Emergence of Responsiveness Across Organizations, Networks, and Clusters from a Dynamic Capability Perspective

Abstract

Responsiveness has proved to be a crucial organizational capability because it enables timely reconfigurations of value chain activities. However, we know little about the role of higher levels such as interorganizational networks or clusters in constituting responsiveness. To address this gap, we conceptualize responsiveness as an emergent capability that results from interorganizational practices drawing on different structural properties of networks and clusters. Our paper contributes to research about responsiveness by developing a set of propositions about its emergence across multiple levels, which extends the single level approach of previous studies. Thereby, we emphasize the active dimension of responding to change because organizational (re-)actions involve attempts to influence changes as they evolve. Our conception also extends the literature on dynamic capabilities by highlighting the central role of interorganizational practices that are geared not only towards reconfiguring operative routines, but also towards taking responsibility and gaining legitimacy.