 Creative Self-Destruction among Organizations: An Empirical Study of Technical Innovation and Organizational Failure in the American Automobile Industry, 1885-1981Glenn R Carroll and Albert C Teo Industrial and Corporate Change, 1996, vol. 5, issue 2, 619-44 Abstract: A hotly debated question of organizational theory--especially evolutionary theories of organization--asks how inert are organizational structures. Answering the question requires analysis of not only organizational change but also of the consequences of change for organizational survival. This study examines one such organizational change--technical innovation--and its effects on the failure rates of American automobile producers from 1885 to 1981. Technical innovations are shown to generate primarily beneficial effects for the firms spawning them and primarily detrimental effects for competitor firms. However, analysis of certain organizational contexts--large organizations in particular--suggests that the risks of innovation may on occasion outweigh benefits. The findings imply that some theories of strategic management need rethinking. Copyright 1996 by Oxford University Press. Date: 1996 There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it. Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:indcch:v:5:y:1996:i:2:p:619-44 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from Access Statistics for this article Industrial and Corporate Change is currently edited by Josef Chytry More articles in Industrial and Corporate Change from Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK. |
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