A microfoundational view of the interplay between open innovation and a firm’s strategic agility

PublicationArticle (with peer review)
Robert Demir
1-s2.0-S0024630124000165-main (1)
Download

Abstract

Open innovation can support firms looking to deploy strategic agility through product innovations during periods of market and technological change. However, existing research lacks a comprehensive understanding of the microfoundations that underlie strategic agility in the context of open innovation. We address this gap using an in-depth analysis of a firm’s open innovation activities in support of new product development (NPD). Our analysis reveals that open innovation can help leverage NPD processes to drive technological innovations in response to changing market conditions. Under such circumstances, open innovation enables firms to deploy strategic agility by continually developing the product portfolio. Our study reveals six mechanisms that enable three mutually complementary practices of agility: knowledge-based agility at the firm-environment interface, behavioural agility in the firm’s decision-making process, and organisational agility in the internal NPD process. We theorise the interplay between the mechanisms that constitute each practice and, in doing so, shed light on how they contribute to firm-level strategic agility.


Similar content

The Impact of Networking With Knowledge-Intensive Professional Service Firms on Speed to Market and Product Innovativeness
Article (with peer review)Publication
Soetanto, D., & Demir, R.
Publication year

2024

Published in

IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management

Abstract

During the new product development (NPD) process, exploitation and exploration are important, especially for small manufacturing firms (SMFs). However, limited resources and a lack of internal knowledge capacity have forced SMFs to work with knowledge-intensive professional service firms (KIPSFs). This article investigates the impact of SMFs’ networks with KIPSFs on the performance of NPD. Using data from 164 SMFs in the northwest of England, this article reveals a linear relationship between firm’s product innovativeness and its network with KIPSFs for exploitation, and a curvilinear relationship between firm’s speed to market and its network with KIPSFs for exploration. A curvilinear relationship was also found between networks with KIPSFs for ambidexterity and firm’s product innovativeness and speed to market. These results lead to several practical implications for networking strategy as each network supports different innovation activities and produces different outcomes.

Multidexterity: Combining competing business models in transforming economies
Article (with peer review)Publication
Demir, R. & Angwin, D.
Publication year

2021

Abstract

Transforming economies pose significant challenges to multinational corporations’ (MNCs) business models (e.g., Chan et al., 2016; Sánchez & Ricart, 2010). This is because they are characterized by uncertain, highly volatile, and changing institutional frameworks (Peng, Wang, & Jiang, 2008). For instance, China is distinguished by weaker regulatory regimes and industry standards (Tan, 2009; Tsai & Child, 1997). So, whilst business models contribute to rapid internationalization (Dunford, Palmer, & Benveniste, 2010) and local competition in transforming economies (Tallman, Luo, & Buckley, 2018), entering those economies incurs institutional and market challenges. These fundamentally threaten MNCs’ business model viability (Birkinshaw, Zimmermann, & Raisch, 2016b).

Reaping Value from Digitalization in Swedish Manufacturing Firms
Book chapterPublication
Mähring, M., Wennberg, K., & Demir, R.
Publication year

2018

Abstract

Excerpt: In this chapter, we take a fresh look at what is actually happening in the area of digitalization, with a particular focus on the Swedish manufacturing sector. […] We particularly focus upon patterns in the ways in which they seek to develop innovations and explore new business models from their activities related to product sensors and wireless data, cloud-based data warehouses, computer-aided manufacturing and 3D printing, big data technologies, and application programming interfaces (APIs). Our findings suggest that while many Swedish industrial firms have developed a strong edge through a combination of high-quality products, international presence, and decentralization, the latter in particular poses challenges when it comes to digital transformation. Digitalization may necessitate large investments across business segments, standardisation, and knowledge sharing regarding both customers and digital solutions in order to create new customer offerings. Points for reflection are then discussed, along with recommendations for scholars that are seeking to develop new and relevant knowledge by studying the transformation of Swedish industry, as well as for managers seeking to benchmark their digitalization activities to others.

Show more