IoT adoption and dynamic capabilities: A qualitative study on the international chilled beverages industry

Abstract

This thesis aims to contribute to knowledge of organisational Internet of Things (IoT) adoption through the development of a new adoption framework for IoT. The study involved semi-structured interviews with leaders from thirteen countries on five continents. This study addresses the gap in research on organisational IoT adoption and dynamic capabilities, whilst considering environmental turbulence such as the Covid-19 pandemic and other internal or external factors. An empirical, theory-developing set of qualitative case studies from the international chilled beverage industry is used in this thesis to advance knowledge of organisational IoT adoption informed by dynamic capabilities theory. In broad terms, combining organisational IoT adoption and dynamic capabilities, this study found the constituent and aggregated dimensions of organisational awareness, competitiveness, leadership, and capabilities. These dimensions are key elements of a derived and novel IoT adoption framework. They help inform and drive senior executives, leaders, and management towards successful strategies for the organisational IoT adoption within the chilled beverages industry. The theoretical contribution of this thesis is that it expands on dynamic capabilities theory and proposes a new approach to organisational IoT adoption. In practical terms, this study contributes an innovative yet generalisable organisational IoT adoption framework informed by dynamic capabilities. An evaluation of research paradigms and genres was undertaken to identify an approach suitable for this study. This resulted in the adoption of qualitative research and analysis using the Gioia methodology. This timely research emphasises the importance of dynamic capabilities in reconfiguring national and international organisational environments to adapt swiftly for effective and efficient IoT adoption. As a final note, the doctoral thesis identifies several areas for future quantitative and qualitative research.