Fox, Daniel‐Leonha d; Kullik, Oli e ; Hölzle, Ka ha ina
A icle — Published Ve sion
Manage ial aming in ligh o discon inuous change:
Re olu ionis s, e olu ionis s, and media o s
C ea i i y and Inno a ion Managemen
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
John Wiley & Sons
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Fox, Daniel‐Leonha d; Kullik, Oli e ; Hölzle, Ka ha ina (2024) : Manage ial
aming in ligh o discon inuous change: Re olu ionis s, e olu ionis s, and media o s, C ea i i y
and Inno a ion Managemen , ISSN 1467-8691, Wiley Pe iodicals, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, Vol. 33, Iss. 4,
pp. 685-700,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1111/caim.12608
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Manage ial aming in ligh o discon inuous change:
Re olu ionis s, e olu ionis s, and media o s
Daniel-Leonha d Fox
1
| Oli e Kullik
2
| Ka ha ina Hölzle
1,3
1
F aunho e Ins i u e o Indus ial Enginee ing
IAO, S u ga , Ge many
2
Uni e si y o Po sdam, Po sdam, Ge many
3
Ins i u e o Human Fac o s and Technology
Managemen IAT, Uni e si y o S u ga ,
S u ga , Ge many
Co espondence
Daniel-Leonha d Fox, F aunho e Ins i u e o
Indus ial Enginee ing IAO, Nobels .
12, S u ga 70569, Ge many.
Email: daniel-leonha d. o[email p o ec ed]
This s udy examines he c i ical ole o middle and on line manage s in an incum-
ben o ganiza ion na iga ing discon inuous change, emphasizing he balance
be ween explo ing new oppo uni ies and exploi ing exis ing ones. While op
manage s se he s a egic ambidex ous di ec ion, he on- he-g ound mani es a ion
and ension managemen all p edominan ly o he middle and on line manage s.
We in oduce a no el ypology, classi ying hese manage s as E olu ionis s, Re olu-
ionis s, o Media o s, each wi h dis inc cogni i e amings. Ou indings unde sco e
he impo ance o unde s anding and mode a ing hese cogni i e amings o acili-
a e success ul ambidex ous implemen a ion. Key manage ial implica ions include
he need o heigh ened awa eness o ension poin s, s a egic esou ce alloca ion,
mi iga ion o ex eme cogni i e amings, and he signi ican alue o Media o
manage s in s ee ing ambidex ous s a egies. This esea ch pa es he way o a
deepe unde s anding o indi idual-le el ambidex e i y and p o ides c ucial insigh s
o o ganiza ions o inno a e in imes o discon inuous change.
KEYWORDS
ambidex e i y, case s udy, cogni i e aming, discon inuous change, incumben , ensions
1|INTRODUCTION
Business en i onmen s ha e become inc easingly cha ac e ized by
ola ili y, unce ain y, complexi y, and ambigui y (Bennis &
Nanus, 1985). Gi en hese discon inuous changes, manage s o
incumben i ms a e con on ed wi h he need o ambidex ous capa-
bili ies, namely, he abili y o bo h explo e new a enues and exploi
exis ing ones (O'Reilly & Tushman, 2008). Ye , he balance and suc-
cess ul use o hese capabili ies in e e -changing en i onmen s has
emained unde explo ed in li e a u e and p ac ice (Ch is ensen, 1997;
T ipsas, 2009; Tushman & O'Reilly, 1996).
To in es iga e hese capabili ies, schola s buil on he ounda-
ional idea o dynamic capabili ies, which emphasizes he abili y o
sense, seize, and econ igu e o adap (Teece e al., 1997). Conse-
quen ly, ambidex e i y has eme ged as a concep ha encompasses
he abili y o simul aneously explo e new oppo uni ies and exploi
exis ing business s eams (Tushman & O'Reilly, 1996). Ambidex e i y
is a dynamic capabili y ha allows o ganiza ions o adap and na iga e
changing en i onmen s (O'Reilly & Tushman, 2008).
Recen ly, Bi kinshaw e al. (2016) melded hese concep s, sug-
ges ing ha op-le el manage s play a ole in guiding hei subo di-
na es in o ches a ing explo a ion and exploi a ion. F on line and
middle manage s a e none heless pi o al in execu ing explo a i e
and exploi a i e ac i i ies (Can a ello e al., 2012). Howe e , hei
s uggles in balancing explo a ion and exploi a ion has emained
unde ep esen ed in li e a u e in ecen yea s (Bi kinshaw
e al., 2016; Wol e al., 2021; Zimme mann e al., 2015,2017).
While s udies ha e ocused on leade s and hei con ibu ion in
enabling ambidex e i y (Mom e al., 2018; Nemanich & Ve a, 2009),
hey ha e neglec ed how non-leade ship o ganiza ional membe s
deal wi h he ambidex e i y challenge (Ta ba e al., 2020). Explo ing
and exploi ing ac i i ies a e mos ly de eloped and implemen ed a
Recei ed: 23 Feb ua y 2023 Re ised: 26 Feb ua y 2024 Accep ed: 25 Ma ch 2024
DOI: 10.1111/caim.12608
This is an open access a icle unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License, which pe mi s use, dis ibu ion and ep oduc ion in any medium,
p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed.
© 2024 The Au ho s. C ea i i y and Inno a ion Managemen published by John Wiley & Sons L d.
C ea Inno Manag. 2024;33:685–700. wileyonlinelib a y.com/jou nal/caim 685
lowe le els o managemen . Fo ming he co e o ou in es iga ion,
we sugges ha success ul adap a ion o discon inuous change is
highly dependen on middle and on line manage s and hei hand-
ling o he esul ing ensions. How middle and on line manage s
deal wi h he challenge o simul aneously explo ing and exploi ing is
unde ep esen ed in ambidex e i y esea ch (F ase & Ansa i, 2021;
Hel a & Pe e a , 2015; Mom e al., 2009; Ta ba e al., 2020;
Zimme mann e al., 2017). This equi es u he in es iga ion and is
pa o his explo a o y s udy.
An addi ional con ibu ion o ou wo k aims a in es iga ing he
a enue o unde s anding hese explo a ion–exploi a ion ensions
h ough he lens o cogni i e aming. Cogni i e aming e e s o
he men al amewo ks o lenses h ough which indi iduals in e p e
and make sense o hei expe iences and he wo ld a ound hem
(Egge s & Kaplan, 2013). Unde s anding he a iances in cogni i e
aming by on line and middle manage s p o ides unique insigh s
in o how hey nego ia e he dicho omy o explo a ion and exploi a-
ion (Ra aelli e al., 2019; T ipsas, 2009). Consequen ly, his unde -
s anding also helps o ganiza ions o answe he ques ion o how o
deal wi h he ensions o explo a ion and exploi a ion (Lin &
McDonough, 2014). Mo i a ed by hese gaps and d awing upon he
insigh s o Bi kinshaw e al. (2016), we de i e ou esea ch
ques ion:
1.1 |How do middle and on line manage s
cogni i ely ame hei en i onmen in he con ex o
he ension be ween explo a ion and exploi a ion?
