Carole Donada

Food for thought: which organisation and ecosystem governance to boost radical innovation in the electromobility 2.0 industry?

Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, it is widely accepted by all that the traditional automotive industry has entered a phase of disruptive changes: the disruption of markets and consumers, the disruption of technologies and of business models. In this context, prospective studies offer possible scenarios for the development of a new industry called the electromobility 2.0 industry. Their findings shed light on the myriad issues that have to be taken into account, and in particular whether the variety of stakeholders involved have the ability to create the necessary radical innovations. Following a systems approach in order to better grasp the complexity of the situation, this paper aims to contribute conceptual considerations to these studies. It explores how appropriate decentralised and open industrial ecosystems organisational structures are for creating the conditions which would foster the emergence of radical innovations for the electromobility 2.0 industry. It also highlights the importance of having adequate inter–organisational governance modes to foster the inter–implication of the numerous complementary stakeholders in this process.

Electric mobility calls for new strategic tools and paradigm for automakers

The second century of the automotive industry is bringing new opportunities that are paving the way for the revival of electric vehicles (EVs) and the development of electric mobility. However, this raises the question of whether traditional automakers are up to the challenge of adapting to the changing market. In this paper, the author assumes that incumbents are not up to the challenge if they continue to protect the industrial paradigm they established 100 years ago, and to implement their strategy merely by following the recommendations of conventional strategic frameworks. The author also examines how two complementary approaches to strategic marketing - the market orientation approach (MOA) and the value innovation approach (VIA) - can be implemented to construct the base of a new paradigm for automakers.

Understanding the relational dynamic capability-building process

There is a significant body of research on relational dynamic capabilities, but little is known about how a firm builds these capabilities. Using a longitudinal case study analysis of the French car manufacturer Renault, this research fills that gap. It provides a three-phase sequence model of a relational dynamic capability-building process. Each phase (identifying, building, and integrating) corresponds to a level of strategic intent (from emerging to deliberate) and a set of shaping factors that evolve with the changing environment. These factors are combinations of external triggers associated with macro-economic and industry conditions and internal enablers, including agent skills and missions, dedicated organizational structures, assets, and tools.

From the management of innovative projects to the innovative management of innovative projects: An analysis within the automotive industry

Embedded in technological, economic, and social transformations, project management has had to cope with a palpable extension of its perimeter. Until recently, project management was centralized within a single organization. It is now, however, opening towards a moving business ecosystem framed with more or less successful partnerships linking cooperative and competing companies. Consequently, project management needs to be renewed. Our research aims at explaining some of the mutations of project management by considering current practices in the automotive industry. The automotive industry is facing the most challenging technological and strategic changes ever experienced since Ford, which leads us to believe that understanding the nature of project management in this industry may be a great asset for other sectors as well.

It Takes a Quarter of a Century to Build a Dynamic Capability: Supplier Relations Management at Renault (1975-1999)

Our analysis explores how a key managerial competence, the supplier relations dynamic capability, was progressively developed and implemented by Renault over a quarter of a century. As our historical approach will demonstrate, this construction process followed three main periods, each of which was characterized by specific external and internal circumstances that constitute turning points and triggers in the organizations transformation decision process. Most importantly, we will argue that this case brings to light that three phases are necessary for the supplier relations dynamic capability to fully develop: hybridization, combination and saturation, which open new perspectives on the construction process of dynamic capabilities in general.

A Model of Supplier Dissidence in Flexible Vertical Partnerships

In the age of outsourcing, flexibility becomes a watchword for competitiveness. OEMs operating in a build-to-order environment face considerable external fluctuations that they pass down their supply chains. Consequently, lower-tier suppliers who contribute to a manufacturers efficiency and success face a difficult situation. This study explores the suppliers viewpoint. Its focus is on the premise that being highly flexible is not always in the suppliers interest: a supplier must know when to refuse certain relational demands imposed on him by all-powerful buyers and know when to become a dissident. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to propose a conceptual model identifying the sources of supplier dissidence with regard to customers requirements for increased levels of flexibility.