Pub Date : 2025-12-10DOI: 10.1177/00081256251374721
Patricia Carolina Garcia Martin, Nikolina Koporcic, David Sjödin, Vinit Parida
Scaling is both the main goal and the ultimate challenge for industrial small tech firms (STFs). This is particularly true when firms offer complex and innovative digital solutions for industrial applications. We delineate scaling strategies deployed by STFs, uncovering the underlying configuration of activities driving the scaling process. Specifically, the study reveals a distinctive sequence, where scaling evolves from a common phase of systematic digital solution piloting, into two distinctive strategies called ecosystem scaling (i.e., solution market evaluation, ecosystem development, and horizontal partner-led scaling activities) and servitization scaling (i.e., customer insights mining, service operations development, and vertical customer-led scaling activities).
{"title":"Scaling Strategies for Industrial Small Tech Firms: Exploring the Market Scaling Process, Barriers, and Outcomes","authors":"Patricia Carolina Garcia Martin, Nikolina Koporcic, David Sjödin, Vinit Parida","doi":"10.1177/00081256251374721","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256251374721","url":null,"abstract":"Scaling is both the main goal and the ultimate challenge for industrial small tech firms (STFs). This is particularly true when firms offer complex and innovative digital solutions for industrial applications. We delineate scaling strategies deployed by STFs, uncovering the underlying configuration of activities driving the scaling process. Specifically, the study reveals a distinctive sequence, where scaling evolves from a common phase of systematic digital solution piloting, into two distinctive strategies called ecosystem scaling (i.e., solution market evaluation, ecosystem development, and horizontal partner-led scaling activities) and servitization scaling (i.e., customer insights mining, service operations development, and vertical customer-led scaling activities).","PeriodicalId":9605,"journal":{"name":"California Management Review","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145711317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1177/00081256251380360
Leona Henry, Francesca Ciulli
Data sharing across organizational boundaries has become increasingly important for advancing the transition to circular cities. To establish a structured data-sharing effort among different actors, collaboration in cross-sector partnerships is needed. However, these partnerships face specific challenges, especially regarding the governance of data sharing. Through a qualitative analysis of cross-sector partnerships formed around the development of the Digital Product Passport, we uncover the tensions associated with collaborative data-sharing governance in the context of circular cities. We also offer guidance to actors involved in urban transitions to the circular economy on how to address these tensions.
{"title":"Tensions in Data-Sharing Governance for Circular Cities: The Case of the Digital Product Passport","authors":"Leona Henry, Francesca Ciulli","doi":"10.1177/00081256251380360","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256251380360","url":null,"abstract":"Data sharing across organizational boundaries has become increasingly important for advancing the transition to circular cities. To establish a structured data-sharing effort among different actors, collaboration in cross-sector partnerships is needed. However, these partnerships face specific challenges, especially regarding the governance of data sharing. Through a qualitative analysis of cross-sector partnerships formed around the development of the Digital Product Passport, we uncover the tensions associated with collaborative data-sharing governance in the context of circular cities. We also offer guidance to actors involved in urban transitions to the circular economy on how to address these tensions.","PeriodicalId":9605,"journal":{"name":"California Management Review","volume":"142 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145664427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-28DOI: 10.1177/00081256251389971
Chenshuo Sun
Are voice assistants a gimmick or a growth engine? When shopping behavior was compared between customers who adopted a Tmall Genie smart speaker into their homes and those who didn’t, the study showed growth. The voice AI assistant expanded share of wallet, deepened loyalty, and boosted customer lifetime value. Retailers must operationalize it with discipline to capture durable, incremental growth.
{"title":"Speak and Spend: When Voice AI Pays Off in E-Commerce","authors":"Chenshuo Sun","doi":"10.1177/00081256251389971","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256251389971","url":null,"abstract":"Are voice assistants a gimmick or a growth engine? When shopping behavior was compared between customers who adopted a Tmall Genie smart speaker into their homes and those who didn’t, the study showed growth. The voice AI assistant expanded share of wallet, deepened loyalty, and boosted customer lifetime value. Retailers must operationalize it with discipline to capture durable, incremental growth.","PeriodicalId":9605,"journal":{"name":"California Management Review","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145611062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-25DOI: 10.1177/00081256251383844
Medhanie Gaim, Elie Saad, Sujith Nair
Startup-corporate partnerships provide mutual benefits by combining startups’ innovation with established firms’ resources and processes. However, despite these clear advantages, initiating and nurturing such partnerships is often fraught with obstacles. Our research provides evidence-based insights for startup founders and corporate managers on how these partnerships unfold. Specifically, we identify two distinct pathways that can serve as a practical starting point for corporate managers. Also, we pinpoint three key “pathbreakers” in the formation process and offer strategies to effectively manage them. In addition, the article highlights the cumulative signals that both parties can use not only to create the potential for partnership but to bring the collaboration to fruition. This guidance to managers seeking to establish or engage in such partnerships includes outlining key factors to consider, potential challenges that may arise, and actionable strategies to address them.
