Towards an Instrument for Measuring Strategic Motives for Corporate Ventures

Abstract

<jats:p> This article proposes that corporate entrepreneurship and strategy can be linked in a means–ends relationship if it is possible to determine the motives behind individual corporate ventures. To facilitate future empirical investigations, it develops an instrument for measuring such motives, and tests this instrument on a sample of 274 ventures in small and medium-sized enterprises. The findings confirm that most of the ventures examined are linked to strategic concerns. Moreover, the instrument design provides dimensions for motives rather than categories, because dimensions can be more freely evaluated and combined in future research, for instance in the form of venture motive profiles. The dimensions, obtained through factor analysis, are orientation in regard to sought effects (improving business or gaining competence), posture (offensive versus defensive) and adaptive style (proactive versus reactive). Researchers can benefit from the instrument in empirical work, and their findings can in turn be of value for both practitioners and policy makers. </jats:p>

Double ambidexterity: How a Telco incumbent used business‐model and technology innovations to successfully respond to three major disruptions

“…This lack of proactivity has been attributed to the difficulty in overcoming three fundamental tensions: diverging strategic intents (profit vs. breakthroughs), customer orientation (tight vs. loose coupling), and personal drivers (discipline vs. passion) (Andriopoulos & Lewis, 2009). Some authors have argued that ambidexterity should be sought through organizational separation (O'Reilly, Harreld, & Tushman, 2009); others have argued that it can be achieved by building processes or systems that support individuals to overcome the tensions associated with ambidexterity (Gibson & Birkinshaw, 2004); and finally, ambidexterity might also be achieved through externalization, such as promoting exploration through venturing schemes (Michl, Gold, & Picot, 2013;Raisch, Birkinshaw, Probst, & Tushman, 2009;Rohrbeck, Döhler, & Arnold, 2009;Thorén, 2014).…”

“…Even after more than two decades of research on, and practice of, organizational ambidexterity, it is doubtful whether Tushman and O'Reilly need to alter their original observation from 1996 in which they stated: “ While there are clear benefits to proactive change, only a small minority of farsighted firms initiate discontinuous change before a performance decline .” This lack of proactivity has been attributed to the difficulty in overcoming three fundamental tensions: diverging strategic intents (profit vs. breakthroughs), customer orientation (tight vs. loose coupling), and personal drivers (discipline vs. passion) (Andriopoulos & Lewis, ). Some authors have argued that ambidexterity should be sought through organizational separation (O'Reilly, Harreld, & Tushman, ); others have argued that it can be achieved by building processes or systems that support individuals to overcome the tensions associated with ambidexterity (Gibson & Birkinshaw, ); and finally, ambidexterity might also be achieved through externalization, such as promoting exploration through venturing schemes (Michl, Gold, & Picot, ; Raisch, Birkinshaw, Probst, & Tushman, ; Rohrbeck, Döhler, & Arnold, ; Thorén, ).…”

The Politics of Digitizing Art and Culture in Vietnam: A Case Study on Matca Space of Photography in Hanoi

“…It is important to look at this in relation to what is happening in a developing country in South East Asia, as a lot is written about in relation to Western countries [ 5 , 17 , 21 , 25 ]. The current study will redress this imbalance.…”

“…This is the case even though a lot of art and culture is transitioning to online platforms, being transferred to digital formats and an incresasing amount of exhibitions are being held online. Furthermore, while there have been studies on the digital disruption of the design, book publishing, and print industry sectors [ 5 , 21 , 25 ], relatively less has been researched on the art and culture sector. As Miles and Green argue, there are few studies of innovation in the creative industries, especially with regards to technological innovation and the digitization of content that is driving major changes in the creative industries [ 17 ].…”