TY - JOUR
T1 - Path Creation, Path Dependence and Breaking Away from the Path
T2 - Re-examining the Case of Nokia
AU - Wang, Jens Erik
AU - Hedman, Jonas
AU - Tuunainen, Virpi Kristiina
PY - 2016/5
Y1 - 2016/5
N2 - The explanation of how and why firms succeed or fail is a recurrent research challenge. This is particularly important in the context of technological innovations. We focus on the role of historical events and decisions in explaining such success and failure. Using a case study of Nokia, we develop and extend a multi-layer path dependence framework. We identify four layers of path dependence: technical, strategic and leadership, organizational, and external collaboration. We show how path dependence at these four interdependent layers can blindfold the organization from seeing and understanding the importance of intermediate outcomes, which in the case of Nokia was the importance of software ecosystems and adaptable mobile devices. Furthermore, we show how the layers of path dependence mutually reinforce each other and become stronger.
AB - The explanation of how and why firms succeed or fail is a recurrent research challenge. This is particularly important in the context of technological innovations. We focus on the role of historical events and decisions in explaining such success and failure. Using a case study of Nokia, we develop and extend a multi-layer path dependence framework. We identify four layers of path dependence: technical, strategic and leadership, organizational, and external collaboration. We show how path dependence at these four interdependent layers can blindfold the organization from seeing and understanding the importance of intermediate outcomes, which in the case of Nokia was the importance of software ecosystems and adaptable mobile devices. Furthermore, we show how the layers of path dependence mutually reinforce each other and become stronger.
KW - Path creation
KW - Path dependence
KW - Mobile industry
KW - Nokia
KW - Evolutionary theories
UR - http://sfx-45cbs.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/45cbs?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/sfxit.com:azlist&sfx.ignore_date_threshold=1&rft.object_id=1000000000277723&rft.object_portfolio_id=&svc.holdings=yes&svc.fulltext=yes
U2 - 10.4067/S0718-18762016000200003
DO - 10.4067/S0718-18762016000200003
M3 - Journal article
VL - 11
SP - 16
EP - 27
JO - Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research
JF - Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research
SN - 0718-1876
IS - 2
ER -