Execution Consistency in Strategy Implementation: A Structured Integrative Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31098/ijmesh.v10i1.4630Keywords:
Execution Consistency, Strategy Implementation, Construct Boundaries, Performance Management Systems, Business Strategy Quality, Integrative Literature Review.Abstract
Prior literature on strategy implementation established that organisations routinely fail to realise the performance potential of their formulated strategies, with execution failures consistently identified as the primary source of this shortfall. However, the construct responsible for closing this gap, execution consistency, implementation consistency, or execution discipline, remained unstabilised across the literature. This paper reviewed how this fragmentation arose and what was required to resolve it. Through a structured integrative review of four bodies of literature, covering the classical strategy process, business strategy, performance management systems, and strategy execution, the review identified that the instability stemmed from unresolved boundaries between execution consistency and two better-established adjacent constructs: business strategy upstream and performance management systems further upstream. The review concluded that execution consistency was a construct the literature recognised but had not yet built, and that construct-development work must begin with boundary specification before definitional, theoretical, measurement, and causal stabilisation could follow.
References
Acur, N., & Englyst, L. (2006). Assessment of strategy formulation: How to ensure quality in process and outcome. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 26(1), 69–91. 10.1108/01443570610637021
Alharthy, A. H., Rashid, H., Pagliari, R., & Khan, F. (2017). Identification of strategy implementation influencing factors and their effects on the performance. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 8(1), 34–44.
https://ijbss.thebrpi.org/journals/Vol_8_No_1_January_2017/4.pdf
Alkhafaji, A. F. (2003). Strategic management: Formulation, implementation, and control in a dynamic environment. The Haworth Press.
Andrews, R., Boyne, G. A., & Walker, R. M. (2006). Strategy content and organizational performance: An empirical analysis. Public Administration Review, 66(1), 52–63. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00555.x
Anwar, J., & Hasnu, S. A. F. (2016). Business strategy and firm performance: A multi-industry analysis. Journal of Strategy and Management, 9(3), 361–382. 10.1108/JSMA-09-2015-0071
Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120. 10.1177/014920639101700108
Barney, J. B. (2002). Gaining and sustaining competitive advantage (2nd ed.). Prentice Hall.
Bhattacharyya, A., & Cummings, L. (2015). Measuring corporate environmental performance, stakeholder engagement evaluation. Business Strategy and the Environment, 24(5), 309–325. 10.1002/bse.1819
Bianchi, C., Bovaird, T., & Loeffler, E. (2017). Applying a dynamic performance management framework to wicked issues: How coproduction helps. International Journal of Public Administration, 40(10), 833–846. 10.1080/01900692.2017.1280822
Bititci, U., Cocca, P., & Ates, A. (2016). Impact of visual performance management systems on the performance management practices of organisations. International Journal of Production Research, 54(6), 1571–1593.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2015.1005770
Bititci, U., Garengo, P., Dorfler, V., & Nudurupati, S. (2012). Performance measurement: Challenges for tomorrow. International Journal of Management Reviews, 14(3), 305–327. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2011.00318.x
Bordean, O., Borza, A., Rus, C., & Mitra, C. (2010). An investigation on the strategy formulation process within the Romanian companies. Managerial Challenges of the Contemporary Society, 1, 26–30.
Borza, A., Bordean, O., Dobocan, C., & Mitra, C. (2008). Strategic management: Concepts and cases. Risoprint.
Bourne, M., Franco-Santos, M., Micheli, P., & Pavlov, A. (2018). Performance measurement and management: A system of systems perspective. International Journal of Production Research, 56(8), 2788–2799. 10.1080/00207543.2017.1404159
Brauer, M., & Schmidt, S. L. (2006). Exploring strategy implementation consistency over time: The moderating effects of industry velocity and firm performance. Journal of Management and Governance, 10(2), 205–226. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-006-0002-2
Chandler, A. D. (1962). Strategy and structure: Chapters in the history of the American industrial enterprise. MIT Press.
Cohen, K. J., & Cyert, R. M. (1973). Strategy: Formulation, implementation, and monitoring. The Journal of Business, 46(3), 349–367. 10.1086/295545
Dahlgaard-Park, S. M., & Dahlgaard, J. J. (2010). Organizational learnability and innovability: A system for assessing, diagnosing and improving innovations. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 2(2), 153–174. 10.1108/17566691011057339
David, F. R. (2016). Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach, concepts and cases (16th ed.). Pearson Education.
Davis, S., & Albright, T. (2004). An investigation of the effect of balanced scorecard implementation on financial performance. Management Accounting Research, 15(2), 135–153. 10.1016/j.mar.2003.11.001
Feldman, M. S., & Pentland, B. T. (2003). Reconceptualizing organizational routines as a source of flexibility and change. Administrative Science Quarterly, 48(1), 94–118. https://doi.org/10.2307/3556620
Ferreira, A., & Otley, D. (2009). The design and use of performance management systems: An extended framework for analysis. Management Accounting Research, 20(4), 263–282. 10.1016/j.mar.2009.07.003
Franco-Santos, M., Lucianetti, L., & Bourne, M. (2012). Contemporary performance measurement systems: A review of their consequences and a framework for research. Management Accounting Research, 23(2), 79–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mar.2012.04.001
Henri, J. F. (2006). Management control systems and strategy: A resource-based perspective. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 31(6), 529–558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aos.2005.07.001
Hitt, M. A., Hoskisson, R. E., & Ireland, R. D. (2007). Management of strategy: Concepts and cases. Thomson South-Western.