To in es iga e ou esea ch ques ion, we use an embedded single case
s udy (Yin, 2009). Ou case company “So Co p”is a la ge mul ina-
ional so wa e company ha is o ced o adap o discon inuous
change in i s p ima y business. The highly dynamic en i onmen o a
so wa e co po a ion con ibu es o he need o achie e and main ain
ambidex e i y, unde sco ing he ele ance o in es iga ing his
capabili y (Ro hae mel & Alexand e, 2009).
In summa y, in o de o analyze how on line and middle man-
age s deal wi h ambidex e i y ensions, we use he lens o cogni i e
aming o unde s and he si ua ion and indi idual complex beha io al
esponses o explo a ion–exploi a ion ensions (K ishnakuma
e al., 2022; Lin & McDonough, 2014; Smi h & Tushman, 2005). Ou
indings show ha middle and on line manage s ind hemsel es in a
ield o ension be ween explo ing no el and exploi ing exis ing ech-
nologies du ing adap a ion. Wi hin his ield o ension, we p opose a
ypology wi h di e en cogni i e amings ha lead o con as ing
dealings wi h hose echnologies and con lic s wi hin depa men s
and he o ganiza ion. Ou in es iga ion con ibu es o he esea ch on
he ole and cogni i e aming o on line and middle manage s as
well as indi idual-le el ambidex e i y.
The emainde o his pape e iews pe inen li e a u e, de ails
ou me hodology, p esen s ou indings, and concludes wi h a discus-
sion o heo e ical and manage ial implica ions as well as s udy
limi a ions.
2|THEORY BACKGROUND
2.1 |Ambidex e i y a he o ganiza ional and
indi idual le el
Incumben i ms a e aced by discon inuous change igge ed by he
in en ion o new echnologies. Such in en ions quickly change ma ke
ules, o ganiza ional ope a ions, and business models (Hanel
e al., 2020; Kuma aswamy e al., 2018). Exis ing compe encies a e
de alued (Tushman & Ande son, 1986), exis ing capabili ies a e u ned
in o liabili ies (Leona d-Ba on, 1992), and he exis ing business model
is no longe aligned wi h he changing ex e nal en i onmen
(Ch is ensen, 1997; Ch is ensen & Bowe , 1996; Ch is ensen &
Rayno , 2003). S ill, cus ome s demand and need he exis ing p oduc s
and se ices (Gilbe , 2006). Thus, o ganiza ions con on ed wi h dis-
con inuous change o en choose o simul aneously exploi he exis ing
business while explo ing he oppo uni ies o he discon inuously
changing en i onmen (Ma ch, 1991; Tushman & O'Reilly, 1996).
The e is an ongoing schola ly discussion on he ideal balance be ween
explo a ion and exploi a ion. Luba kin e al. (2006) sugges a s a egy
o maximizing bo h poles, while Agos ini e al. (2016) and La ie and
Rosenkop (2006) a gue o a symme ical app oach, gi ing equal
impo ance o each. Con e sely, Lee e al. (2017) sugges ha an
asymme ic balance migh yield he bes esul s, sugges ing ha he
ela ionship be ween he wo poles is no linea and ha a mo e
complex s a egy migh be equi ed o o ganiza ional success, o
example, by shi ing a en ion be ween he poles (K ishnakuma
e al., 2022). Howe e , asymme ic app oaches could lead o cycles o
ailu e o success whe e one o he o he ex eme becomes dys unc-
ional (Le in hal & Ma ch, 1993; Quinn & Came on, 1988).
In hese ea lie wo ks on ambidex e i y, he concep was p ima ily
s udied a he o ganiza ional le el (Felin e al., 2015;Ga e i,2005). The
indi idual le el, on he o he hand, has o en been neglec ed. Only
ecen ly, schola s ha e been showing inc eased in e es in illing he
esea ch gap on how indi iduals pe cei e and deal wi h ambidex e i y
and wha his means o he o ganiza ion (Felin e al., 2015;Mom
e al., 2007,2009; Raisch e al., 2009). S udies a he indi idual le el also
con ibu e o exis ing deba es a he o ganiza ional le el by p o iding
insigh s in o how he balance be ween exploi a ion and explo a ion by
employees can in luence and shape he o e all capabili ies and s a egic
di ec ion o an o ganiza ion (Felin e al., 2015). Essen ially, unde s and-
ing how indi iduals na iga e hese dual demands can o e aluable
pe spec i es on managing simila challenges a he o ganiza ional le el.
In his con ex , Bi kinshaw e al. (2016) open an in e es ing
esea ch gap in indi idual-le el ambidex e i y by concep ually in eg a -
ing dynamic capabili ies heo y and ambidex e i y. By iewing he wo
concep s as complemen a y, hey o e lay he ideas o being able o
sense and seize oppo uni ies (dynamic capabili ies) wi h being able o
explo e and exploi oppo uni ies (ambidex e i y). Thus, hey equa e
sensing wi h explo ing and seizing wi h exploi ing oppo uni ies. The
emaining hi d capabili y, econ igu a ion, hen ep esen s he se ing
o an adap a ion mode in hei concep ual amewo k. The adap a ion
mode in ol es op managemen 's decision on whe he he o ganiza ion
686 FOX ET AL.
should s uc u ally sepa a e (i.e., sepa a e explo a ion and exploi a ion
uni s), beha io ally in eg a e (i.e., one uni ha in eg a es bo h explo a-
ion and exploi a ion), o sequen ially al e na e (i.e., explo a ion and
exploi a ion sepa a ed in ime) explo a ion and exploi a ion ac i i ies
(Bi kinshaw e al., 2016; Raisch & Bi kinshaw, 2008).
Wi h hei seminal wo k on he in eg a ion o he dynamic
capabili y heo y wi h he concep o ambidex e i y, Bi kinshaw e al.
