Strategic Entrepreneurship: Exploration, Exploitation, and Ambidexterity Practices in Craft Breweries From Uberlândia, Mg

Abstract

Purpose: This paper aims to understand the configuration of strategic entrepreneurship practices of exploration, exploitation, and ambidexterity in craft breweries from Uberlândia, MG. Originality/value: Strategic entrepreneurship enables the comprehension of entrepreneurial phenomena from an organizational perspective. Furthermore, this research is conducted in an emergent industry in Brazil, with few studies in the field of management that consider the idiosyncrasies of craft breweries. Design/methodology/approach: We conducted a qualitative multicase study with three craft breweries from Uberlândia, MG. Twelve interviews were performed, and the set of empirical data collected were analyzed through narrative analysis technique. Findings: We identified several strategic entrepreneurship practices in the craft breweing sector. First, exploration practices were found in some radical innovations, such as the pioneering nature in the production of craft beers in Uberlândia, the creation of new products, and in the setting of new business models. Second, exploitation practices were also identified in incremental innovations that enabled business development. Hence, ambidexterity relied on the balance of exploration and exploitation practices, as innovative endeavors enabled the creation and development of new products and access to new markets. Thus, strategic entrepreneurship practices reflect the initiatives of entrepreneurial agents that seek to promote organizational innovations in terms of quality improvements, new production and marketing strategies, and the adoption of new technologies. Therefore, strategic entrepreneurship reflects and contributes to innovation possibilities, strategic renewals, and the competitiveness of craft breweries, revealing the analytical power of this theoretical approach for the study of entrepreneurial phenomena.

Learning-driven strategic renewal: systematic literature review

“…Learning-related dimension of strategic renewal Volberda et al, (2001b) highlight the importance of exploration and exploitation as content dimensions of strategic renewal, with exploration focused on discovering opportunities and driving innovation, while exploitation emphasizes production efficiency and transformation (Agarwal and Helfat, 2009;Riviere et al, 2018;Silvestre et al, 2021). Firms seeking to strengthen their market position must prioritize strategic renewal initiatives.…”

“…Specifically, the orchestration roles played by both individual actors and top-level management amplify organizational adaptability and long-term viability. This nuanced view is further enriched by spatial-temporal analytics presented by Nielsen et al (2018) and industry-specific insights from Silvestre et al (2021), who delineate the paradox perspective's practical utility in distinct sectors. The necessity to adapt to rapidly shifting business paradigms amplifies the inadequacy of monolithic approaches, thus punctuating the urgency for context-specific frameworks (McKinsey and Company, 2021b).…”

“…(e.g Jones and Macpherson, 2006) (e.g Ravasi and Lojacono, 2005; Lengnick-Hall and Inocencio-Gray, 2013; Horst and Moisander, 2015;Nielsen et al, 2018;Volberda et al, 2001a;Silvestre et al, 2021;Crossan and Berdrow, 2003) Source: Created by authors Systematic literature review organization's unique operational milieu and long-term aspirations. Therefore, the multidimensional scaffolding of the paradox perspective provides not only a theoretical advance but also a pragmatic toolkit for learning-driven strategic renewal.…”