ginko Biloba!

manshead

Raednig

Jorge Walter

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Amzanig huh?

2003 Academy of Management Annual Meeting

Jorge Walter

seattle2003

From August 1-6, 2003, Seattle hosts the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM). As a professional association dedicated to creating, applying and disseminating knowledge about workers, management, and organizations, this annual meeting brings the AOM community together, which consists of 12,612 members from 82 nations.

Together with my colleague Christoph Lechner, I presented our paper: “Configurations of inter- and intrafirm networks and their impact on alliance performance.”

Visiting Doctoral Student at Wharton

Jorge Walter

wharton school

Equipped with a full scholarship from the Swiss National Fund, I will spend a
year as a visiting doctoral student at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, PA. In addition to attending doctoral seminars and research presentations at one of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions, I also intend to finish my dissertation during that time frame.

I am looking forward to spending a year in this vibrant city with its cultural, historical, and culinary experiences. So if you happen to be in the area, don’t forget to contact me.

2003 VHB-Pfingsttagung in Zurich, Switzerland

Jorge Walter

From June, 10-13, the VHB-Pfingsttagung took place at the University of Zurich. The conference with the title “Economics, Management, and Corporate Governance” attracted about 620 participants from all over the world.

Together with my colleague Christoph Lechner, I presented the paper: “Configurations of inter- and intrafirm networks and their impact on alliance performance.”