Processes, antecedents and outcomes of dynamic capabilities

SummaryThis study addresses the following research question: what do we know about dynamic capabilities based on existing empirical research? The paper is based on a systematic synthesising review of 142 articles. The analysis focuses on three areas: the processes of dynamic capability, its antecedents, and consequences. Through its detailed analysis of factors within each of the three aforementioned domains, the study provides researchers with a stronger basis on which to explicitly position their contributions in the DC literature. With regard to the processes of dynamic capabilities, empirical studies appear to employ a continuum of conceptualisations ranging from the very specific and identifiable to a generic set of knowledge-related processes. Additionally, the antecedents were found to be either internal or external to the firm, whereas the mechanisms by which dynamic capabilities lead to performance outcomes were found to be an unresolved issue in empirical research. The study identifies numerous avenues for further research concerning each of the three focus areas.