THE ECOLOGY OF NICHE-WIDTH STRATEGIES Generalists, polymorphists and specialists in the UK motorcycle industry from 1895 to 1993*

A central issue in the study of organizations relates to the explanation of the genesis of organizational diversity. In this context, niche-width theory deals with the consequences for organizational form survival of intertemporal selection processes in industries that feature environmental variation over time. Drawing from evolutionary biology, the theory links environmental change patterns to fitting organizational forms, distinguishing three major types: generalists, polymorphists and specialists. To date, empirical work on niche-width theory has been very scarce, particularly in as far as the polymorphist form is concerned. This paper offers an in-depth test of niche-width theory in the UK motorcycle industry from 1895 to 1993. Theoretically, we extend niche-width theory by developing a fine-grained typology of the polymorphist form, adding beachhead and bridge polymorphist strategies next to the overall polymorphist form. Additionally, we argue that the ecological niche-width study of organizational forms is incomplete without a fine-grained theory of the consequences of different cost structures. Adding such a cost theory nicely links niche-width theory to the resource-partitioning argument. Finally, as high-calibre longitudinal cost data are rarely available, we suggest the empirical tool of the so-called revealed cost structure methodology. By and large, the empirical analyses provide support for our extended niche-width theory argument.