(2016) show which ac o s play which oles in he es ablishmen o
ambidex ous o ganiza ions. O pa icula impo ance o he heo e i-
cal unde pinnings o his pape , hey ind ha explo a ion and exploi-
a ion ac i i ies a e p ima ily he domain o on line and middle
manage s. These manage s de elop and implemen dynamic capabili-
ies' c i ical componen s (explo a ion and exploi a ion). In p e ious
o ganiza ional s udies, op managemen indeed se s he adap a ion
mode, bu middle and on line manage s mus ollow wi hin a limi ed
ange o ac ion (Zimme mann e al., 2017). Howe e , as Zimme mann
e al. (2015) poin ou , middle and on line manage s play an
in luen ial ole in ini ia ing and enabling ambidex e i y. They exhibi
au onomous s a egic beha io , expe imen , and d i e adap a ion
(Bu gelman, 1983; Floyd & Lane, 2000). Thus, hey do ca y ou he
ambidex ous ac i i ies (Can a ello e al., 2012) and manage he duali-
ies ha in luence business pe o mance in dynamic en i onmen s
(Wol e al., 2021). F on line and middle manage s de e mine how
explo a ion and exploi a ion ac i i ies a e handled, aking in o accoun
he ini ial s a egic decision on he adap a ion mode made by op
managemen (Bi kinshaw e al., 2016; Zimme mann e al., 2017).
Using he ambidex e i y pe spec i e in oduced by Bi kinshaw e al.
(2016), we aim o add ess how on line and middle manage s handle
explo a ion and exploi a ion ac i i ies in a discon inuously changing en i-
onmen . To he bes o ou knowledge, his has a ely been e lec ed in
p e ious esea ch (Ch is o i e al., 2021; F ase & Ansa i, 2021;Hel a &
Pe e a , 2015). To explain how indi iduals cope wi h ambidex e i y, i is
necessa y o unde s and he consequences o simul aneous explo a ion
and exploi a ion as ambidex e i y ends o gene a e di e en ensions
(And iopoulos & Lewis, 2009), which will be discussed below.
2.2 |Explo a ion–exploi a ion ensions
The concep o ambidex e i y was i s a icula ed by Ma ch (1991)in
he o ganiza ional lea ning li e a u e. Ma ch (1991) dis inguishes
explo a ion and exploi a ion as wo dis inc o ganiza ional ac i i ies.
Exploi a ion imp o es e iciency, selec ion, and implemen a ion, while
explo a ion in ol es sea ching, expe imen a ion, and inno a ion. Pu -
suing bo h explo a ion and exploi a ion equi es a balance be ween
wo ac i i ies ha compe e o sca ce esou ces, equi e di e en
skills, and exis in a s a e o ension. Tensions include he need o
sho - e m bene i s h ough exploi a ion while in es ing in long- e m
explo a ion (Kunieda & Takashima, 2021). The e a e also ensions
be ween p ocess s anda diza ion and c ea i i y, expe imen a ion, and
lea ning (Gibson & Bi kinshaw, 2004). Manage s mus balance he
ension o alloca ing esou ces o ei he inc emen al imp o emen o
adical inno a ion (O'Reilly & Tushman, 2013).
As hese ensions imply, explo a ion and exploi a ion appea o be
inhe en ly incompa ible, meaning ha he simul aneous pu sui o he
ac i i ies is impossible (Gup a e al., 2006). This supposedly p esen s
manage s wi h an ei he /o -decision be ween explo a ion and exploi-
a ion ac i i ies. F om his pe spec i e, ambidex e i y is basically only
possible i he ac i i ies a e s ic ly sepa a ed. Ye bo h ac i i ies a e
necessa y o keep o ganiza ions iable in he p esen while p epa ing
hem o he u u e (Le in hal & Ma ch, 1993). Some o ganiza ions
choose o in eg a e bo h explo a ion and exploi a ion ac i i ies in one
depa men by c ea ing a con ex ha in eg a es he di e gen ac i i-
ies using beha io al, cogni i e, and social means. This is an adap a ion
mode called beha io al in eg a ion (Bi kinshaw e al., 2016; Eisenha d
e al., 2010; Gibson & Bi kinshaw, 2004). Howe e , beha io al
in eg a ion can lead o ensions o indi iduals in he o ganiza ion,
accompanied by cogni i e dissonance. Cogni i e dissonance is an
uncom o able emo ional s a e ha occu s when an indi idual has
mul iple o incompa ible cogni ions, which a e men al e en s asso-
cia ed wi h an e alua ion (Fes inge , 1957; Hinojosa e al., 2017).
While a balance be ween hese wo poles is necessa y o ensu e
sus ainable success (Ma ch, 1991), i c ea es ensions ha lead o
cogni i e dissonance. Thus, he e is a con lic be ween main aining
balance and managing ension. The discussion leads us o he ques ion
o wha hese ensions mean o on line and middle manage s who,
as explained abo e, a e caugh in he middle o hese explo a ion–
exploi a ion ensions because hey a e he ones o pe o m he
explo a o y and exploi a i e ac i i ies.
2.3 |Cogni i e aming and ambidex e i y
Illus a i e s udies o he in luence o he aming o a ailed business
model such as he ailu e o Pola oid (T ipsas & Ga e i, 2000) o he
e ec o he aming o online media as h ea o oppo uni y on
he esou ce commi men o newspape s (Gilbe , 2005,2006) show
ha hese in e p e i e p ocesses ha e been s udied a he o ganiza-
ional le el. Fu he mo e, ecen s udies show ha he concep o
cogni i e aming can be b oken down o he indi idual le el as a lens
o explo e how on line and middle manage s deal wi h ambidex ous
ensions (F ase & Ansa i, 2021).
Decision making in imes o discon inuous change is accompanied
by high le els o unce ain y and di e gen pe spec i es among
o ganiza ional membe s (Kaplan, 2008). Pe o mance measu es and
business impac s o new echnologies can only be es ima ed
(Kaplan, 2008; on K ogh, 2018). New echnologies add complexi y,
ha e no el ea u es, abs ac unc ionali y, and enable new and
unp eceden ed o ms o business models and collabo a ion (Bailey
e al., 2010; Nambisan e al., 2017). How a new echnology and he
changing ex e nal and o ganiza ional en i onmen a e pe cei ed and
in e p e ed is de e mined by indi iduals' in e p e i e schemes o
cogni i e aming (Co nelissen & We ne , 2014; Hahn e al., 2014).
Cogni i e aming is a men al s uc u e ha shapes how indi id-
uals pe cei e and in e p e in o ma ion (Hahn e al., 2014). I ac s as a
il e , limi ing pe cep ions based on he indi idual belie s and
FOX ET AL.687
unde s andings o o ganiza ional membe s (Gio gi, 2017). These
di e ences in how indi iduals cogni i ely ame hei en i onmen
lead o di e ences in how hey pe cei e and handle si ua ions such as
explo a ion–exploi a ion ensions.
