Megatrends in Fintech - Capitalization in a Danish Context: An Exploratory Study of the Interrelation between Dynamic Capabilities and Organizational Ambidexterity evaluating its effects on Competitive Advantage

Abstrakt

The world has become far more complex, contested and competitive than before – and is changing at unprecedented pace. The highly volatile environment puts an increasing pressure on today’s economies, the financial landscape experiences an unseen evolutionary development displacing market-leading firms and products. While incumbents are frightened by risky business models with questionable outlooks on profitability, Fintechs have taken on the challenge to innovate the financial world. This study investigates how Fintechs can capitalize on existing resources by adapting megatrends and its implications on gaining competitive advantage. To do so this explanatory research analyses a unique set of empirical data derived from business leaders within the Danish financial technology sector – who have been part of the evolutionary growth within the industry. In order to examine the impact of leveraging existing assets on organizations’ competitive advantage, theories on dynamic capabilities and organizational ambidexterity are applied. To answer the research question, the researcher seeks to understand how the company’s resources base is affected by capitalizing on megatrends. As a result a categorization model is developed outlining relevant megatrends for Danish Fintechs that indicates how to alter the resource portfolio followed by a detailed assessment for dynamic capabilities and organizational ambidexterity within the Fintechs. The findings address a research gap in literature, as there is lack of evidence to prove existing propositions and more in depth delineation of the implications of the interrelations of the concepts to comprehend sustained performance in a dynamic environment.