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Sustainability-Oriented Technology Exploration: Managerial Values, Ambidextrous Design, And Separation Drift

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  • ERIK G. HANSEN

    (Institute for Integrated Quality Design (IQD), Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU), Altenberger Straße 69, 4040 Linz, Austria†Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM), Leuphana University Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, 21335 Lüneburg, Germany)

  • SAMUEL WICKI

    (��Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM), Leuphana University Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, 21335 Lüneburg, Germany‡Enterprise for Society Centre (E4S), UNIL-HEC, IMD, EPFL, Odyssea, EPFL Station 5, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland)

  • STEFAN SCHALTEGGER

    (��Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM), Leuphana University Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, 21335 Lüneburg, Germany)

Abstract

Sustainability is a key societal challenge and has become an opportunity for innovation. While start-ups are prone to enter such new territories, established companies are more hesitant to leave current trajectories and embrace uncertainty linked to sustainability-oriented exploration. We present a case of a conventional high-tech firm of an owner-manager whose strong values of universalism led him to initialise a sustainability-oriented diversification by exploring renewable energy technologies. Our longitudinal study uncovers how changes in ambidextrous organisational design and represented managerial values ultimately resulted in failed exploration. Our contribution is threefold: First, we link individual-level managerial values of universalism with organisational-level phenomena of sustainability-oriented exploration and diversification. Second, we contribute to bridging hitherto mostly separate bodies of literature on sustainability-oriented innovation and ambidexterity to better understand how conventional firms can deploy their technological capabilities for sustainability. Third, we conceptualise the “separation drift†as fading organisational separation resulting in exploration failure.

Suggested Citation

  • Erik G. Hansen & Samuel Wicki & Stefan Schaltegger, 2022. "Sustainability-Oriented Technology Exploration: Managerial Values, Ambidextrous Design, And Separation Drift," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 26(05), pages 1-27, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:ijimxx:v:26:y:2022:i:05:n:s1363919622400047
    DOI: 10.1142/S1363919622400047
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    Cited by:

    1. Xi Zhang, 2022. "Incremental Innovation: Long-Term Impetus for Design Business Creativity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-24, November.

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