Dear Internet

Posted in design, things i like, work on 08/23/2009 09:46 am by karen

Dear Internet,

You promise so much information, yet you will not let me have what I most want this Sunday morning. At least not without a subscription to a database that can not be subscribed to by individuals.

Core Capabilities and Core Rigidities: A Paradox in Managing New Product Development

Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 13, Special Issue: Strategy Process: Managing Corporate Self-Renewal (Summer, 1992), pp. 111-125
Published by: John Wiley & Sons

Abstract

This paper examines the nature of the core capabilities of a firm, focusing in particular on their interaction with new product and process development projects. Two new concepts about core capabilities are explored here. First, while core capabilities are traditionally treated as clusters of distinct technical systems, skills, and managerial systems, these dimensions of capabilities are deeply rooted in values, which constitute an often overlooked but critical fourth dimension. Second, traditional core capabilities have a down side that inhibits innovation, here called core rigidities. Managers of new product and process development projects thus face a paradox: how to take advantage of core capabilities without being hampered by their dysfunctional flip side. Such projects play an important role in emerging strategies by highlighting the need for change and leading the way. Twenty case studies of new product and process development projects in five firms provide illustrative data.

God, it taunts me like those crazy Baskin Robbins “Ice Cream and Cake!” commercials. It’s in my head: “Core Capabilities and Core Rigidities! Core Capabilities and Core Rigidities!”

I’ll find a way to get you, article. Oh, I will. And the sport of it will be accessing you, somehow, for free. The way internet information is supposed to be.

 

12 Comments

  1. Hi Karen,
    I sometimes read your blog and happen to have this article…and so I posted it here for you to download: http://www.mediafire.com/?4ymkmj4yyoz.

    Enjoy the read!

  2. Whoa! I totally owe the internet an apology! It *does* work! :-)

    Thanks so much, Will! I’ll write about it when I’m done and perhaps we can chat a bit…

  3. More that welcome….I did a bit of research and writing on the topic a couple of years ago. This is one of the earlier articles in what developed into a organization theory/strategy research stream called “resource-based-view/capabilities-based-view”…there’s lots of stuff out there, if you want to explore more….

  4. Yes, this is just what I need for some work I’m doing. Care to suggest some good research/articles/authors?

  5. Sure…e.g. this more recent article from 2007…while I don’t follow the solution/recommendation, the summary and synthesis of extant research is really good a point you to a number of articles you might find interesting…http://www.mediafire.com/?4zytm5dmv5o

    Then you might also want to check out this one…more specifically on the difficulty of leaving a successful trajectory …. http://www.mediafire.com/?uog3xdzmyio

    And finally this one, discussing high-level organizational options on how to overcome the dilemma…again a review article with lots of literature…http://www.mediafire.com/?zmy4dnh5klr

    Wow, I never thought I could make use of that stuff again!

  6. Thanks so much, Will! This is terrific stuff. And just what I need for a current project. I’ll be back with some questions, I’m sure. :-)

  7. Love it.

  8. Sometimes the internet really *is* all it’s cracked up to be.

  9. Sometimes?!!???!

  10. :-)

  11. My pleasure….drop me a line if you want to discuss in more detail…as said, there’s plenty of stuff out there and you can explore different streams depending on what you are specifically interested in…

  12. hi Karen
    glad you found what you were looking for. i thought also a person in academia might have access to it, or a specialist in the field. as a correlation, in the nutrition lists when someone requests an article that is not readily available, someone in the field of nutrition or medicine usually comes up with it.
    cheers, Arturo

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