How do firms adapt to discontinuous change? Bridging the dynamic capabilities and ambidexterity perspectives
Journal
California Management Review
Subject
Strategy and Entrepreneurship
Publishing details
Authors / Editors
Birkinshaw J;Zimmerman A;Raisch S
Biographies
Publication Year
2016
Abstract
This article develops a conceptual integration of the dynamic capabilities and ambidexterity perspectives in order to understand how firms adapt to discontinuous change. Based on three illustrative case studies, it demonstrates that it is not possible to identify a universal set of dynamic capabilities. Rather, the distinct set of capabilities required depends on which of three modes of adaptation (structural separation, behavioral integration, or sequential alternation) has been prioritized. This article contributes a contingency perspective to dynamic capability research and offers guidance to managers about the alternative approaches they could take when seeking to adapt to environmental discontinuities.
Keywords
Case study; Management styles; Organizational design; Innovation; Creative collaboration; entrepreneurship; Crowdsourcing; Databases; Business-Government relations
Available on ECCH
No