A Neo-Carnegie Approach to the Agency Question: Bridging the Evolutionary and Cognitive Views of Strategy

Abstract

This article discusses the role of agency in discovering strategic opportunities by comparing two perspectives: the evolutionary and the cognitive view of strategy. The conceptions put forth by evolutionary scholars and cognitivists reflect different sensibilities, make different assumptions, and end up delineating different roles for the strategist. We recognize the fact that each view focuses on relevant facets of a multifaceted phenomenon and propose a “Neo-Carnegie” path to integrate these views.