Minimum data set.

Causation and effectuation are two fundamental decision-making logics that managers use for crucial firm strategic decisions. However, existing research has yet to agree on the relationship between the two logics, supporting both the substitution and complementarity of causation and effectuation in influencing firm performance. This leaves us with a puzzle: How do causation and effectuation combine in balance to improve firm performance? To address the gap, we utilize a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) with data collected from 344 small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China to uncover the dynamic relationships between the two logics. Our findings indicate that causation or effectuation alone is insufficient to achieve superior firm performance. By distinguishing between four dimensions of effectuation, we identify three types of configurations for high performance: (1) causation with promotion-focused effectuation principles; (2) causation with prevention-focused effectuation principles; (3) causation with hybrid-focused effectuation principles. More importantly, we find that the effectiveness of the configurations depends on the firm development stage. Our findings provide SMEs with practical insights into how to effectively choose their decision-making logic when faced with different firm growth challenges.

因果逻辑与效果逻辑是管理者用于企业关键战略决策的两大核心决策逻辑。然而，现有研究尚未就二者的关联形成统一结论——既有研究证实二者在影响企业绩效时既存在替代效应，亦存在互补效应，这留下了一个亟待解答的学术谜题：因果逻辑与效果逻辑应如何平衡结合以提升企业绩效？为填补这一研究空白，本研究采用模糊集定性比较分析（fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis, fsQCA）方法，结合收集自中国344家中小企业（small to medium-sized enterprises, SMEs）的调研数据，探究二者间的动态关联关系。研究结果表明，单独依赖因果逻辑或效果逻辑，均无法达成卓越的企业绩效。本研究将效果逻辑划分为四大维度，据此识别出三类可实现高企业绩效的组态模式：（1）结合促进导向型效果逻辑原则的因果逻辑组态；（2）结合防御导向型效果逻辑原则的因果逻辑组态；（3）结合混合导向型效果逻辑原则的因果逻辑组态。更为重要的是，本研究发现上述组态的有效性取决于企业的发展阶段。本研究结果可为中小企业提供实践指引，帮助其在应对差异化的企业成长挑战时，合理选择适配的决策逻辑。