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Empirical research has already postulated the link between learning routines and the creation of competencies, but it is less clear how competencies influence organisational performance. This paper is an empirical investigation determining the relationship between the creation of competencies and the quality of learning. The purpose of the paper is to not only build on prior research that has validated the usefulness of linking levels of learning with the evidence of competencies, but also to illustrate how the creation of competencies is a socially constructed phenomenon. Thus, the paper has a strong theoretical disposition examining the existing literature as well as building on it. Socially constructed routines of themselves have little inimitable advantage to firms unless the routines are underpinned and harnessed by unique learning systems. The paper explores these concepts by showing how the creation of competencies depend on, and are predisposed to, the quality of learning interaction, the routines that are patterned from these, and the capacity of the organisation to turn the new socially constructed routines into superior performance. The paper is expected to make a major contribution to the strategic management literature by showing what types of competencies are more likely to lead to superior firm performance, and how competencies are linked to learning.

This paper focusses on the darker side of the dynamics of servitization by exploring the tensions and territoriality that emerge between manufacturers and customers during the servitization process in the oil industry.

The Delphi method is used to explore the perspectives of three management tiers in oil organisations and the manufacturers who work with them. The views of these managers were synthesized over three iterations: semi-structured interviews, a questionnaire and resolution/explanation, where consensus was not obtained.

The findings of the study highlight perceptions of change, resulting tensions and territoriality and the impact of management commitment, resources and strategy. They reveal significant differences between customers and their suppliers and different management levels and highlight territorial behaviour and the negative impact this has on buyer supplier relationships during the implementation of servitization.

Further research is required to explore why there is a variation in understanding and commitment at different managerial levels and the causes of tensions and territoriality.

Servitization is not a “quick fix” and management support is essential. A fundamental element of this planning is to anticipate and plan for tensions and territoriality caused by the disruption servitization creates.

The research provides empirical evidence of tensions and territoriality relating to servitization that potentially can damage supplier–buyer relationships and suggest that there is a darker side to servitization. It also shows that differences in strategic intent across organizations and between different managerial layers impedes to servitization efforts.

The need for a holistic framework for studying organisational transformation towards Servitization is implicit. This is particularly relevant as Servitization demands consideration of both business model and organisational change. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to provide an integrative framework that systematically captures and evaluate existing literature on Servitization.

The aim of the paper has been achieved through three main objectives; comprehensively examine the literature in organisational change management that would assist with the selection of the most effective evaluation framework, classify previous studies against the proposed framework through a systematic literature review methodology and analyse the selected papers and propose research questions/propositions based on the identified gaps.

Results indicate that there are two somewhat macro opportunities for the Servitization community, namely, stronger infusion of generic theory into the Servitization debate and exploring Servitization in action through the lens of the theoretical framework.

The findings of the paper demonstrate the gaps in the Servitization literature, which indeed require further theoretical/empirical research.

It is discussed the usefulness and practicality of viewing research contributions that are setting out to be either “descriptive” or “prescriptive”. Consequently, the authors have proposed several avenues for future research based on these two viewpoints.

The purpose of this paper is to consolidate the servitization knowledge base from an organizational change perspective, identifying developed, developing and undeveloped topics to provide a platform that directs future research.

This paper addresses three objectives: it comprehensively examines organizational change management literature for selection of a theoretical framework; it classifies extant studies within the framework through a systemic literature review; and it analyses 232 selected papers and proposes a research agenda.

Analysis suggests increasing global awareness of the importance of services to manufacturers. However, some topics, especially related to servitization transformation, remain undeveloped.

Although the authors tried to include all publications relevant to servitization, some might not have been captured. Evaluation and interpretation relied on the research team and subsequent research workshops.

One of the most significant challenges for practitioners of servitization is how to transform a manufacturing organization to exploit the opportunity. This paper consolidates literature regarding servitization, identifying progress concerning key research topics and contributing a platform for future research. The goal is to inform research to result eventually in a roadmap for practitioners seeking to servitize.

Although extant reviews of servitization identify themes that are examined well, they struggle to identify unanswered questions. This paper addresses this gap by focusing on servitization as a process of organizational change.

Notwithstanding the extensive body of knowledge on entrepreneurial intentions, there seems to be relatively little research on explaining intentions in the corporate entrepreneurship context, nor has organizational justice been previously linked with employee entrepreneurial intentions (EEI). The purpose of this study is to determine to what extent different dimensions of organizational justice are associated with EEI.

The study context is the financial and services sector where technology enabled banking solutions have become the norm, and the need for entrepreneurial behavior has become essential in this industry. Survey data are collected (n = 204) from full-time employees working in the South African financial services sector. Initially instrument validity and reliability is tested and the hypotheses are investigated using multiple regression analyses.

