Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Is Qualitative Comparative Analysis an Emerging Method?—Structured Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis of QCA Applications in Business and Management Research

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Complexity in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology Research

Part of the book series: FGF Studies in Small Business and Entrepreneurship ((FGFS))

Abstract

Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a powerful method originating in the fields of political science and sociology, where it is becoming a mainstream method. This article analyzes the state of QCA applications in business and management (B&M) research by conducting a structured literature review, which results in the identification of 96 studies between 1995 and 2015. Additionally, the knowledge basis of those articles is analyzed by means of a citations analysis. The 5,141 unique citations serve to also structure the research front using a bibliometric coupling analysis. The results point towards a somewhat deferred development of QCA in the discipline, which has recently undergone a quantum leap with regard to the number of publications as well as the advance of the method application. The current development is strongly determined by the originator of the method, Charles Ragin, and by the first studies applying QCA in business and management. Yet, the research front is only loosely connected, underlining that QCA remains at an early stage of adoption in business and management. The chapter gives three recommendations for future QCA studies and predicts a progressing profile formation of QCA in business and management research that can contribute to the adoption of configurational thinking within the discipline.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Compasss database access: http://www.compasss.org/bibdata.htm

  2. 2.

    Basis for this decision is a clear reference to Business or Management research in the aim and scope description of the journal especially compared to an economic focus, a precondition being that the journal is peer-reviewed and part of a journal database.

  3. 3.

    Two multi-value QCA applications in 2015 are not separately disclosed, but added to the count of fsQCA articles.

  4. 4.

    This article appears in the figures as an fsQCA application.

  5. 5.

    In the Journal of international business studies the share was around 1.5 %, no QCA applications were published in the International Journal of Project Management in 2014.

  6. 6.

    In the sample, 61 out of the 96 articles disclose which software program was used for the analysis, 85 % of those used fs/QCA (Ragin et al., 2006).

  7. 7.

    References marked with an asterisk indicate studies included in the literature review.

References

References marked with an asterisk indicate studies included in the literature review.

  • *Allen, M. M. C., & Aldred, M. L. (2011). Varieties of capitalism, governance, and high-tech export performance: A fuzzy-set analysis of the new EU member states. Employee Relations, 33(4), 334–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Allen, M. M. C., & Aldred, M. L. (2013). Business regulation, inward foreign direct investment, and economic growth in the new European Union member states. Critical Perspectives on International Business, 9(3), 301–321.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Allen, M. M. C., & Allen, M. L. (2015). Companies’ access to finance, co-operative industrial relations, and economic growth: a comparative analysis of the states of South Eastern Europe. Research in International Business and Finance, 33, 167–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Balodi, C. K., & Prabhu, J. (2014). Causal recipes for high performance. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, 20(6), 542–561.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Bell, R. G., Filatotchev, I., & Aguilera, R. V. (2014). Corporate governance and investors’ perceptions of foreign IPO value: An institutional perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 57(1), 301–320.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berg-Schlosser, D., de Meur, G., Rihoux, B., & Ragin, C. C. (2009). Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) as an approach. In B. Rihoux & C. C. Ragin (Eds.), Configurational comparative methods: Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and related techniques (pp. 1–18). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • *Bijlsma, K. M., & van de Bunt, G. G. (2003). Antecedents of trust in managers: A “bottom up” approach. Personnel Review, 32(5), 638–664.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Chang, C. W., Tseng, T. H., & Woodside, A. G. (2013). Configural algorithms of patient satisfaction, participation in diagnostics, and treatment decisions’ influences on hospital loyalty. Journal of Services Marketing, 27(2), 91–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Chang, M. L., & Cheng, C. F. (2014). How balance theory explains high-tech professionals’ solutions of enhancing job satisfaction. Journal of Business Research, 67(9), 2008–2018.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Cheng, C. F., Chang, M. L., & Li, C. S. (2013). Configural paths to successful product innovation. Journal of Business Research, 66(12), 2561–2573.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Crilly, D. (2011). Predicting stakeholder orientation in the multinational enterprise: A mid-range theory. Journal of International Business Studies, 42(5), 694–717.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Crilly, D., Zollo, M., & Hansen, M. T. (2012). Faking it or muddling through? Understanding decoupling in response to stakeholder pressures. Academy of Management Journal, 55(6), 1429–1448.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cronqvist, L. (2011). Tosmana: Tool for Small-N Analysis [Computer programme], Version 1.3.2.0. Trier: University of Trier.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Dai, C. Y., & Huang, D. H. (2015). Causal complexities to evaluate the effectiveness of remedial instruction. Journal of Business Research, 68(4), 894–899.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emmenegger, P., Kvist, J., & Skaaning, S. E. (2013). Making the most of configurational comparative analysis: An assessment of QCA applications in comparative welfare-state research. Political Research Quarterly, 66(1), 185–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiss, P. C. (2007). A set-theoretic approach to organizational configurations. Academy of Management Review, 32(4), 1180–1198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • *Fiss, P. C. (2011). Building better casual theories: A fuzzy set approach to typologies in organization research. Academy of Management Journal, 54(2), 393–420.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Freitas, J. S., Gonçalves, C. A., Cheng, L. C., & Muniz, R. M. (2011). Parsimonious determinants of pre-incubated academic spin-offs initial performance: A configurational perspective. Journal of Technology Management and Innovation, 6(2), 50–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Freitas, J. S., Gonçalves, C. A., Cheng, L. C., & Muniz, R. M. (2013). Structuration aspects in academic spin-off emergence: A roadmap-based analysis. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 80(6), 1162–1178.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Ganter, A., & Hecker, A. (2014). Configurational paths to organizational innovation: Qualitative comparative analyses of antecedents and contingencies. Journal of Business Research, 67(6), 1285–1292.

