Proposing Organizational Self Sufficiency Theory

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the positive impacts of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) on organizational performance. Many firms from developing countries attempt to import AMTs from foreign suppliers in order to improve their products' qualities, reduce costs and so on. This article, in addition to articulation of AMTs' benefits, tries to open up a new window of opportunity to analyze their possible threats as well. It seems that importing machinery without adequate planning may only gain short-term profits, and cause long-lived dependence on suppliers. To examine this assumption, a conversation analysis is conducted to identify the possible threats by interviewing 33 people, including middle managers and engineers from some developing countries which try to move in line with development, such as Iran, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia, and China. After eliciting the current problems of importing AMTs, Grounded theory (GT) is conducted to design a framework to overcome the threats and benefit from beneficiaries of imported goods. The final extracted model, which is confirmed by the participant experts of this investigation, is named Organizational Self-Sufficiency Theory. The core implication of this theory is that organizations should design a structure in which they can communicate with their external environment and maintain their independence by employing appropriate strategies.