Hopwood, A. G. (1972). An empirical study of the role of accounting data in performance evaluation. Journal of Accounting Research, 10, 156–182.
Hrebiniak, L. G. (2006). Obstacles to effective strategy implementation. Organizational Dynamics, 35(1), 12–31.
Ibrahim, M., Sulaiman, M., Kahtani, A., & Abu-Jarad, I. (2012). The relationship between strategy implementation and performance of manufacturing firms in Indonesia: The role of formality structure as a moderator. World Applied Sciences Journal, 20(7), 955–964.
Irfani, D. P., Wibisono, D., & Basri, M. H. (2019). Design of a logistics performance management system based on the system dynamics model. Measuring Business Excellence, 23(3), 269–291. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBE-01-2019-0008
Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1996). Using the balanced scorecard as a strategic management system. Harvard Business Review, 74(1), 75–85.
Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2001). The strategy-focused organization: How balanced scorecard companies thrive in the new business environment. Harvard Business School Press.
Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2008). The execution premium: Linking strategy to operations for competitive advantage. Harvard Business School Press.
Kharub, M., Mor, R. S., & Sharma, R. (2018). The relationship between cost leadership competitive strategy and firm performance: A mediating role of quality management. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 30(6), 920–936. 10.1108/JMTM-06-2017-0116
Lynch, R. L., & Cross, K. F. (1991). Measure up! Yardsticks for continuous improvement. Basil Blackwell.
Mankins, M. C., & Steele, R. (2005). Turning great strategy into great performance. Harvard Business Review, 83(7–8), 64–72.
Merchant, K. A., & Van der Stede, W. A. (2017). Management control systems: Performance measurement, evaluation and incentives (4th ed.). Pearson.
Miles, R. E., & Snow, C. C. (1978). Organizational strategy, structure, and process. McGraw-Hill.
Miller, S. (1997). Implementing strategic decisions: Four key success factors. Organization Studies, 18(4), 577–602.
Mintzberg, H. (1990). Strategy formulation: Schools of thought. In Perspectives on strategic management. Harper Business.
Mintzberg, H. (1994). The rise and fall of strategic planning. Free Press.
Mura, M., Micheli, P., & Longo, M. (2021). The effects of performance measurement system uses on organizational ambidexterity and firm performance. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 41(5), 621–644. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-02-2021-0101
Nandakumar, M. K., Ghobadian, A., & O'Regan, N. (2011). Generic strategies and performance: Evidence from manufacturing firms. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 60(3), 222–251. 10.1108/17410401111111970
Neely, A., Adams, C., & Kennerley, M. (2002). The performance prism: The scorecard for measuring and managing business success. Financial Times Prentice Hall.
Neely, A., Gregory, M., & Platts, K. (1995). Performance measurement system design: A literature review and research agenda. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 15(4), 80–116. 10.1108/01443570510633639
Ogu, S. J. (2025). Strategic positioning of the organization in its environment (the flexibility approach). Journal of Business and Management Sciences, 13(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.58881/jcmts.v4i1.219
Otley, D. (1999). Performance management: A framework for management control systems research. Management Accounting Research, 10(4), 363–382. https://doi.org/10.1006/mare.1999.0115
Parnell, J. A. (1997). New evidence in the generic strategy and business performance debate: A research note. British Journal of Management, 8(2), 175–181. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.0049
Parnell, J. A. (2005). Strategic philosophy and management level. Management Decision, 43(2), 157–170. 10.1108/00251740510581894
Parnell, J. A. (2010). Strategic clarity, business strategy and performance. Journal of Strategy and Management, 3(4), 304–324. https://doi.org/10.1108/17554251011092683
Pavlov, A., & Bourne, M. (2011). Explaining the effects of performance measurement on performance: An organizational routines perspective. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 31(1), 101–122. 10.1108/01443571111098762
Porter, M. E. (1985). Competitive advantage: Creating and sustaining superior performance. Free Press.
Porter, M. E. (1996). What is strategy? Harvard Business Review, 74(6), 61–78.
Porter, M. E. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 78–93.
Rudiyanto, R., & Prayitno, A. (2025). Organizational strategy execution: From planning to reality, a literature review. International Journal of Management Science and Business Administration, 11(1), 14–23. 10.59888/tt4qh755
Rumelt, R. P. (2011). Good strategy/bad strategy: The difference and why it matters. Crown Business.
Simons, R. (1995). Levers of control: How managers use innovative control systems to drive strategic renewal. Harvard Business School Press.
Sull, D., Homkes, R., & Sull, C. (2015). Why strategy execution unravels and what to do about it. Harvard Business Review, 93(3), 57–66.