    Google Scholar 

  • *García-Castro, R., & Aguilera, R. V. (2014). Family involvement in business and financial performance: A set-theoretic cross-national inquiry. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 5(1), 85–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • *García-Castro, R., Aguilera, R. V., & Ariño, M. A. (2013). Bundles of firm corporate governance practices: A fuzzy set analysis. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 21(4), 390–407.

    Google Scholar 

  • *García-Castro, R., & Casasola, M. J. (2011). A set-theoretic analysis of the components of family involvement in publicly listed and major unlisted firms. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 2(1), 15–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garfield, E. (1955). Citation indexes for science. Science, 122(3159), 108–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine Transaction.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Greckhamer, T., Misangyi, V. F., Elms, H., & Lacey, R. (2008). Using qualitative comparative analysis in strategic management research: An examination of combinations of industry, corporate, and business-unit effects. Organizational Research Methods, 11(4), 695–726.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harms, R., Kraus, S., & Schwarz, E. (2009). The suitability of the configuration approach in entrepreneurship research. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 21(1), 25–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harzing, A. W. (2010). The publish or Perish book: Your guide to effective and responsible citation analysis. Melbourne: Tarma Software Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Häge, F. M. (2007). Constructivism, fuzzy sets and (very) small-N: Revisiting the conditions for communicative action. Journal of Business Research, 60(5), 512–521.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Henik, E. (2015). Understanding whistle-blowing: A set-theoretic approach. Journal of Business Research, 68(2), 442–450.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hesse-Biber, S. N., & Leavy, P. (Eds.). (2010). Handbook of emergent methods. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Hotho, J. J. (2014). From typology to taxonomy: A configurational analysis of national business systems and their explanatory power. Organization Studies, 35(5), 671–702.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Huang, C. W., & Huarng, K. H. (2015). Evaluating the performance of biotechnology companies by causal recipes. Journal of Business Research, 68(4), 851–856.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, M. M. (1963). Bibliographic coupling between scientific papers. American Documentation, 14(1), 10–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kvist, J. (2007). Fuzzy set ideal type analysis. Journal of Business Research, 60(5), 474–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marx, A., Cambré, B., & Rihoux, B. (2013). Crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis and the configurational approach: Assessing the potential for organizational studies. In P. C. Fiss, B. Cambré, & A. Marx (Eds.), Research in sociology of organizations (pp. 23–47). Bingley: Emerald.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Marx, A., & van Hootegem, G. (2007). Comparative configurational case analysis of ergonomic injuries. Journal of Business Research, 60(5), 522–530.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mello, P. A. (2013). From prospect to practice: A critical review of applications in fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2349513

