Media in the face of digitalisation: Renewing capabilities and strategic thinking

ended

The innovative research project tackles acute questions of organisational renewal capacity and change management in the radically changing media sector. The key question is how media organisations can renew their thinking, resource bases and capabilities in order to stay competitive while addressing the challenges of digitalisation. The research is carried out by conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses based on data collected in the German media industry. The media context offers an excellent example of a dynamic business environment brought about by technological convergence, rapidly changing media usage behaviour and increasing global competition. The theoretical framework is based on modern theories of strategic management research, especially in relation to the dynamic capability view and the managerial cognition tradition. The combination of the two frameworks forms a unique multidisciplinary research approach that comprehensively helps European media organisations tackle organisational path dependencies and drivers of change. Understanding the factors that keep the media industry competitive is of great importance, because vital and diverse media is a key element of European democracy. The project is a pioneering piece of research into media management and opens many new options for projects and international collaboration as well as applications in other industries facing digital transformation. The unique interdisciplinary approach and research setting combined with a highly important topic of European interest remarkably improves the senior researcher’s competencies through applying new theories and analysis methods. The project also extends her teaching skills through opportunities at the host institution related to strategic management and the media sector than at her home university. As a result the fellowship considerably widens her career opportunities, especially as the study will spur wider interest in both academia and practice.