UNDERSTANDING APPROACHES TO INNOVATION THROUGH THE DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES LENS: A MULTI-COUNTRY STUDY OF THE WINE INDUSTRY

Abstract

By drawing from the dynamic capabilities approach, this study examines innovation from the perspective of winery owners and managers representing four different countries. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 56 participants. As many as 12 common forms of innovation were revealed among the four groups, with intangible aspects conforming the large majority. For instance, sensing comprised efforts to increase export markets, new winery equipment and technologies, whereas seizing included more presence in social media and wine tourism, focusing on niche-batch production, or preserving and rescuing ancient varietals. Reconfiguring was manifested through consistency in product quality, more knowledge of foreign languages, networking and by trying new ways, particularly in production processes. A resulting theoretical framework, which reveals a circular process among sensing, seizing and reconfiguring, is subsequently proposed. Similarly, a developed roadmap aligned with wineries’ way of innovating suggests important implications for wineries and their industry.