Socio-cognitive processes in strategy formation – A conceptual framework

•This paper sets the frame for the management focus.•We first accomplish a review of current empirical and theoretical research on MOC.•The review discloses some “blind spots” within MOC research.•We then provide a framework for studying strategy formation processes.

This paper should set the frame for the management focus by introducing the cognitive perspective in management research. The cognitive view has become a considerable perspective in describing and explaining strategic processes and significant advances have been provided especially in the last decade. However, the primary concern of cognitive-oriented strategy process research is still on strategic decision-making and therefore lags behind encompassing conceptional developments in process research. By drawing on the “genesis” approach of Kirsch, this paper develops a framework for explaining the formation of shared strategic orientations from a socio-cognitive perspective, which should broaden the “dominant research design”.