Organizational attention, managerial bias, and strategic actions under unexpected disruption: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K13472
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 07080:Business administration-related
• Research Institution: Hitotsubashi University
• Principal Investigator: LEE Jinju (リジンジュ) 一橋大学, 大学院経営管理研究科, 講師 (30870224)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: Attention based view / Behavioral Strategy / Covid-19 / Corporate Strategy / Crisis Management

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Drawing upon the Attention-Based View (ABV) of strategy and behavioral strategy literature, this research aims to achieve two main objectives. Firstly, it seeks to explore the types of organizational attention that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on selective focus and structural distribution of attention. Secondly, it aims to investigate the relationships between these types of organizational attention and the likelihood of managerial biases as well as the choice of strategic actions. Noteworthy accomplishments to date include conducting a comprehensive literature review, gathering data for testing the hypotheses, and uncovering initial findings. The findings indicate that firms' attention is influenced by factors such as ownership structure, past financial performance, regional location, and level of business diversity.

Free Research Field

Corporate Strategy

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

This research provides insights for organizations navigating crises, emphasizing the value of understanding attention distribution patterns. By guiding organizations to adopt more effective crisis management strategies, it ultimately contributes to societal stability and resilience.