Search and Disrupt: The Influence of Heterogeneous Strategic Interests on Joint Problem-solving

Anders Ørding Olsen

    Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperResearchpeer-review

    Abstract

    Extant research on external knowledge search and open innovation assumes that collaborators are aligned in their strategic interests towards solving innovation problems. However, disruptive innovation is known to threaten the competitive advantage of incumbent firms, thereby creating a potential conflict of interest between these firms and their collaborators. This paper explores the extent to which strategic interests influence joint problem solving in both complementary and disruptive technologies by analyzing the effects of incumbent collaboration. The analysis disentangles inability and strategic intent to find that non-incumbents experience suppression of problem solving likelihood within disruptive technologies when incumbent collaborators are not strategically committed. The paper contributes to extant theory by showing the influence of firms’ underlying strategic interests on their collaborators.
    Original languageEnglish
    Publication date2015
    Publication statusPublished - 2015
    EventThe Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2015: Opening Governance - Vancouver, Canada
    Duration: 7 Aug 201511 Aug 2015
    Conference number: 75
    http://aom.org/annualmeeting/

    Conference

    ConferenceThe Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2015
    Number75
    Country/TerritoryCanada
    CityVancouver
    Period07/08/201511/08/2015
    Internet address

    Keywords

    • Disruptive innovation
    • Incumbents
    • Innovation search

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