Ambidex e i y necessi a es a delica e balance be ween exploi ing
cu en capabili ies and explo ing new oppo uni ies, inhe en ly lead-
ing o manage ial ensions. These ensions s em om he di e gen
p ocesses, s uc u es, and mindse s ha exploi a ion and explo a ion
each demand. When manage s a emp o na iga e hese opposing
o ces, cogni i e dissonance can a ise—Fes inge 's (1957,1962) wo k
p o ides insigh in o how such dissonance can p omp a shi in cogni-
i e aming o econcile con lic ing belie s and ac ions. Speci ically, in
an ambidex ous con ex , manage s may expe ience dissonance when
hei belie in op imizing exis ing ope a ions (exploi a ion) clashes wi h
he impe a i e o en u e in o new, uncha ed e i o ies (explo a ion).
To alle ia e his psychological discom o , manage s migh al e hei
cogni i e aming— hus hei in e p e i e lens—shi ing pe spec i es
om iewing new echnologies as h ea s o ecognizing hem as
oppo uni ies, he eby ealigning hei app oach om exploi a ion o
explo a ion, o ice e sa.
Schola s ha e ound ha how indi iduals cogni i ely ame hei
en i onmen is bes examined a mul iple le els, including he o gani-
za ional en i onmen and inne -o ganiza ional le els. (And iopoulos &
Lewis, 2009; F ase & Ansa i, 2021; Ra aelli e al., 2019). When mid-
dle o on line manage s a e in a si ua ion o ension caused by he
ambidex ous o ganiza ion, hey may pe cei e and hus ame hei
en i onmen , o ganiza ion, and depa men in a pa icula way. In
managemen li e a u e, esea che s ha e iden i ied di e en eac ions
o indi iduals o ense si ua ions: When manage s look a hei en i-
onmen , hey may lack ai h in he comme cial iabili y o newe
echnologies (T ipsas & Ga e i, 2000) and, depending on hei p edis-
posi ion, pay mo e a en ion o ei he he old o he new echnology
(Egge s & Kaplan, 2009). Pe cei ing hei o ganiza ion's esponse, hey
wan o hold on o exis ing powe (Kaplan, 2008), o show a isiona y
a i ude (Rosenbloom, 2000). Looking a how well hei depa men is
handling he si ua ion, hey may assume he ole o he ambidex ous
manage , a mul i aske able o b ing oge he di e en indi idual
amings, manage eme ging con adic ions, and e ine and enew hei
knowledge, skills, and know-how (Eisenha d e al., 2010; Mom
e al., 2009). Thus, he e is e idence ha hese explo a ion–
exploi a ion ensions can be amed di e en ly, esul ing in di e en
con lic ing iews o he si ua ion ha explain he ension and may also
ha e a sel - ein o cing e ec .
3|METHODS
3.1 |Resea ch se ing
The so wa e indus y is cha ac e ized by high ola ili y, apidly
changing echnologies, and equen discon inuous changes
(Khanagha e al., 2014; Sua ez, 2005). The e o e, i is ideally sui ed o
in es iga e ou esea ch ques ion. Ad ances in p ocesso
pe o mance, he p oli e a ion o compu ing de ices, and hei in e -
connec ion h ough an inc easingly as e in e ne ha e led o discon-
inuous change h ough he eme gence o cloud echnologies,
speci ically he ansi ion om on-p emises and exis ing cloud solu-
ions o cloud-na i e compu ing. The e o e, i is c i ical o incum-
ben s like So Co p o add ess he eme gence o cloud-na i e
compu ing. This equi es no only new business models bu also a
b eak om hei on-p emises pas —wi hou aliena ing o e en losing
cus ome s (T ipsas & Ga e i, 2000).
So Co p began as an in eg a ed o - he-shel so wa e package
ha soon became he co e o e ing o a wide ange o indus ies
and cus ome s. Today, h ough nume ous acquisi ions, So Co p is
a mul i-p oduc , mul ina ional company. I ansi ioned o cloud
compu ing wi h i s i s acquisi ion o a So wa e-as-a-Se ice (SaaS)
cloud se ices company. Al hough his en y in o cloud compu ing
coincided wi h he g ea hype su ounding he echnology in 2009
(Ga ne , 2009), So Co p did no begin o comp ehensi ely ansi ion
i s business uni s un il yea s la e . Howe e , se e al acquisi ions o e
he pas decade (i.e., since 2010) ha e helped he company gain a
oo hold in he cloud ma ke . The acquisi ions we e ini ially pu sued
in sepa a e uni s o companies a he han in eg a ed in o he com-
pany. This esul ed in a agmen ed and con using p oduc po olio.
While nume ous acquisi ions had enabled So Co p o co e a wide
ange o cloud ma ke s, he e was no clea ocus. Wi h a ecen
change in leade ship, his s a egy has changed adically. The new
CEO began o abandon an agg essi e acquisi ion s a egy and ocus
on in eg a ion and building a comp ehensi e p oduc po olio. On
op o ha , he e was inc easing p essu e om cloud-na i e applica-
ions ha compe i o s we e al eady o e ing.
Howe e , many exis ing cus ome s a e s ill sa is ied wi h
So Co p's es ablished so wa e and see no need o mo e o cloud
solu ions. In addi ion, So Co p is con ac ually obliga ed o con inue
o suppo he solu ions i sells, including upg ades o cu en secu i y
s anda ds. As a esul , signi ican esou ces a e s ill equi ed o main-
ain exis ing cus ome con ac s. This esou ce d ain is due in pa o
So Co p's his o y o in oducing new echnology: Du ing i s ansi-
ion o he cloud, So Co p in oduced h ee di e en echnology
ounda ions, called Run ime One,Two and Th ee, all o which we e
de eloped in esponse o he mul iple discon inuous changes in he
en i onmen caused by cloud compu ing. Run ime Th ee is he i s
ue cloud-na i e echnology ounda ion, ep esen ing he la es ech-
nological s ep in cloud compu ing. The adap a ion o cloud-na i e
compu ing wi h Run ime Th ee is by a he mos adical change o
So Co p and in ol es an accumula ion o se e al missed adap a ions
in he pas .
To handle his adical s ep o ganiza ionally, So Co p has c ea ed
an ambidex ous depa men (“Uni y depa men ”) o deal wi h i s
echnological pas and explo e i s u u e. The depa men simul a-
neously explo es new echnologies and exploi s exis ing echnologies
wi hou a s uc u ed sepa a ion o explo a ion and exploi a ion
ac i i ies. Thus, ambidex ous ac i i ies a e mani es ed in e e yday
beha io wi hou a o mal s uc u e, allowing indi iduals o manage
he con lic ing demands on hei own (Bi kinshaw & Gibson, 2004;
688 FOX ET AL.
Gibson & Bi kinshaw, 2004). Consequen ly, he depa men 's o m o
ambidex e i y can be conside ed as beha io al in eg a ion. This
adap a ion mode a emp s o b ing oge he he exis ing and he new
wi hin a depa men (Bi kinshaw e al., 2016). Membe s o such
business uni s mus be able o balance he compe ing demands o
explo a ion and exploi a ion while dealing wi h he di e en cogni i e
amings. Thus, in ou case s udy, we explo e his depa men 's
eme ging ensions and i s membe s' cogni i e aming.
