The Corporate Accelerator as a new Phenomenon of Organizational Separation in Ambidexterity: A Single Case Study Exploring the Factors influencing the Exploratory Capability of a Corporate Accelerator

Sammanfattning: Research question/s: What are the factors influencing the exploratory capability of a corporate accelerator and how do these factors influence the exploratory capability of a corporate accelerator? Methodology: The study was conducted through a single case study and followed a qualitative research strategy on the corporate accelerator as a new phenomenon of organizational separation. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and was analyzed according to the recommendation by Gioia, Corley and Hamilton (2012). Theoretical perspectives: In order to understand the context of this research, literature regarding ambidexterity and corporate accelerators was reviewed. Moreover, literature relating to exploration as well as characteristics and design elements of corporate accelerators was used to understand the relationships between the factors influencing the exploratory capability of a corporate accelerator. Conclusions: The corporate accelerator was identified as a separate exploratory unit, which belongs to the ambidextrous form of organizational separation. The limited duration represents a key characteristic of corporate accelerators and leads to their distinction from existing forms of organizational separation. Therefore, this study extends ambidexterity research by investigating the corporate accelerator as a new phenomenon of organizational separation. In addition, the findings contribute to corporate accelerator research by broadening their understanding through the identification of factors influencing the corporate accelerator’s exploratory capability. The facilitating effects of personal drive, structure, culture, external knowledge and experimentation were found to be mostly aligned with the facilitating conditions of exploration. However, a dual influence of limited duration and corporate involvement on the corporate accelerator’s exploratory capability was identified. The understanding of the influencing factors identified through this research can be used to enhance the design of corporate accelerators to foster their exploratory capability.