Summaries of papers – corporate
entrepreneurship
Lecture 1
MOORE (2004) — DARWIN AND THE DEMON: INNOVATING WITHIN ESTABLISHED
ENTERPRISES 3
THE INNOVATION TYPES AND THEIR STAGES: 4
Lecture 2
CHRISTENSEN (2000) — THE INNOVATOR’S DILEMMA: WHEN NEW TECHNOLOGIES CAUSE
GREAT FIRMS TO FAIL 8
CHRISTENSEN & OVERDORF (2000) — MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF DISRUPTIVE CHANGE
12
BIRKINSHAW & GIBSON (2004) — BUILDING AMBIDEXTERITY INTO AN ORGANIZATION 19
Lecture 3
LING, SIMSEK, LUBATKIN & VEIGA (2008) — TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP’S ROLE IN
PROMOTING CORPORATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP: EXAMINING THE CEO-TMT INTERFACE 30
MANSO (2017) — CREATING INCENTIVES FOR INNOVATION 35
HERZBERG (1968/2003 REPRINT) — ONE MORE TIME: HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES?
40
Lecture 4
CHANG, KIRGIOS, MULLAINATHAN & MILKMAN (2024) - DOES COUNTING CHANGE WHAT
COUNTS? QUANTIFICATION FIXATION BIASES DECISION-MAKING 44
CRISCUOLO, DAHLANDER, GROHSJEAN & SALTER (2021) - THE SEQUENCE EFFECT IN
PANEL DECISIONS: EVIDENCE FROM THE EVALUATION OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS 49
,DELL’ACQUA ET AL. (2025) - THE CYBERNETIC TEAMMATE: A FIELD EXPERIMENT ON
GENERATIVE AI RESHAPING TEAMWORK AND EXPERTISE 54
Lecture 5
SI, KAVADIAS & LOCH (2022) - MANAGING INNOVATION PORTFOLIOS: FROM PROJECT
SELECTION TO PORTFOLIO DESIGN 60
VINOKUROVA & KAPOOR (2020) - CONVERTING INVENTIONS INTO INNOVATIONS IN LARGE
FIRMS: HOW INVENTORS AT XEROX NAVIGATED THE INNOVATION PROCESS TO
COMMERCIALIZE THEIR IDEAS 66
ZEIJEN, ROMAGNOLI & MARENGO (2025) - SIGNPOSTS FOR PROBLEMISTIC SEARCH:
REFERENCE POINTS AND ADAPTATION IN RUGGED LANDSCAPES 72
Lecture 6
HOFFMANN, NAGLE & ZHOU (2024) - THE VALUE OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE 78
KLUETER, MOREIRA & OFOEDU (2024) - UNDERSTANDING THE LINK BETWEEN POST-
ACQUISITION RESOURCE RECONFIGURATION AND TECHNOLOGY OUT-LICENSING 86
SCHMIDT & FOSS (2023) - MODULARITY, ADAPTATION PROBLEMS, AND THE GOVERNANCE
AND PROBLEM-SOLVING CAPABILITIES OF CORE FIRMS IN ECOSYSTEMS 92
,Moore (2004) — Darwin and the Demon: Innovating
Within Established Enterprises
Core idea of the paper
Innovation should not be treated as one generic activity. Instead, it should be treated in
different ways depending on where the product category is in its lifecycle. The
managerial challenge is therefore not “be more creative” but rather match the type of
innovation to the stage where the market is in. This means/results in the innovation
focus of firms having to change over time as markets develop, mature, commoditize and
decline.
What is meant by Darwin and the Demon
Darwin refers to the market selection process. Firms naturally operate in a competitive
environment where different factors put pressure on existing advantages. If firms fail to
innovate, they fail to differentiate and ultimately lose the profits needed to attract
investment. This is referred to as Darwinian by the paper, simply put: “Adapt or be
selected out.”
The Demon refers to inertia, meaning that successful firms become attached to the
things they are doing well, which are therefore often deeply embedded in the firm,
becoming hard to change. The deeper a firm is in this embedment/in its life cycle i.e.
even the more successful it has been, the stronger the tendency to follow the inertia,
returning to old courses and solutions and failing to innovate, thereby adapt, thereby
attracting investment.
, The innovation types and their stages:
1. Disruptive innovation – Beginning or near disruption
a. Creates new markets or radically changes existing one
2. Application innovation – helps adoption in early markets
a. Applies existing technologies to new uses or new markets
3. Product innovation – helps product category grow
a. Improves more established products through better performance, cost,
usability or features
4. Process innovation – important when markets reach maturity
a. Improves efficiency or effectiveness of existing processes
5. Experiential innovation – useful when product differences become smaller
a. Improves the CX around a product or service
6. Marketing innovation – more at the end/ useful in mature, competitive markets
a. Improves customer-facing communication, sales, or transaction
processes
7. Business model innovation – important when the old model starts losing power
a. Changes the value proposition or the firm’s role in the value chain.
