Antecedents and Outcomes of Dynamic Capabilities: The Effect of Structure

Abstract

In the time of globalization and constantly increasing velocity, firms face new challenges. One way for firms to address these challenges is dynamic capabilities. This stream of research has made important advances since the seminal paper of Teece, Pisano and Shuen (1997) over the last fifteen years. The paper examines these advances investigating the most influential articles of both conceptual and empirical nature. At the core of this study is the analysis of how organizational structure affects dynamic capabilities. Organizational structure is an important but underplayed area within the literature of dynamic capabilities. Contradictory claims, found in literature sources, concerning the effect of organizational structure on dynamic capabilities are noted in this article. The origins for the opposing findings are explored. This analysis is used to highlight fundamental deficits of the stream of dynamic capability research. Future research directions that could contribute to resolving the identified drawbacks are suggested.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ss.81.3.5790