  • *Meuer, J. (2014). Archetypes of inter-firm relations in the implementation of management innovation: A set-theoretic study in China’s biopharmaceutical industry. Organization Studies, 35(1), 121–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Mol, M. J., & Birkinshaw, J. (2014). The role of external involvement in the creation of management innovations. Organization Studies, 35(9), 1287–1312.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neuendorf, K. A. (2002). The content analysis guidebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Pajunen, K. (2008). Institutions and inflows of foreign direct investment: A fuzzy-set analysis. Journal of International Business Studies, 39(4), 652–669.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Provan, K. G., & Lemaire, R. H. (2015). Positional embeddedness in a community source software development project network: The importance of relationship intensity. R&D Management, 45(5), 440–457.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ragin, C. C. (1987). The comparative method: Moving beyond qualitative and quantitative strategies. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ragin, C. C. (2000). Fuzzy-set social science. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ragin, C. C. (2006). Set relations in social research: Evaluating their consistency and coverage. Political Analysis, 14(3), 291–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ragin, C. C. (2008). Redesigning social inquiry: Fuzzy sets and beyond. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ragin, C. C., Drass, K. A., & Davey, S. (2006). Fuzzy-set/qualitative comparative analysis 2.0. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Department of Sociology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ragin, C. C., & Fiss, P. C. (2008). Net effects analysis versus configurational analysis: An empirical demonstration. In C. C. Ragin (Ed.), Redesigning social inquiry: Fuzzy sets and beyond (pp. 190–212). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ragin, C. C., Mayer, S. E., & Drass, K. A. (1984). Assessing discrimination: A Boolean approach. American Sociological Review, 49(2), 221–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rihoux, B., Álamos-Concha, P., Bol, D., Marx, A., & Rezsöhazy, I. (2013). From niche to mainstream method? A comprehensive mapping of QCA applications in journal articles from 1984 to 2011. Political Research Quarterly, 66(1), 175–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rihoux, B., & Marx, A. (2013). QCA, 25 years after “The Comparative Method”: mapping, challenges, and innovations. Political Research Quarterly, 66(1), 167–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rihoux, B., & Ragin, C. C. (Eds.). (2009). Configurational comparative methods: Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and related techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Romme, A. G. L. (1995). Self-organizing processes in top management teams: A Boolean comparative approach. Journal of Business Research, 34(1), 11–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, M. R., & Eggert, A. (2014). Embracing complex causality with the QCA method: An invitation. Journal of Business Market Management, 7(1), 312–328.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Schneider, M. R., Schulze-Bentrop, C., & Paunescu, M. (2010). Mapping the institutional capital of high-tech firms: A fuzzy-set analysis of capitalist variety and export performance. Journal of International Business Studies, 41(2), 246–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, C. Q., & Wagemann, C. (2012). Set-theoretic methods for the social sciences: A guide to qualitative comparative analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Schulze-Bentrop, C. (2013). Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and configurational thinking in management studies. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang GmbH, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • *Skaaning, S. E. (2007). Explaining post-communist respect for civil liberty: A multi-methods test. Journal of Business Research, 60(5), 493–500.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Stokke, O. S. (2007). Qualitative comparative analysis, shaming, and international regime effectiveness. Journal of Business Research, 60(5), 501–511.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tranfield, D., Denyer, D., & Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence‐informed management knowledge by means of systematic review. British Journal of Management, 14(3), 207–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • *Verweij, S. (2015). Achieving satisfaction when implementing PPP transportation infrastructure projects: A qualitative comparative analysis of the A15 highway DBFM project. International Journal of Project Management, 33(1), 189–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Verweij, S., & Gerrits, L. M. (2015). How satisfaction is achieved in the implementation phase of large transportation infrastructure projects: A qualitative comparative analysis into the A2 tunnel project. Public Works Management and Policy, 20(1), 5–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vogel, R., & Güttel, W. H. (2013). The dynamic capability view in strategic management: A bibliometric review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 15(4), 426–446.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walter, C., & Ribiere, V. (2013). A citation and co-citation analysis of 10 years of KM theory and practices. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 11(3), 221–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • *Woodside, A. G. (2013). Moving beyond multiple regression analysis to algorithms: Calling for adoption of a paradigm shift from symmetric to asymmetric thinking in data analysis and crafting theory. Journal of Business Research, 66(4), 463–472.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Woodside, A. G., Hsu, S. Y., & Marshall, R. (2011). General theory of cultures’ consequences on international tourism behavior. Journal of Business Research, 64(8), 785–799.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Woodside, A. G., & Zhang, M. (2013). Cultural diversity and marketing transactions: Are market integration, large community size, and world religions necessary for fairness in ephemeral exchanges? Psychology and Marketing, 30(3), 263–276.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Wu, C. W. (2015). Foreign tourists’ intentions in visiting leisure farms. Journal of Business Research, 68(4), 757–762.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Wu, J. H., Wu, C. W., Lee, C. T., & Lee, H. J. (2015). Green purchase intentions: An exploratory study of the Taiwanese electric motorcycle market. Journal of Business Research, 68(4), 829–833.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to suggestions from participants of the Global Innovation and Knowledge Academy (GIKA) 2015 in Valencia, Spain. Two anonymous reviewers provided valuable insights and comments that helped improve this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Marketing and Management, Entrepreneurship, University of Hohenheim, Wollgrasweg 49, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany

    Elisabeth S. C. Berger

Authors
  1. Elisabeth S. C. Berger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elisabeth S. C. Berger .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany

    Elisabeth S.C. Berger

  2. Inst Marketing & Management, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Andreas Kuckertz

Appendix

Appendix

Table 4 List of weights between articles based on bibliometric coupling analysis (undirected)
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Berger, E.S.C. (2016). Is Qualitative Comparative Analysis an Emerging Method?—Structured Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis of QCA Applications in Business and Management Research. In: Berger, E., Kuckertz, A. (eds) Complexity in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology Research. FGF Studies in Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27108-8_14

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation