Proactive orientation and its influence for technology acquisition

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of the manager's strategic orientation concerning technology acquisition and its repercussions for the firm's performance. Design/methodology/approach – These relationships are studied using a sample of Spanish engineering consulting firms, most of them small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises. Findings – The results obtained show that the proactive character adopted by managers will directly influence the decision‐making process concerning technology acquisitions. Managers with a proactive strategic orientation adopt both internal technological development and the external acquisition of technology, but a slight preference is observed for internal development, even though it achieves considerably less satisfactory results than those achieved with external technology acquisition. Research limitations/implications – The paper is exploratory in character, and its goal is to show whether interrelations exist between the variables. The sample refers only to engineering consultancies. Another limitation is the cross‐sectional character of the analysis performed. Practical implications – To obtain perfect adaptation of the firm to its environment, it is crucial that the manager be committed on both the tactical and the operating strategic levels. The paper shows the important role of the manager's strategic orientation in his or her decisions on technology acquisition. Success in this kind of decision is of vital importance to the firm. The high costs of internal development prevent immediate profits, and external acquisition brings high risks. Originality/value – The paper seeks to stimulate new lines of research regarding these two variables (technology acquisition and manager's strategic orientation) and their repercussions for the firm.