3.2 |Resea ch design and sample
Ou s udy uses a quali a i e esea ch design o ob ain in-dep h da a
and o unde s and bo h he adap a ion o discon inuous change and
indi idual aming in he ension o ambidex e i y (Co nelissen, 2017;
Yin, 2009). I is easonable o apply an induc i e case s udy app oach
as esea ch on on line and middle manage s' oles and cogni i e am-
ing is a e (Co nelissen, 2017;Eisenha d ,1989;Yin,2009). Following
in luen ial s udies on cogni i e aming (Khanagha e al., 2014;
T ipsas & Ga e i, 2000), we use an embedded single case design
(Yin, 2009, p. 50) o examine how o ganiza ional membe s gi en hei
di e ences in cogni i e aming deal wi h he ension be ween explo a-
ion and exploi a ion when adap ing o discon inuous change. F on line
and middle manage s a e pa icula ly in ol ed in ambidex ous si ua-
ions (Bi kinshaw e al., 2016) and a e he e o e well sui ed o examine
di e en amings in ligh o he explo a ion–exploi a ion ension.
Thus, ou embedded mul iple uni s single case design is chosen as
a esea ch design o ex end he heo y (Yin, 2009). The uni o analy-
sis is he Uni y depa men , which is esponsible o laying he echno-
logical ounda ion o cloud se ices. Embedded uni s a e on line
and middle manage s. So Co p is s uck in he inno a o 's dilemma
(Ch is ensen, 1997) and had a change in leade ship ha ini ia ed he
business uni unde s udy. Fu he mo e, adap ing o cloud-na i e
compu ing, ambidex ous o ganiza ional con ex , and eme ging
ensions occu in a de inable, aceable, and sho pe iod o ime
(Khanagha e al., 2014; Yin, 2009).
3.3 |Da a collec ion
In o de o iangula e meaning ully (Jick, 1979), 26 in e iews we e
conduc ed wi h di e en pe spec i es and hie a chical backg ounds
wi hin and adjacen o he ocal depa men . The in e iew ou line
can be ound in he Appendix. 18 o he in e iewees came om he
Uni y depa men , which is esponsible o he implemen a ion o he
ounda ional echnologies o he o ganiza ion (see Table 1), o gain
deep insigh s in o he ocal depa men . Eigh in e iews we e
conduc ed in an adjacen c oss-sec ional depa men (see Table 2) o
ge an ex e nal iew om manage s who wo k a leas pa ially wi h
membe s o he Uni y depa men . The semi-s uc u ed in e iews
las ed be ween 30 and 90 min.
Semi-s uc u ed in e iews we e chosen o ob ain mo e open and
e lec i e esponses han would be possible wi h a closed su ey
echnique (May ing, 2003). In addi ion, addi ional da a was collec ed
o iangula ion: Se en in e iews we e conduc ed wi h wo cus-
ome s o he ocal company wi h di e en echnological equi e-
men s and a ying deg ees o no el y. These in e iews we e
conduc ed o gain deepe insigh s in o he con ex and backg ound
in o ma ion o he ocal company. In addi ion, a comp ehensi e se o
da a (e.g., a chi al da a, p esen a ions, le e s o sha eholde s) was
collec ed o gain insigh in o he o ganiza ional con ex in pa icula ,
o example, o suppo he c ea ion o he con ex desc ip ion and
he symbolic app oxima ion shown in Figu e 1.
TABLE 1 Da a collec ion in he Uni y depa men .
In e iewee ole
In e iew
da e
Du a ion
(minu es)
Vice p esiden cloud na i e
s a egy
21.09.21 90
P oduc manage 06.10.21 50
Di ec o IT 12.10.21 40
De elopmen manage 13.10.21 30
Senio so wa e de elope 25.10.21 30
Chie a chi ec 29.10.21 40
Vice p esiden and chie p oduc
owne
02.11.21 40
P oduc manage 05.11.21 50
P oduc Expe 24.11.21 50
De elopmen a chi ec 07.12.21 40
Head o un ime wo 08.12.21 60
Chie p oduc owne 09.12.21 40
Chie a chi ec 10.12.21 50
Chie p oduc expe 05.01.22 50
Chie p oduc expe 05.01.22 40
Chie a chi ec 21.01.22 40
P oduc expe 26.01.22 70
Head o enginee ing un ime
h ee
28.01.22 50
TABLE 2 Da a collec ion in he c oss-sec ional depa men .
In e iewee ole
In e iew
da e
Du a ion
(minu es)
Resea ch expe 28.09.21 60
Chie a chi ec 06.10.21 40
Senio de elopmen
manage
28.10.21 50
Chie a chi ec 03.11.21 30
P oduc manage 15.11.21 40
Senio de elopmen
manage
03.12.21 30
Chie p oduc expe 09.12.21 40
Senio manage 02.02.22 30
FOX ET AL.689
3.4 |Da a analysis
Case s udy analysis helps o e eal complex ela ionships be ween
pe cep ion and esponse o discon inuous change (e.g., Gilbe , 2005).
In o de o de elop heo y om he case s udy esea ch, all da a we e
collec ed and analyzed acco ding o Yin' (2009), p. 2 ., six-s ep p o-
cess. A e planning and designing he esea ch, p epa ing a heo e i-
cally use ul case, and collec ing he da a, he da a we e examined. In
his s ep, he indings a e explo ed in an in-dep h case s udy analysis
(Yin, 2009, pp. 156–160).
The in e iews we e i s cleanly ansc ibed and hen coded as
pa o he da a p epa a ion and he subsequen hema ic analysis
(B aun & Cla ke, 2006) using MAXQDA 2022 (D esing & Pehl, 2013;
Kucka z, 2010; Lincoln & Guba, 1985). We amilia ized ou sel es
wi h he da a using a p ede ined se o codes de i ed om heo y.