{"title":"Pathways to Successful Startup-Corporate Partnerships","authors":"Medhanie Gaim, Elie Saad, Sujith Nair","doi":"10.1177/00081256251383844","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256251383844","url":null,"abstract":"Startup-corporate partnerships provide mutual benefits by combining startups’ innovation with established firms’ resources and processes. However, despite these clear advantages, initiating and nurturing such partnerships is often fraught with obstacles. Our research provides evidence-based insights for startup founders and corporate managers on how these partnerships unfold. Specifically, we identify two distinct pathways that can serve as a practical starting point for corporate managers. Also, we pinpoint three key “pathbreakers” in the formation process and offer strategies to effectively manage them. In addition, the article highlights the cumulative signals that both parties can use not only to create the potential for partnership but to bring the collaboration to fruition. This guidance to managers seeking to establish or engage in such partnerships includes outlining key factors to consider, potential challenges that may arise, and actionable strategies to address them.","PeriodicalId":9605,"journal":{"name":"California Management Review","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145593584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-17DOI: 10.1177/00081256251377811
Christian Sciuk, Simon Engert, Maren Gierlich-Joas, Thomas Hess
Digital technologies’ transformative impact continues to disrupt businesses. Despite digital transformation’s crucial role in shaping organizations’ future competitiveness, many companies still grapple with navigating their digital journey. To guide managers in realizing their digital ambitions, this article reports on a qualitative meta-synthesis of the digital transformation journeys of 64 companies, culminating in a process model that captures the complexity of digital transformation. The model provides practitioners with a framework for assessing the progress of their digital transformation journey. In addition, the article outlines actionable recommendations for managing companies’ digital endeavors.
{"title":"How Companies Navigate the (Un)Charted Waters of Digital Transformation","authors":"Christian Sciuk, Simon Engert, Maren Gierlich-Joas, Thomas Hess","doi":"10.1177/00081256251377811","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256251377811","url":null,"abstract":"Digital technologies’ transformative impact continues to disrupt businesses. Despite digital transformation’s crucial role in shaping organizations’ future competitiveness, many companies still grapple with navigating their digital journey. To guide managers in realizing their digital ambitions, this article reports on a qualitative meta-synthesis of the digital transformation journeys of 64 companies, culminating in a process model that captures the complexity of digital transformation. The model provides practitioners with a framework for assessing the progress of their digital transformation journey. In addition, the article outlines actionable recommendations for managing companies’ digital endeavors.","PeriodicalId":9605,"journal":{"name":"California Management Review","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145531613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-04DOI: 10.1177/00081256251381959
Soufiane Kherrazi
Open Social Innovation (OSI) is gaining increasing attention in discourses among scholars and practitioners as a new approach to addressing grand challenges. However, little is known about how to organize such OSI efforts. To address this gap, this article explores the role of open spaces, especially fabrication laboratories (fab labs), in orchestrating and scaling OSI efforts. Using a qualitative investigation, the findings reveal key mechanisms enabled by fab labs to orchestrate the OSI process and scale its outcomes. Implications for research, society, and practice are then discussed.
{"title":"Organizing Open Social Innovation for Grand Challenges: U nlocking the P otential of O pen S paces","authors":"Soufiane Kherrazi","doi":"10.1177/00081256251381959","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256251381959","url":null,"abstract":"Open Social Innovation (OSI) is gaining increasing attention in discourses among scholars and practitioners as a new approach to addressing grand challenges. However, little is known about how to organize such OSI efforts. To address this gap, this article explores the role of open spaces, especially fabrication laboratories (fab labs), in orchestrating and scaling OSI efforts. Using a qualitative investigation, the findings reveal key mechanisms enabled by fab labs to orchestrate the OSI process and scale its outcomes. Implications for research, society, and practice are then discussed.","PeriodicalId":9605,"journal":{"name":"California Management Review","volume":"61 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145434957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-23DOI: 10.1177/00081256251376318
Joe Peppard, Blaize Horner Reich
Information technology (IT) is central to most organizations’ success. As IT systems age, organizations replace them, yet many of those replacement projects fail to achieve expected outcomes. This article explores what boards of directors can do to prevent such failures, increasing the chances that these replatforming programs succeed. Boards are typically affected by seven blind spots, including misplaced optimism, an abundance of data but too little information, and too much focus on technology. This article describes all seven blind spots and provides four recommendations to overcome them: developing a shared mental model, ensuring organizational readiness, agreeing on a reporting scorecard, and focusing on benefits and pivoting when necessary. The article also includes a framework for developing a shared mental model as well as a set of key questions for board members to ask about replatforming programs.
