Dynamic capabilities and collaborative innovation: a case study in the textile industry of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Abstract

With increasingly fiercer competition, many industrial firms with similar characteristics are concerned with obtaining competitive advantages that allow them to differentiate themselves for survival, efficiency and profitability. Based on the Dynamic Capability Theory (Eisenhardt & Martin, 2000; Teece, 2007, 2014; Teece, Pisano, & Shuen, 1997), this research aimed to investigate how dynamic capacities and collaborative innovation in textile manufacturing are developed. To this end, a case study was conducted in a textile manufacturer, in which it was sought to distinguish the opportunities detection processes directed to innovation, the approach to these opportunities and the management of threats through the reconfiguration of internal and external organizational resources. For triangulation, data collection included primary data from semi-structured interviews and secondary documentary and audiovisual data. The research identified the following processes: 1) constant search for the best way to select clients, satisfy and anticipate their needs; 2) search for innovation and improvement in products, processes and practices; 3) leadership engagement and teams with innovation. The contribution of this work lies in the identification, empirical evidence and analysis of the processes involved in Dynamic Capability in the perspective of innovation, offering a model to analyze the processes linked to dynamic capacities, facilitating their understanding and verification. The results of the study showed that these capabilities act not only as a cause of innovation, but also as a consequence, establishing a continuous virtuous cycle oriented towards collaborative and dynamic innovation of products involving the manufacturer, its suppliers and customers, generating loyalty and sustaining a competitive advantage in the textile sector.