Orchestration of dynamic capabilities for competitive advantage
International Journal of Energy Sector Management
ISSN: 1750-6220
Article publication date: 12 March 2019
Issue publication date: 16 September 2019
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to shed light on how offshore wind park business networks can orchestrate dynamic capabilities to enable innovation for the competitive advantage of renewable offshore wind energy.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on a qualitative multiple-case study of operation and maintenance activities in offshore wind parks, starting in June 2014 with a pilot qualitative case study and the main qualitative multiple-case research conducted via in-depth interviews with 20 enterprises. The preliminary findings were presented for the qualitative triangulation of comments in a seminar in May 2015.
Findings
The findings explain the need for collaboration across the business network through the use of an open innovation platform for orchestrating dynamic signature capabilities in combination with ordinary capabilities. Both locally distributed leadership and central leadership in knowledge creation are necessary ingredients. The model developed from the research findings shows the need to change the competitive advantage criteria within business networks to VRIS (valuable, rare, imitable, substitutable) in contrast to the traditional criteria for individual enterprises of VRIN (valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable, non-substitutable).
Research limitations/implications
The research is focused on offshore wind park business networks, and therefore, the generalizability of this qualitative case study to other contexts can be limited. Further research is thus needed to verify the findings.
Originality/value
A three-fold contribution is made to the understanding of the integrated combination of orchestrating dynamic capabilities in the offshore wind energy sector. Business networks, academia and policy bodies are given a model for enacting the competitive advantage of renewable offshore wind energy for the benefit of society.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the many offshore wind farm actors contributing anonymous to this article, the EU Regional Fund in conjunction with the Region of South Denmark for their financial assistance, the Danish Wind Industry Association in combination with offshoreenergy.dk for their administrative assistance, the anonymious reviewers to this article and last but not least my former colleague, now retired, Associate Professor Svend Ole Madsen, University of Southern Denmark, and former Post Doc. Salla Lutz, now Quality Manager at Heidelberg Instruments Mikrotechnik GmbH, for ideas and collaboration during research.
Citation
Brink, T. (2019), "Orchestration of dynamic capabilities for competitive advantage", International Journal of Energy Sector Management, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 960-976. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJESM-09-2018-0005
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited