Organizational Learning Through Corporate Accelerators

Organizational Learning through Corporate Accelerators How corporates implement entrepreneurial knowledge Graduates: Lena Katharina Bödeker Henrik Johannes Kalow M.Sc. Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship Supervisor: Francesco Di Lorenzo Submission date: 15th of May 2017 Number of pages: 105 Number of characters: 245.625 Organizational Learning through Corporate Accelerators 2 Abstract The rising emergence of corporate accelerators that involve partnerships between well- established corporations and entrepreneurial ventures have become a prominent trend across businesses throughout the world. As executives of well-established organizations have recognized that access to knowledge outside of the companies’ realm is necessary to foster innovation, corporate accelerators are regarded to constitute a promising source of external knowledge and, in turn, innovation. Nevertheless, many organizations are still experimenting with capturing value from these new business models as only few research has been carried out on this new business model. Therefore, the present thesis closes this research gap by analyzing how corporate accelerators can create value for their mother organizations and foster innovation through organizational learning. More concretely, the authors aim at finding which internal and external components provide the basis for enhancing organizational learning within organizations with specific attention given to the knowledge transfer process between the corporate accelerator and organization. In order to arrive at these underlying components, the study employs a case study with the Airbus BizLab. The corporate accelerator of the international aircraft manufacturer Airbus. In doing so, the authors conducted eight in-depth interviews with multiple stakeholders including employees from Airbus, the corporate accelerator and the start-ups hosted in the BizLab. Drawing on the analysis of the findings based on the Gioia method, the authors arrive at a conceptual framework with three aggregate dimensions of organizational components, which include (1) human factors referring to the employees’ mindset, their learning attitude and willingness to change, (2) contextual factors relating to organizational structures, organizational culture and industry environment, and (3) methods encompassing novel approaches, communication and multiple touchpoints. One of the research’s main implications is that these components constitute both, enablers as well as barriers to organizational learning. While some of the components are considered to nurture knowledge transfer, especially structures and systems can have a strong impact on hindering this process. Furthermore, some components can be influenced more easily while others can only be impacted partially. Moreover, some components require a rather long-term approach to be changed while others can be impacted within a short time span. Overall, the thesis contributes to the academic debate on corporate accelerators by drawing attention to the components which influence organizational learning through corporate accelerators. Additionally, it provides a basis for strategic decision-making of accelerator managers and other relevant stakeholders. Organizational Learning through Corporate Accelerators iii Table of Contents List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................ v List of Figures and Tables ................................................................................................ vi 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 7 1.1 Background of the Study .................................................................................. 7 1.2 Problem Definition ............................................................................................ 8 1.3 Objective of the Study and Research Question ................................................. 9 1.4 Significance of the Study ................................................................................ 10 1.5 Thesis Structure .............................................................................................. 11 2 Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 12 2.1 Definitions ....................................................................................................... 12 2.1.1 Corporate Venture Capital Funds ............................................................... 12 2.1.2 Seed Accelerators ........................................................................................ 14 2.1.3 Corporate Accelerators ............................................................................... 18 2.2 The Reasoning Behind Corporate Accelerators .............................................. 19 2.2.1 Historical Emergence .................................................................................. 20 2.2.2 Early Development and Prevalence ............................................................ 21 2.2.3 Industrial Sectors and Portfolio Firms ........................................................ 24 2.3 Organizational Learning ................................................................................. 26 2.3.1 Basic Concept ............................................................................................. 26 2.3.2 Knowledge Transfer .................................................................................... 32 2.3.3 Theoretical Frameworks ............................................................................. 33 2.3.3.1 Behavioral Theory of the Firm ........................................................... 33 2.3.3.2 Theory of Action Perspective ............................................................. 34 2.3.3.3 Knowledge Management Environment .............................................. 36 2.3.3.4 Theoretical Framework Summary ...................................................... 37 2.3.4 Corporate Entrepreneurship ........................................................................ 38 2.4 Proposition Derivation .................................................................................... 39 3 Methodology and Research Design ........................................................................... 41 3.1 Philosophy of Science ..................................................................................... 41 3.2 Research Approach ......................................................................................... 43 3.2.1 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................... 43 Organizational Learning through Corporate Accelerators iv 3.2.2 Qualitative Approach .................................................................................. 43 3.3 Data Collection ............................................................................................... 45 3.3.1 Observation ................................................................................................. 45 3.3.2 Interviewing ................................................................................................ 46 3.3.3 Recruitment Procedure ................................................................................ 47 3.3.4 Maximum Variation Sampling ................................................................... 47 3.3.5 Triangulation ............................................................................................... 48 3.3.6 Interview Questions .................................................................................... 48 3.4 Data Analysis .................................................................................................. 52 4 Airbus: The Case at Hand .......................................................................................... 54 4.1 Airbus SE ........................................................................................................ 54 4.2 The Aerospace Industry .................................................................................. 55 4.3 Innovation Structure at Airbus ........................................................................ 56 4.4 The Airbus BizLab .......................................................................................... 58 5 Data Analysis and Interpretation ................................................................................ 62 5.1 Assessment ...................................................................................................... 62 5.2 Findings and Results ....................................................................................... 63 5.2.1 Corporate Side – Perspective of a Multi-National Enterprise .................... 63 5.2.2 Venture Side – Entrepreneurial Perspective of a Start-up .......................... 77 5.2.3 Accelerator Side – Perspective of Airbus’ Corporate Accelerator ............. 79 5.3 Discussion ....................................................................................................... 80 5.3.1 Mechanisms of Corporate Accelerators ...................................................... 81 5.3.2 Discussion of Prepositions .......................................................................... 84 6 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 98 6.1 Limitations of the Study

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