This p ede ined se o codes includes he ollowing ca ego ies: bound-
a y condi ions including he esou ce alloca ion and iming, ambidex-
ous ac i i ies, ha is, explo a i e as well as exploi a i e ac i i ies,
and cogni i e aming, each including he aming le els en i onmen ,
company, and depa men . Thus, we build sepa a ed code ca ego ies
o manage s' aming and hei ope a ional ac i i ies. These ini ial
codes we e applied sys ema ically ac oss he da ase . While going
h ough he ansc ip s, salien passages we e commen ed and new
codes including in i o codes we e added ei he as new code ca ego y
o subcode o he code ca ego ies ha we e de i ed om heo y. As
we del ed deepe in o he da a, we e ined and expanded hese codes
du ing he p ocess o hema ic analysis (B aun & Cla ke, 2006). Thus,
we added codes conce ning he aming o explo a ion–exploi a ion
ensions and i s easons wi hin and ac oss he h ee aming le els.
Fu he , by using MAXQDA's coding compa ison ools, we could
de i e he aming ypology wi hin and ac oss he espec i e aming
le els and we e able o code he segmen s acco dingly. The codes
we e compa ed wi h exis ing li e a u e o ind addi ional heo e ical
a enues and u he e ine he codes.
This app oach allowed us o iden i y a c i ical phase o cogni i e
dissonance due o he unequal alloca ion o esou ces o new and
exis ing de elopmen s, which explains he ensions aced by on line
and middle manage s. Thus, hey can be classi ied in o di e en ypes
wi h di e en cogni i e aming a he en i onmen al, o ganiza ional,
and depa men al le els.
We ha e emained open and sensi i e o he con adic ions and
inconsis encies o he heo y (Kucka z, 2010). The analysis was
adap ed by he empi ical eali y and no applied as an unchangeable
in e p e i e amewo k (Kucka z, 2010). In e -code eliabili y was
achie ed by in ol ing he au ho s o his a icle in he analysis
(Lincoln & Guba, 1985). The ollowing case s udy p esen s So Co p's
Uni y depa men , which is esponsible o he company's u u e and
pas echnology in as uc u e. The indings include a desc ip ion o
he depa men i sel and he ensions i aces. Focusing on he indi-
idual le el, he cogni i e aming o middle and on line manage s o
he echnology en i onmen , he s a egic di ec ion o he company,
and he Uni y depa men i sel a e p esen ed.
4|FINDINGS
4.1 |Uni y Depa men and eme ging ensions
In an unp eceden ed e o o in eg a e he dispa a e echnology
en i onmen s So Co p had amassed h ough acquisi ions and home-
g own de elopmen , he new CEO decided o make a adical shi in
s a egy, acco ding o one Chie A chi ec :
“The new CEO came and said we ha e been alking
abou in eg a ion o such a long ime. Bu we need o
do i which means ha i should be pa o he oad
map. I should be pa o he budge and s a ing. I
should be pa o he objec i es. Tha helped a lo . I'm
seeing a shi in mindse .”
The Uni y depa men was c ea ed o in eg a e p e iously sepa-
a e business uni s esul ing om acquisi ions o cloud companies and
FIGURE 1 Eme gence o ensions. [Colou igu e can be iewed a wileyonlinelib a y.com]
690 FOX ET AL.
o b ing he agmen ed echnology po olio on o a common echnol-
ogy ounda ion. The goal was o mo e cus ome s om legacy cloud
and on-p emises solu ions o a s a e-o - he-a pla o m. The
cloud e olu ion ook place in h ee phases. In he i s phase, So Co p
de eloped an in-house un ime en i onmen . “Run ime One”is
hos ed on in-house se e s and p o ides a Pla o m-as-a-Se ice
(PaaS). Wi h he inc easing a ailabili y and powe o open-sou ce so -
wa e, So Co p decided o mo e away om he p op ie a y pa h. A
ew yea s a e Run ime One, he second echnology en i onmen ,
Run ime Two, was in oduced in he mid-2010s. Run ime Two is a
u nkey, open-sou ce pla o m o applica ion de elope s ha makes
i easy o deploy and un applica ions. A e he launch o Run ime
Two and he change o CEO, Run ime Th ee was in he s a ing
blocks. The de elopmen o Run ime Th ee and he new CEO did no
coincide, bu Run ime Th ee is pa o he adical change in s a egy.
P e iously, op managemen did no see Run ime Th ee as he u u e,
acco ding o he Vice P esiden o Cloud Na i e S a egy:
“The decision-le el did no unde s and why [Run ime
Th ee] is he igh solu ion.”
I ook a lo o con incing om he cloud-na i e compu ing
depa men s o op managemen o see he echnology's po en ial.
This is because Run ime Th ee has he po en ial o me ge he exis ing
echnological pas . Th ee is mo e lexible, mo e ex ensible, and he
i s uly cloud-na i e en i onmen . I gi es de elope s mo e lexibi-
li y while equi ing mo e complex de elopmen wo k. As one Chie
A chi ec explains, wi h Run ime Th ee,
“[…] we a e going o essen ially e hink how we do
cloud so ha we ac ually ge on a sus ainable
ajec o y.”
No only we e Run ime One, Two and Th ee de eloped and
o e ed o cus ome s in apid succession, bu hey we e based on
di e en echnologies. So Co p has sold he h ee solu ions o cus-
ome s, selling each indi idually as u u e-p oo . Howe e , since he
exis ing solu ions wo k well o mos cus ome s, many do no wan o
mo e o a new Run ime en i onmen . This c ea es a esou ce-
in ensi e need o So Co p o main ain exis ing and new echnolo-
gies in pa allel, pu ing he company in an inno a o 's dilemma
(Ch is ensen, 1997). The Uni y depa men 's objec i e, as desc ibed
by in e iewees, is o me ge he h ee di e en echnologies in o a
cohesi e hyb id solu ion. The Head o Enginee ing Run ime Th ee
abou he beginnings o he Uni y depa men :
“We immedia ely s a ed wo king on a common s a -
egy o uni y he h ee un imes.”
The ul ima e goal is o he cus ome o be obli ious o he use o
di e en echnology bases and o pu chase only one se ice, ega d-
less o he echnology base. Because all h ee en i onmen s a e dis-
con inuous changes in hei own igh , hey each ha e hei own
ba ie s o adap a ion. These include di e en mindse s, esou ces,
and skill se s. Acco ding o he Head o Enginee ing Run ime Th ee,
b inging he h ee echnology bases oge he
“[…] is he cen al ques ion o change. His o ically, o
cou se, he e ha e been di e en eams, some o
which hink di e en ly and e en hink agains each
o he .”
