Gestalt Approaches to Assessing Strategic Coalignment: A Conceptual Integration

Strategic coalignment involves a configuration comprising the external environment, internal organizational arrangements and organizational effectiveness. Each of the above elements is constrained, quasi-deterministic (especially in the short-term) and multidimensional. For the open systems property of equifinality to be satisfied, organizational effectiveness profiles need to be considered endogenous to a gestalt containing all the three elements. Strategic fit would then be assessed in terms of the consistency of the gestalt. This approach would also position coalignment research more consistently with strategic management's goal of adaptive fit, as well the other open systems property of homeostasis. A modified analytical approach is suggested.