8. Structural innovation – important in late-stage or declining markets
a. Restructures industry relationships, often after disruption has occurred.
entrepreneurship
Lecture 1
MOORE (2004) — DARWIN AND THE DEMON: INNOVATING WITHIN ESTABLISHED
ENTERPRISES 3
THE INNOVATION TYPES AND THEIR STAGES: 4
Lecture 2
CHRISTENSEN (2000) — THE INNOVATOR’S DILEMMA: WHEN NEW TECHNOLOGIES CAUSE
GREAT FIRMS TO FAIL 8
CHRISTENSEN & OVERDORF (2000) — MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF DISRUPTIVE CHANGE
12
BIRKINSHAW & GIBSON (2004) — BUILDING AMBIDEXTERITY INTO AN ORGANIZATION 19
Lecture 3
LING, SIMSEK, LUBATKIN & VEIGA (2008) — TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP’S ROLE IN
PROMOTING CORPORATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP: EXAMINING THE CEO-TMT INTERFACE 30
MANSO (2017) — CREATING INCENTIVES FOR INNOVATION 35
HERZBERG (1968/2003 REPRINT) — ONE MORE TIME: HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES?
40
Lecture 4
CHANG, KIRGIOS, MULLAINATHAN & MILKMAN (2024) - DOES COUNTING CHANGE WHAT
COUNTS? QUANTIFICATION FIXATION BIASES DECISION-MAKING 44
CRISCUOLO, DAHLANDER, GROHSJEAN & SALTER (2021) - THE SEQUENCE EFFECT IN
PANEL DECISIONS: EVIDENCE FROM THE EVALUATION OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS 49
,DELL’ACQUA ET AL. (2025) - THE CYBERNETIC TEAMMATE: A FIELD EXPERIMENT ON
GENERATIVE AI RESHAPING TEAMWORK AND EXPERTISE 54
Lecture 5
SI, KAVADIAS & LOCH (2022) - MANAGING INNOVATION PORTFOLIOS: FROM PROJECT
SELECTION TO PORTFOLIO DESIGN 60
VINOKUROVA & KAPOOR (2020) - CONVERTING INVENTIONS INTO INNOVATIONS IN LARGE
FIRMS: HOW INVENTORS AT XEROX NAVIGATED THE INNOVATION PROCESS TO
COMMERCIALIZE THEIR IDEAS 66
ZEIJEN, ROMAGNOLI & MARENGO (2025) - SIGNPOSTS FOR PROBLEMISTIC SEARCH:
REFERENCE POINTS AND ADAPTATION IN RUGGED LANDSCAPES 72
Lecture 6
HOFFMANN, NAGLE & ZHOU (2024) - THE VALUE OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE 78
KLUETER, MOREIRA & OFOEDU (2024) - UNDERSTANDING THE LINK BETWEEN POST-
ACQUISITION RESOURCE RECONFIGURATION AND TECHNOLOGY OUT-LICENSING 86
SCHMIDT & FOSS (2023) - MODULARITY, ADAPTATION PROBLEMS, AND THE GOVERNANCE
AND PROBLEM-SOLVING CAPABILITIES OF CORE FIRMS IN ECOSYSTEMS 92
,Moore (2004) — Darwin and the Demon: Innovating
Within Established Enterprises
Core idea of the paper
Innovation should not be treated as one generic activity. Instead, it should be treated in
different ways depending on where the product category is in its lifecycle. The
managerial challenge is therefore not “be more creative” but rather match the type of
innovation to the stage where the market is in. This means/results in the innovation
focus of firms having to change over time as markets develop, mature, commoditize and
decline.
What is meant by Darwin and the Demon
Darwin refers to the market selection process. Firms naturally operate in a competitive
environment where different factors put pressure on existing advantages. If firms fail to
innovate, they fail to differentiate and ultimately lose the profits needed to attract
investment. This is referred to as Darwinian by the paper, simply put: “Adapt or be
selected out.”
The Demon refers to inertia, meaning that successful firms become attached to the
things they are doing well, which are therefore often deeply embedded in the firm,
becoming hard to change. The deeper a firm is in this embedment/in its life cycle i.e.
even the more successful it has been, the stronger the tendency to follow the inertia,
returning to old courses and solutions and failing to innovate, thereby adapt, thereby
attracting investment.
, The innovation types and their stages:
1. Disruptive innovation – Beginning or near disruption
a. Creates new markets or radically changes existing one
2. Application innovation – helps adoption in early markets
a. Applies existing technologies to new uses or new markets
3. Product innovation – helps product category grow
a. Improves more established products through better performance, cost,
usability or features
4. Process innovation – important when markets reach maturity
a. Improves efficiency or effectiveness of existing processes
5. Experiential innovation – useful when product differences become smaller
a. Improves the CX around a product or service
6. Marketing innovation – more at the end/ useful in mature, competitive markets
a. Improves customer-facing communication, sales, or transaction
processes
7. Business model innovation – important when the old model starts losing power
a. Changes the value proposition or the firm’s role in the value chain.
8. Structural innovation – important in late-stage or declining markets
a. Restructures industry relationships, often after disruption has occurred.