Sumartono, E. (2024). Incongruities in innovation: Exploring inconsistencies in business innovation strategies. Journal of Innovation and Knowledge, 9(1), Article 100440. https://doi.org/10.59613/a30jv416
Tawse, A., & Tabesh, P. (2021). Strategy implementation: A review and an introductory framework. European Management Journal, 39(1), 22–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2020.09.005
Thompson, A. A., Strickland, A. J., & Gamble, J. E. (2005). Crafting and executing strategy: The quest for competitive advantage, concepts and cases (14th ed.). McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Thompson, A., Janes, A., Peteraf, M., Sutton, C., Gamble, J., & Strickland, A. (2013). Crafting and executing strategy: The quest for competitive advantage, concepts and cases. McGraw-Hill.
Tsamenyi, M., Sahadev, S., & Qiao, Z. S. (2011). The relationship between business strategy, management control systems and performance: Evidence from China. Advances in Accounting, 27(1), 193–203. 10.1016/j.adiac.2011.05.001
Wheelen, T. L., & Hunger, J. D. (2017). Strategic management and business policy: Globalization, innovation, and sustainability (15th ed.). Pearson Education.
Wibisono, D. (2011). A framework of performance measurement system for manufacturing company. The Southeast Asian Journal of Management, 5(1), 1–18. 10.21002/seam.v5i2.1004
Williams, F. P., D'Souza, D. E., Rosenfeldt, M. E., & Kassaee, M. (1995). Manufacturing strategy, business strategy and firm performance in a mature industry. Journal of Operations Management, 13(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-6963(95)00006-E
Yuliansyah, Y., Gurd, B., & Mohamed, N. (2017). The significant of business strategy in improving organizational performance. Humanomics, 33(1), 56–74. 10.1108/H-06-2016-0049
Yuliansyah, Y., Rammal, H. G., & Rose, E. (2016). Business strategy and performance in Indonesia's service sector. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 10(2), 164–182. 10.1108/JABS-07-2015-0094
Zulkifli, Z., & Wandebori, H. (2018). Formulating business strategy: A case of tutoring agency in Indonesia. Jurnal Aplikasi Manajemen, 16(2), 271–284. https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.jam.2018.016.02.10
Downloads
Published
Citation Check
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Surya Tri Harto, Dermawan Wibisono, Harimukti Wandebori
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright Notice: 1. License
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities has CC-BY NC or an equivalent license as the optimal license for the publication, distribution, use, and reuse of scholarly work for non-commercial purpose. The non-commercial use of the article will be governed by the Creative Commons Attribution license as currently displayed on Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Creative Commons License
2. Author’s Warranties
The author warrants that the article is original, written by stated author(s), has not been published before, contains no unlawful statements, does not infringe the rights of others, is subject to copyright that is vested exclusively in the author and free of any third party rights, and that any necessary written permissions to quote from other sources have been obtained by the author(s).
3. User Rights
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities objective is to disseminate articles published are as free as possible. Under the Creative Commons license, this journal permits users to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work for non-commercial purposes only. Users will also need to attribute authors and this journal on distributing works in the journal.
4. Rights of Authors
Authors retain the following rights:
Copyright, and proprietary rights relating to the article, such as patent rights,
The right to use the substance of the article in future own works, including lectures and books,
The right to reproduce the article for own purposes,
The right to self-archive the article,
the right to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the article's published version (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal (International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities).
The author has a non-exclusive publishing contract with a publisher and the work is published with a more restrictive license, the author retains all the rights to publish the work elsewhere, including commercially, because she/he is not subject to the conditions of her / his own license, regardless of the type of CC license chosen.
5. Co-Authorship
If the article was jointly prepared by other authors, the signatory of this form warrants that he/she has been authorized by all co-authors to sign this agreement on their behalf, and agrees to inform his/her co-authors of the terms of this agreement.
6. Termination
This agreement can be terminated by the author or International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities upon two months’ notice where the other party has materially breached this agreement and failed to remedy such breach within a month of being given the terminating party’s notice requesting such breach to be remedied. No breach or violation of this agreement will cause this agreement or any license granted in it to terminate automatically or affect the definition of International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities.
7. Royalties
This agreement entitles the author to no royalties or other fees. To such extent as legally permissible, the author waives his or her right to collect royalties relative to the article in respect of any use of the article by This agreement can be terminated by the International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities upon two months’ notice where the other party has materially breached this agreement and failed to remedy such breach within a month of being given the terminating party’s notice requesting such breach to be remedied. No breach or violation of this agreement will cause this agreement or any license granted in it to terminate automatically or affect the definition of International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities or its sublicensee.
8. Miscellaneous
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities will publish the article (or have it published) in the journal if the article’s editorial process is successfully completed and International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities or its sublicensee has become obligated to have the article International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities may conform the article to a style of punctuation, spelling, capitalization, referencing and usage that it deems appropriate. The author acknowledges that the article may be published so that it will be publicly accessible and such access will be free of charge for the readers.
