In this new publication in Business Strategy and the Environment, Julia Loder, Adrian Rinscheid, and Rolf Wüstenhagen investigate some underlying factors associated with variation in electrification strategies of German car manufacturers. The authors focus on firms’ dynamic capabilities—in particular, their ability to sense low-carbon risks and opportunities in a changing business environment. Building on qualitative interviews, they gauge sensing capabilities through industry executives’ cognitive frames. The analysis reveals striking differences in the way executives perceive the opportunities and risks associated with electric mobility. In particular, firms’ dynamic capabilities to shape the low-carbon transition are tied to their conceptions of consumer preferences and the economics of the transition, their perception of network embeddedness, prior experiences with technological innovation, and leadership.
Author: Doris Hoevel
Date: 24. August 2023