Revival of wind‐powered shipping: Comparing the early‐stage innovation process of an incumbent and a newcomer firm

Abstract

Despite the urgency of decarbonising, the shipping sector has demonstrated a slow-paced response to climate change challenges. Some frontrunner firms are engaged in sustainability-oriented innovation processes. However, there is limited knowledge of how such processes emerge and contribute to societal sustainability transitions and what the role of technology is in companies' (re)orientation towards sustainable business models. This study contributes to filling these gaps through a comparative case study of the ongoing innovation process within an incumbent and a newcomer firm developing wind-powered energy solutions for deep-sea transportation. The study's findings bear implications for theory and practice. This paper's combination of a dynamic capabilities approach and a multi-level perspective from sustainability transitions research is a conceptual novelty, enabling an understanding of the activities involved in the (re)orientation process towards sustainable business from a company's perspective, as well as broader societal and sustainability needs.

Managing entrepreneurial and corporate contributions to sustainability transitions

“…Igné Stalmokait ė , Tommy Larsson Segerlind and Johanna Yliskylä‐Peuralahti take a deep dive by analysing the specific case of sustainability pioneers experimenting with wind‐power energy for the main vessel propulsion in deep‐sea commercial roll‐on‐roll‐off ship transportation. Stalmokaitė et al (2022) innovatively combine the theoretical lenses of dynamic capabilities and the multilevel perspective to conduct a comparative case study on an incumbent and a newcomer firm.…”

Selecting technologies to engage in sustainability transitions—A multi‐stakeholder perspective

“…There might be a gap between what stakeholders are claiming as relevant selection criteria and how they evaluate SOTs in reality. In order to circumvent the limitation of GCM studies, experiments such as discrete choice experiments (Wensing et al, 2020) or case studies might be conducted (Lee & Kim, 2011; Stalmokaitė et al, 2022). Also, larger surveys could validate the constructs we created and elaborate on indicators measuring the technology selection criteria.…”

“…In order to overcome the limitations of our results, future research could include more than one participant from each company and take the average over all participating employees. We have mapped a value chain spanning per- In order to circumvent the limitation of GCM studies, experiments such as discrete choice experiments (Wensing et al, 2020) or case studies might be conducted (Lee & Kim, 2011;Stalmokaitė et al, 2022). Also, larger surveys could validate the constructs we created and elaborate on indicators measuring the technology selection criteria.…”

A cluster analysis of the global wind power industry: Insights for renewable energy business stakeholders and environmental policy decision makers

“…The establishment of wind power project parks for example requires fine‐grained supply and transportation logistics where firm relationships are important. The development of wind power projects is not possible without state‐of‐the‐art engineering, research and development, and capacity planning where different project stakeholders need to cooperate (Stalmokaitė et al, 2022). Thus, the development of wind power energy requires intense institutional relationships as they have a significant effect on high‐value employment generation and, consequently, the prosperity of local economies involved in wind power generation.…”

“…In light of aforementioned global climate change initiatives, we undertake this study, as renewable energy generation is of particular and urgent importance helping to reduce carbon fossils emissions (Meschi & Norheim-Hansen, 2020;Snyder, 2019;Stalmokaitė et al, 2022;van Tulder, 2018). As the renewable energy industry (such as global wind power) is relatively young compared to conventional fossil industries such as carbon, oil, and gas, the research on its value chain networks remains scarce (Ahuja, 2000;Feller et al, 2006).…”