Dynamic capabilities - what do we 'actually' know? : a systematic assessment of the field and a research agenda

How organizations deal and manage strategic change is a fundamental problem inmanagement studies. An important way increasingly chosen to implement strategies is throughprogrammes. Programme Management is an emerging discipline that aims to research howprogrammes could be more effective in delivering their expected strategic benefits. In order toobtain this, it is recognised that successful programmes require a continuous development ofcapabilities at different levels and on a context-dependent basis.My research project aims to use the theoretical lens of dynamic capabilities to explore howdifferent capabilities could be integrated, built, and reconfigured in a context of ProgrammeManagement. In order to establish robust bases for the PhD, this thesis presents a systematicliterature review (and its formal protocol) of the dynamic capabilities view of the firm.In doing so, in this MRes thesis I test for the level of reification of the concept of dynamiccapabilities and highlight some major theoretical challenges. I observe that the field is currentlyaffected by a conversational misalignment that is hindering the potential for further research. Inparticular, the argument is that empirical and conceptual developments have grown from thesame foundations but with low mutual influence. In addition, I utilize content and thematicanalysis to explore areas where future efforts may be fruitfully directed. Overall, findings showhow dynamic capabilities are an emerging field where several research gaps may be identified.However, they also highlight how it is fundamental to clarify on which theoretical foundationsany research builds.Finally, I introduce some interesting findings that may be of help for an operationalization ina Programme Management context. In particular, I suggest that a high-potential and unexploredtheme is how dynamic capabilities are created and sustained in the inter-organizationalrelationship between business service providers and their client firms.