Unpacking dynamic capability deployment: A longitudinal case study of 5 US defense firms facing 9/11

The dynamic capability view (DCV) addresses how firms renew their competences to respond to shifting environmental conditions. However, this view continues to suffer from theoretical and methodological limitations that constrain empirical investigation. This paper argues that whether a firm possesses a dynamic capability cannot be observed directly and instead suggests observing when a firm uses or deploys a dynamic capability (DC). Using a longitudinal, multiple-case study, we examine how U.S. defense systems integrators responded to an environmental shift that crystallized around 9/11. By investigating DC deployment, we capture and measure four constructs (monitoring, conjecturing, articulating and implementing) at a meso-level of analysis. Our analysis leads to new theory regarding DC as a deployment process and provides methodological insights for future DCV research.