The Concept of Fit in Strategy Research: Towards Verbal and Statistical Correspondence

Abstract

Strategic management relationships are increasingly specified by invoking a general conceptualization of 'fit' (alternately termed as contingency, congruency, coalignment, consistency, etc.), but with inadequate correspondence between theoretical statements and operationalization schemes.This paper identifies six different perspectives --fit as moderation; fit as mediation; fit as matching; fit as gestalts; fit as profile-deviation; and fit as covariation --each implying distinct theoretical meanings and requiring the use of specific analytical schemes.This highlights the isomorphic nature of the correspondence between a particular conceptualization and its testing scheme(s), but, it appears that researchers have used these perspectives interchangeably, often invoking one perspective In the theoretical discussion and employing another within empirical research.Since such a research practice considerably weakens the critical link between theory-development and theory-testing, this paper argues for increased explicit linkage between the verbalization of theoretical propositions and their operational tests in strategic management research.