Ambidexterity mechanism of enterprise innovation capability reconfiguration under strategic transition context：A longitude case study in Sunyardfrom 1996 to 2012

Chen Litian; Wu Zhiyan

Science Research Management ›› 2014, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (2) : 1-9.

Chen Litian¹, Wu Zhiyan²

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Abstract

Under the background of economic transition and upgrading, it becomes the focus issue in both academia and industry that how enterprises,whoused to adopt the imitation strategy, achieve capability reconfiguration. In order to solve this problem, this paper selected Sunyard, a software enterprise, as the observed sample, and conducted a longitude case study (from 1996 to 2012). Results showed an ambidexterity mechanism between capability disruptive learning and capability reinforced learning in the process of enterprise innovation capability reconfiguration. On the one hand, there is a top-down capability disruptive learning mechanism. Enterprises with complex strategic schema are able to recognize new opportunities during strategic learning process, and identify the direction of new variation of innovation capability reconfiguration. On the other hand, there is a bottom-up capability reinforced learning mechanism. Enterprises abstract routines form work practices during routinized learning process. Then, enterprises abstract capabilities form routines and leveraged it from personal-level to enterprise-level during capability learning process. This finding integrated the theory of capability disruptive learning (strategic learning) and capability reinforced learning (capability learning and routinized learning), highlighted the ambidexterity mechanism between them.This paper not only has theoretical contribution on dynamic capability perspective, capability reconfiguration and organizational learning theory, but also has managerial implication on enterprises' innovation management practice under transition context.

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enterprise innovation capability / capability reconfiguration / ambidexterity mechanism / case study

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Chen Litian, Wu Zhiyan. Ambidexterity mechanism of enterprise innovation capability reconfiguration under strategic transition context：A longitude case study in Sunyardfrom 1996 to 2012[J]. Science Research Management. 2014, 35(2): 1-9

References

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