{"title":"Boards of Directors and the Governance of Large IT Investments: They Don’t Know What They Don’t Know","authors":"Joe Peppard, Blaize Horner Reich","doi":"10.1177/00081256251376318","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256251376318","url":null,"abstract":"Information technology (IT) is central to most organizations’ success. As IT systems age, organizations replace them, yet many of those replacement projects fail to achieve expected outcomes. This article explores what boards of directors can do to prevent such failures, increasing the chances that these replatforming programs succeed. Boards are typically affected by seven blind spots, including misplaced optimism, an abundance of data but too little information, and too much focus on technology. This article describes all seven blind spots and provides four recommendations to overcome them: developing a shared mental model, ensuring organizational readiness, agreeing on a reporting scorecard, and focusing on benefits and pivoting when necessary. The article also includes a framework for developing a shared mental model as well as a set of key questions for board members to ask about replatforming programs.","PeriodicalId":9605,"journal":{"name":"California Management Review","volume":"53 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145397903","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-19DOI: 10.1177/00081256251377346
Mohammad Rajib Uddin, Shahriar Akter, Wai Jin (Thomas) Lee, Shlomo Y. Tarba
Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven data breaches have emerged as one of the biggest challenges for corporations. New threats emerge daily in the form of personalized spear phishing messages, deceptive emails, deepfake voice or video, and disinformation. Research in this domain has so far focused primarily on what measures should be taken after a data breach; however, it remains unclear what capabilities are required to defend a company. To address the unknown and unknowable threats, this study presents how firms can develop AI-powered dynamic capabilities to tackle the next level of AI-generated threats.
{"title":"Data Breaches: Fight AI with AI","authors":"Mohammad Rajib Uddin, Shahriar Akter, Wai Jin (Thomas) Lee, Shlomo Y. Tarba","doi":"10.1177/00081256251377346","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256251377346","url":null,"abstract":"Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven data breaches have emerged as one of the biggest challenges for corporations. New threats emerge daily in the form of personalized spear phishing messages, deceptive emails, deepfake voice or video, and disinformation. Research in this domain has so far focused primarily on what measures should be taken after a data breach; however, it remains unclear what capabilities are required to defend a company. To address the unknown and unknowable threats, this study presents how firms can develop AI-powered dynamic capabilities to tackle the next level of AI-generated threats.","PeriodicalId":9605,"journal":{"name":"California Management Review","volume":"48 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145314521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1177/00081256251370795
Aleksandre Asatiani, Jacob Torell, Tapani Rinta-Kahila, Johan Magnusson
Digital transformation is important for organizations to stay competitive. Yet, incumbents face challenges from technical debt accrued from legacy information systems. The big bang approach—aiming for a rapid replacement of legacy systems—often falls short. This failure largely results from treating technical debt as a purely technical issue, while overlooking its managerial implications. What is needed is a gradual approach that redefines IT’s role from debt custodian to strategic enabler, focusing on generating business value rather than solely eliminating technical debt. This article offers four recommendations for managers to handle technical debt amid digital transformation.
{"title":"Technical Debt Is Killing Digital Transformation, But There Is a Way Out","authors":"Aleksandre Asatiani, Jacob Torell, Tapani Rinta-Kahila, Johan Magnusson","doi":"10.1177/00081256251370795","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256251370795","url":null,"abstract":"Digital transformation is important for organizations to stay competitive. Yet, incumbents face challenges from technical debt accrued from legacy information systems. The big bang approach—aiming for a rapid replacement of legacy systems—often falls short. This failure largely results from treating technical debt as a purely technical issue, while overlooking its managerial implications. What is needed is a gradual approach that redefines IT’s role from debt custodian to strategic enabler, focusing on generating business value rather than solely eliminating technical debt. This article offers four recommendations for managers to handle technical debt amid digital transformation.","PeriodicalId":9605,"journal":{"name":"California Management Review","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145247680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-08DOI: 10.1177/00081256251358910
Sayan Chatterjee
This article demonstrates how Netflix has dominated the streaming market by staying focused on the same profit logic from inception. One tactic that is unique to Netflix is being able to exploit factor market inefficiencies to source their inputs much more inexpensively than others. The principles described can be used by myriad businesses across many industries.
{"title":"Lessons from Netflix’s Success","authors":"Sayan Chatterjee","doi":"10.1177/00081256251358910","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256251358910","url":null,"abstract":"This article demonstrates how Netflix has dominated the streaming market by staying focused on the same profit logic from inception. One tactic that is unique to Netflix is being able to exploit factor market inefficiencies to source their inputs much more inexpensively than others. The principles described can be used by myriad businesses across many industries.","PeriodicalId":9605,"journal":{"name":"California Management Review","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145017474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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