UNTANGLING DYNAMIC AND OPERATIONAL CAPABILITIES: STRATEGY FOR THE (N)EVER-CHANGING WORLD

摘要

Despite more than a decade of strategic management research on dynamic capabilities, important conceptual issues remain. A critical, unresolved issue that research has yet to address involves the distinction between dynamic and operational (or ordinary) capabilities. In particular, we often encounter the view that capabilities only qualify as dynamic if they aim to promote seemingly large amounts of change in a short period of time. This stance may reflect a desire to draw a bright line between dynamic and operational capabilities. In what follows, we explain why the line between these capabilities is unavoidably blurry, and why capabilities that promote economicallyimportant yet gradual change are in fact dynamic. We begin with an explanation of the sense in which we use the terms 'capability' and 'dynamic capability,' as background for the ensuing analysis. Then we discuss several factors that cause the line between operational and dynamic capabilities to blur, including the existence of dual-purpose and multiple-variant capabilities. As part of this discussion, we explain why it is critical to bring costs into the analysis. We conclude with recommendations for future research.