To add ess hese issues, he uni in eg a es esou ces om i s
h ee cloud echnologies as well as addi ional echnologies. A his
s age, he depa men is ambidex ous, as i in ol es bo h explo -
a o y and exploi a i e ac i i ies. I pe o ms cloud-based de elop-
men , i e a es, akes isks, and expe imen s wi h he newe
echnologies (explo a ion), while s ill se ing he in e es s o exis ing
cus ome s, e ining, and implemen ing exis ing p oduc s (exploi a-
ion). Indi iduals mus engage in bo h exploi a i e and explo a o y
ac i i ies, some a he same ime. Thus, he mode o adap a ion is
beha io al in eg a ion (Bi kinshaw e al., 2016; Gibson &
Bi kinshaw, 2004). In his con ex , ensions lead o ques ions o
esou ce alloca ion o he new echnology (i.e., esou ces o explo a-
ion ac i i ies) o o he echnology being eplaced (i.e., esou ces o
exploi a ion ac i i ies). In an a emp o p o ide a symbolic app oxi-
ma ion o he si ua ion a So Co p, we ha e c ea ed Figu e 1. This
igu e makes no claim o ep esen an exac alloca ion o esou ces
o new and exis ing echnologies o e ime. Howe e , i is in ended
o supplemen he si ua ion desc ip ion so ha he c i ical phase
o cogni i e dissonance is easie o g asp. I also shows he impac
o he iming di e ence be ween a ecen ension be ween
Run ime Two and Run ime Th ee, he ounda ional echnologies o
cloud-na i e applica ions, and he long-s anding gene al ansi ion o
he cloud.
As can be seen om he igu e, ensions a ise no only be ween
all he abo e explo a ion and exploi a ion ac i i ies bu especially
wi hin he ac i i ies ela ed o he exploi a ion o Run ime Two and
he explo a ion o Run ime Th ee. This poses signi ican challenges
o he depa men membe s, which can be a ibu ed o he di e-
en indi idual cogni i e amings wi hin he depa men . In e es-
ingly, and in con as o he beha io al in eg a ion o he Uni y
depa men , many explo a o y ac i i ies a So Co p a e s uc u ally
sepa a ed. In con as o he ambidex ous ensions be ween
Run ime Two and Th ee, he basic explo a o y esul s o designa ed
labs a e ecognized and accep ed by he membe s o he Uni y
depa men .
The adap a ion p ocess s a s wi h he alloca ion o mos
esou ces o he Run ime Two echnology, wi h jus a ew esou ces
alloca ed o Run ime Th ee. As soon as mo e esou ces will low o
he new echnology in he o m o people, unds, and skills, we
assume a educ ion o ensions. We a gue ha his is based on en-
sions ceasing be ween on-p emises and cloud solu ions in he b oade
con ex o he cloud ansi ion (see Figu e 1). O ganiza ional membe s
a e awa e o he cloud being he main echnological basis, so we
no iced li le o no ension on his issue. Thus, he “ ension”as he
FOX ET AL.691
cou se p og esses is usually be ween Run ime Two and Th ee. In
addi ion o he ension be ween he wo echnologies, he e is ag ee-
men abou he di ec ion o So Co p, as he Run ime Two Leade
poin s ou :
“I do no hink he e's ha much disag eemen abou
he igh di ec ion and wha 's needed o i , bu he
ension comes om he abili y o execu e. Wha can
we ge done? How can we ake ca e o he cus ome s
and s ill do he new hings? And how do we ge he
igh balance he e? […] I 's be e o desc ibe i as
ension han con lic , because i 's no a con lic o
goals, bu a he a balancing ac .”
This cla i y abou he igh echnology choices may also s em
om he clea di ec ion se by So Co p's new leade ship. So Co p's
new CEO has es ablished a e olu iona y app oach, he Di ec o o
P oduc Managemen no iced:
“One o he main guidelines by he managemen was
no o e ol e, bu o ha e a e olu ion. So, i 's no o
use exis ing means o sol e new p oblems, a he
o come up wi h new means. An ea hquake b ings a
lo o oppo uni ies.”
The e olu iona y app oach o he op managemen eam se s a
clea ocus on apid explo a ion o he new echnology. The simul a-
neous and esou ce-in ensi e explo a ion o Run ime Th ee and
exploi a ion o Run ime Two (including Run ime One and legacy
on-p emises en i onmen s) c ea es signi ican ension.
In summa y, da a indica e ha day- o-day ope a ional changes,
such as he adop ion o ce ain cloud-na i e echnologies, may be
mo e p one o gene a e ensions han he gene al need o mo ing o
he cloud.
4.2 |F aming ypology in he Uni y Depa men
The Uni y depa men , a con luence o di e se compe encies due o
a ious acquisi ions, exhibi s a ange o cogni i e amings as no ed
by a Senio De elopmen Manage . The manage no es ha he
equi ed mindse s a e
“[…] comple ely di e en . You ha e o ge ha
end- o-end mindse in o people when you a e building
a piece o code, whe he i 's in he da abase o as a
se ice a ound i . We always say we a e ying o each
a whale o ly.”
These di e ences in indi idual cogni i e aming a e pa icula ly
e iden in adap ing o new Run ime en i onmen s. Fo example,
he accep ance o Run ime Th ee and he p e e ence o olde
en i onmen s we e obse ed o co ela e wi h hese di e se
cogni i e ames.
Looking a cogni i e aming in de ail, i appea s on di e en
le els: en i onmen , company, and depa men . Cogni i e amings
a e ound on a spec um wi h pola ex emes a hese le els.
Highligh ing he di e ence in cogni i e aming among indi idual
on line and middle manage s, we ind h ee di e en ypes o indi-
iduals wi h a speci ic cogni i e aming a each le el (see Figu e 2).
Thus, in his sec ion, we will go h ough he pe spec i e o h ee cog-
ni i e aming ypes: The E olu ionis , he Re olu ionis , and he
Media o . Di e en ypes can be ound h ough he Uni y depa men
and inside he eams. This conce ns a combina ion o Media o s and
ei he Re olu ionis s o E olu ionis s. I should be no ed ha he
ex emes o he spec um a e a ely ound in eali y in hei pu e o m
as discussed he e (Hahn e al., 2014).
4.2.1 | E olu ionis
Fi s , he E olu ionis conside s echnology o be o seconda y impo -
ance. A he same ime, hey ejec he s a egic app oach because
hey ind i oo adical. The eason is gi en by a mo e e olu iona y
De elopmen Senio Manage :
“The e olu iona y pa h is ac ually he pa h ha
ul ima ely sa is ies mos cus ome s.”
Run ime Th ee is seen as one, bu no he only, echnology ha
will sa is y cus ome s in he u u e. This iew explici ly akes in o
accoun he needs o cus ome s, who a e conce ned ha hey may
discon inue hei ela ionship wi h So Co p due o cons an changes
in he echnology base. Ano he Chie A chi ec is conce ned abou
Run ime Th ee:
“We ha e also ecei ed eedback om cus ome s ha
he mig a ion is no as easy and ha hey do no wel-
come i as hey did in he pas and wi h [Run ime One]
and [Run ime Two]. Tha mean a lo o e o and
cos .”
