Encountering Discontinuous Change

The question of how incumbent companies deal with discontinuous change represents one of the most intriguing and rapidly evolving areas of strategic management research. There is a growing emphasis on the individual level of analysis, rather than on the overall organizational level. Although a large number of studies exist on this topic, the various organizational levels and their interrelationships have not yet been sufficiently researched. As a result, adaptation to discontinuous change and the resulting challenges remain insufficiently covered in existing research.
This thesis aims to provide a deeper understanding of these understudied areas of research on how organizations encounter discontinuous change. Previously unused theoretical lenses and new concepts are applied to explore the new frontiers of this venerable field of research. The research is based on in-depth interviews with actors in the publishing industry and a software cooperation highly affected by change. After presenting the basic and recent concepts and the structure of the thesis in chapter 1, chapter 2 is devoted to the adaptation process. Here, mechanisms are uncovered that show how barriers to adaptation can be overcome. The result is a framework providing a roadmap for adapting to discontinuous change. Chapter 3 focuses on the concept of ambidexterity as a common form of organizational division in the face of discontinuous change. Opportunities are explored while the existing business is still being exploited. The resulting tensions are examined through the lens of the cognitive framing of frontline and middle managers. As a result, a typology with implications for successful adaptation is created. Chapter 4 examines senior managers in the same context to see how they manage exploratory and exploitative activities under these tensions in a paradox manner. The result is a multilevel tension network showing how the conflict between exploration and exploitation can be overcome. Chapter 5 presents a Synthesis of the findings and offers insights into potential avenues for future research.