Across the dimensions, results reveal positive yet non-significant relationships with EEI. However, as a control variable gender plays an important role in the relationship between procedural justice (PRCJ) and EEI. The findings are supplemented with a qualitative assessment that adds value and helps explain the results.

Corporate managers must foster EEI while at the same time considering perceptions of workplace justice in terms of interactional justice, distributive justice and PRCJ.

By combining insights from two sources of literature – organizational justice and EEI, a clear empirical contribution is made to the literature that opens up avenues for future research. Moreover, given that the original scales have primarily been employed in developed economies, by verifying their psychometric properties in an African market context, this now allows for replication studies to take place in other emerging market contexts.

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the effect of entrepreneurial competencies and the moderating effect of business environment on business success in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia.

A sample of 212 Malaysian SME owner‐founders participated in this study. The structural equation modeling (SEM) procedure was used to test the proposed model.

The results showed that entrepreneurial competencies were strong predictors of business success in SMEs in Malaysia. It was also found that the association between entrepreneurial competencies and business success was more strongly evident in hostile and dynamic environments than in more benign and stable environments.

Self‐report was used as the source of all data. This approach, even though criticised by some, was deemed necessary because of difficulties associated with the independent assessment of each of these variables. Nevertheless, future studies should identify ways to obtain competency data from multiple informants to minimise the possibility of response bias.

It was suggested that understanding business success through the lens of entrepreneurial competencies is important because it provides entrepreneurs with knowledge about the way they should operate their business and encourages them to be conscious of the potential positive or negative impacts of their own behaviour.

The study shows that entrepreneurs are capable of minimising the negative impact of business environment if they are willing to equip themselves with the appropriate competencies.

As a company that has continuously achieved business innovation, Apple in the United States has successfully applied strategic knowledge creation to produce a series of products that integrate various digital devices as well as diverse contents and applications, such as the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, based on a corporate vision of a digital hub concept. At the same time, the redefining of corporate boundaries that expanded Apple’s business in a horizontal direction from the Macintosh PC business to the delivery of music, smartphones, and tablets is also an indication of the evolution of a corporate vision involving Apple’s strategic transformation. This chapter presents the strategic and creative processes that enabled practitioners, including the late Steve Jobs, to demonstrate “strategic innovation capability” by “holistic leadership” at every level of management at Apple and successfully achieve a business ecosystem strategy through “creative collaboration” across diverse boundaries within and outside the company.

This paper aims to focus on leadership in business schools. It seeks to advocate examining strategic leadership processes through the exploration of interactions between such multiple constituencies as the dean, faculty, university councils and advisory boards.

A range of models of the leadership process are identified and illustrated, namely, the strategic leadership process model, a model of leadership dynamics and an interactionist model, involving an examination of leadership characteristics, context and leadership style.

The current financial crisis and criticisms of the business school in the modern university require deans to address changing models and contingencies, globalisation and moral values in curriculum evaluation and leadership of the business school. The importance of further in‐depth case studies of strategic leadership is emphasised.

Three areas of important research are identified, namely, the skills of leadership characteristics, leadership styles and change and leadership training. It is concluded that leadership can be taught but must be reinforced with on‐the‐job experience.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the characteristics and personal values of a successful entrepreneur in order to understand the quality of such characteristics. Thus, this paper aims to investigate how these characteristics and personal values impact strategic decision-making and outcomes driving the success and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The research question is answered through a single case study approach based on the case of the charismatic and flourishing entrepreneur and owner of Gemar Balloons, a balloon-manufacturing company established in the centre of Italy a century ago.

The paper shows how the success of SMEs in a dynamic environment is influenced by the central resource, “the entrepreneur”, whose entrepreneurial mindset, culture and leadership are essential and partially replicable. They allow strategic management to seek opportunities and develop innovation, achieving competitive advantages and creating wealth.

This paper contributes to an understanding of how values and specific personal characteristics establish an entrepreneurial mindset, culture and leadership, and whether and how these factors are exportable and repeatable. In this way, it allows a better understanding of how possible it is to establish an entrepreneurial mindset and culture by working on a younger generation's values and characteristics. Moreover, it explains why and how entrepreneurial SME leaders are best able to make decisions and manage resources strategically to create competitive advantages.

The paper is new because it shows the distinctive values and characteristics influencing the emerging strategic decision-making model and corporate outcomes.

Discusses US Army War College approach to including Strategic Leadership in its curriculum. Key aspects emerged from a preliminary, widely based conference: the environment in which a leader must function; their tasks; the competences they require. These are analysed. Competences are subdivided into personal characteristics (robustness, tolerance of uncertainty, willingness to reopen decisions, viewing mistakes as new information), frames of reference (to be wide), and specific capabilities (complex cognitive skills, persuasiveness, lateral networking). Compares effectiveness of academic with on‐the‐job learning, looks at learning methodologies and curriculum design issues, and the importance of practitioner mentoring.