Sense, seize, reconfigure: online communities as strategic assets

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore and illustrate how organizations may use online communities strategically to adapt to a changing business environment, specifically from a dynamic capabilities perspective. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents empirical evidence from three ca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of business strategy Vol. 38; no. 5; pp. 27 - 34
Main Authors: Wagner, David, Wenzel, Matthias, Wagner, Heinz-Theo, Koch, Jochen
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Boston Emerald Publishing Limited 18.09.2017
Emerald Group Publishing, Ltd
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Subjects:
Analysis
Annual reports
Associations
Collaboration
Communication
Community
Competitive advantage
Customers
Information systems
Internet
Long term planning
Managers
Organizational change
Product returns
R&D
Research & development
Social networks
Social research
Software
Strategic management
Strategic planning (Business)
Studies
Virtual communities
Case study
Strategic management
Dynamic capabilities
Innovation community
Social media
Multiple-case study
Digital strategy
Citizen community
Online communities
Customer community
ISSN:0275-6668, 2052-1197
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore and illustrate how organizations may use online communities strategically to adapt to a changing business environment, specifically from a dynamic capabilities perspective. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents empirical evidence from three cases. Findings Online communities may help organizations to adapt to a changing business environment by allowing them to sense opportunities and threats, seize opportunities and reconfigure organizational assets. Research limitations/implications The paper contributes to both the strategy and the information systems literatures by providing empirical insights into the strategic use of online communities. Practical implications The results of the paper are relevant for managers, helping them to understand the strategic role online communities (may) play and illustrating ways to use them accordingly. Originality/value The paper addresses a previously defined gap in the literature and provides novel empirical evidence. As online communities become integral parts of digital strategy and open innovation initiatives, the paper is both timely and relevant.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:0275-6668
2052-1197
DOI:10.1108/JBS-09-2016-0088