As a esul , he adical di ec ion aken by op managemen
ends o be pe cei ed as a h ea o he business, which om hei
pe spec i e is doing well as i is. In addi ion, his ype claims ha
c i ical in as uc u e canno simply be upg aded o new echnologies.
As a esul , cus ome s would p e e o ha e a choice o echnologies
o no ca e a all, as a Senio De elopmen Manage no es:
”The use , ankly, does no ca e whe e i uns.”
In hei iew, managemen igno es ha So Co p depends on
he exis ing cus ome base, and ice e sa. Fo example, a Senio
De elopmen Manage exp essed conce n abou sa e y-c i ical
machines unning cloud-na i e echnologies:
692 FOX ET AL.
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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES
Daniel-Leonha d Fox is a esea ch associa e a he F aunho e
Ins i u e o Indus ial Enginee ing IAO. He holds a MSc in Busi-
ness Adminis a ion om he Uni e si y o Po sdam whe e he
ocused on inno a ion managemen and en ep eneu ship. His
esea ch in e es s include he opics o echnology and inno a ion
managemen , wi h an emphasis on discon inuous change and
o ganiza ional ambidex e i y. He is cu en ly wo king on issues
ela ed o he success ul adap a ion o incumben i ms, indi idual
cogni i e aming and pa adox managemen . He has p esen ed his
esea ch a leading inno a ion and en ep eneu ship con e ences.
Oli e Kullik wo ks as a consul an and is a PhD candida e a he
Uni e si y o Po sdam. His esea ch in e es s conce n inno a ion
managemen and co po a e en ep eneu ship. P e iously, he
wo ked in specialized consul ing i ms and a deep- ech s a up.
He p esen ed se e al a icles a leading inno a ion and en ep e-
neu ship con e ences and published in he In e na ional Jou nal o
Inno a ion Managemen .
FOX ET AL.699
Ka ha ina Hölzle is p o esso and di ec o o he Ins i u e o
Human Fac o s and Technology Managemen IAT a he Uni e -
si y o S u ga and di ec o o he F aunho e Ins i u e o Indus-
ial Enginee ing IAO. She is o me Edi o -in-Chie o C ea i i y
and Inno a ion Managemen . He esea ch a eas a e dis up i e
echnologies and inno a ion, (digi al) ans o ma ion o he o gani-
za ion, human ac o s and en ep eneu ship. She has published in
mul iple leading echnology and inno a ion managemen jou nals,
including Jou nal o P oduc Inno a ion Managemen , C ea i i y and
Inno a ion Managemen and R&D Managemen .
How o ci e his a icle: Fox, D.-L., Kullik, O., & Hölzle, K.
(2024). Manage ial aming in ligh o discon inuous change:
Re olu ionis s, e olu ionis s, and media o s. C ea i i y and
Inno a ion Managemen ,33(4), 685–700. h ps://doi.o g/10.
1111/caim.12608
APPENDIX I: INTERVIEW OUTLINE A
A.1 |In oduc ion
1. Acknowledgemen
2. Open ques ions
3. Admission app o al
A.2 |Guided in e iew ques ionnai e
1. Role and change o e ime
1.1 In which depa men do you wo k?
1.1.1 Which hie a chy le el bes sui s you posi ion?
1.1.2 Employee, Middle le el, Senio le el o Highe le el?
1.2 Wha is you ole in he depa men ?
1.2.1 How long ha e you been in his ole?
1.2.2 How has his ole and i s esponsibili ies changed
o e ime?
2. Depa men al and co po a e pe cep ion
2.1 A e he e cu en ly wo o mo e exis ing/ eplacing and new
echnologies in you depa men ?
2.1.1 Wha a e hey?
2.1.2 How does his mani es i sel in he o ganiza ional
s uc u e?
2.1.3 How does he in e ac ion o he di e en echnological
pa adigms wo k?
2.2 Wha challenges do you ace wi h he p esence o di e en
echnologies?
2.2.1 How do you balance new and old?
2.2.2 Wha challenges a ise ega ding communica ion wi hin
he eam o be ween indi idual playe s in he
depa men ?
2.2.3 How do you eel abou he cu en handling?
2.3 How does he company as a whole deal wi h echnological
pa adigms?
2.3.1 How do you in e p e his in e ac ion?
2.3.2 How do you deal wi h i ?
2.4 How would you a e he depa men in e ms o de elop-
men s a ound [new echnology] om 1 ( e y poo ) o 5 ( e y
good)?
2.4.1 Why?
2.4.2 F om you pe spec i e, how ha e ac i i ies de eloped
wi h espec o he [new echnology] compa ed o he
[exis ing echnology]?
3. En i onmen al pe cep ion (explo a ion)
3.1 How a e echnological inno a ions acked down?
3.1.1 How did you pe sonally ini ially in e p e hese ends/
news?
3.1.2 Wha is you con ibu ion?
3.2 When you hink abou he company's en i onmen ( echnolo-
gies, ne wo k, cus ome s, pa ne s, se ice p o ide s, compe i-
ion, e c.),…
3.2.1 …wha oppo uni ies/ isks do you pe sonally see?
3.2.2 …how do o he s in he depa men pe cei e he en i-
onmen compa ed o you?
4. Alignmen o depa men , company and en i onmen (exploi a ion)
4.1 How would you a e he depa men 's cu en use o
echnology?
4.1.1 How do you pe sonally eel abou i ?
4.1.2 To wha ex en did you make he decision o do his?
4.2 How sa e did you eel using his echnology when you hink
abou he cu en en i onmen ?
4.2.1 To wha ex en do you pe sonally weigh o ganiza ional
isk agains unce ain y be o e using/ ecommending?
4.3 To wha ex en we e exis ing depa men expe iences/ ou-
ines/capabili ies used o de elopmen and implemen a ion?
4.3.1 To wha ex en ha e hese expe iences/ ou ines/skills
been su icien ?
4.3.2 Also, we e he e exis ing employee/company skills ha
could be eused in ano he o m?
4.3.3 To wha ex en a e expe iences/ ou ines/skills om
o he depa men s accessible o new de elopmen ?
4.4 Which echnological inno a ions o en i onmen al changes do
you delibe a ely no use in he depa men ?
4.4.1 How do you eel abou i ?
4.4.2 Ha e you made his decision?
4.4.3 I no, in wha ways would you ha e chosen o do so?
4.4.4 In his case, o wha ex en do hey p oceed in a com-
pa able way (in e ms o isk assessmen and unce -
ain y) as hey do wi h he inno a ions/changes ha
a e hen ac ually used?
5. Conclusion: Is he e any hing else ha was no asked bu comes o
mind on his opic?
700 FOX ET AL.
