A Replication and Extension of Organizational Growth Determinants

Although the management literature contains an impressive volume of studies attempting to identify factors that precipitate organizational growth, fragmented theory has developed because of the absence of replicative studies that integrate multiple levels of determinants. Previous studies have shown that exclusive use of either industry, strategy, or top management determinants can individually influence sales growth, but no existing research has empirically demonstrated the simultaneous effects of all three levels of determinants. Using a representative sample of 193 firms from 48 industries, this study replicated findings from several tangentially related studies to provide empirical support for the simultaneous influence of all three levels of determinants. Relative comparisons among the three levels of determinants showed organization strategies to be most significant, followed by top management characteristics and industry attributes.