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Innovation shocks combine technology and market disruptions. They can lead to a complete overhaul of an industry. Building on prior work on firm‐level responses to technological uncertainty, we propose and explore a model to explain R&D behavior under uncertainty. We theorize that industry incumbents adjust their knowledge search as the innovation shock unfolds, reacting to the perceived sources of uncertainty. We use a unique combination of two decades (2000–2020) of patent data and archival news to (1) identify the industry evolution stages as the shock unfolds and (2) map the firm's knowledge search response. Our analysis of three leading car manufacturers exposed to the emergence of the electric vehicle shows the path‐dependency effects that delay the incumbents' adjustment of their innovation direction, even after the shock becomes visible. We extract insights for R&D managers by making evident the long‐lasting effects of prior R&D decisions, impeding their reaction to a shock and reducing their capability to integrate newly available knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early detection of weak external signals is increasingly critical for strategic agility. While many organizations scan for weak signals, most dismiss them as anomalies, principally due to poor amplification strategies. Several challenges hinder the necessary amplification and sensemaking of weak signals for organizational awareness. This article analyzes 139 proof-of-concept projects with startups and 15 interviews with executives involved in the projects at a leading German mobility corporation, and it reveals four actions to amplify weak external signals, thereby enhancing organizational hyper-awareness. It illustrates the actions with examples and presents the implications for both weak signals and strategic agility management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the diffusion process for a controversial practice that involves multiple constituents with diverse motivations. In doing so, we uncover how conflicting judgments shape the diffusion process of a controversial practice. Using an inductive study that employs archival and interview data covering over 20 years, we examine the evolution of third-party ownership (TPO) in the global industry of football—a practice that transformed the ownership of football players from belonging to football clubs to being shared among investors like "pizza slices." We follow the TPO from its origins as an enabler for unfavored actors to join the industry to its enactment as an illegitimate financial instrument for exploitative profits. Our research unpacks the distinct mechanisms used to promote adoption and abandonment of an increasingly controversial practice; describes the mismatch between moral and economic arguments, and the tension that derailed the diffusion process; and identifies how the effectiveness of recalibration efforts depends on how much of practice's value relies on its opacity. Our study advances existing knowledge on the diffusion process of controversial practices in multi-constituent contexts, where the diversity of actors' interests and judgments makes it complex to predict the outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Established organisations and new ventures search for knowledge in the face of disruption. The activation of corporate-startup collaborations facilitates access to new and complementary knowledge. This type of collaboration has become increasingly popular as a corporate response to technological and market disruptions. However, there is growing evidence of the multiplicity of outcomes, intrinsically related to the broad diversity of forms and collaboration models. In this special issue, we include five contributions that give an overview of the phenomenon. We explore theoretical lenses that help us understand the potential tensions emerging from asymmetrical inter-organisational collaborations and possible solutions to make those collaborations successful. We delineate the theoretical and practical contributions of the papers and summarise the research opportunities that emerge around a phenomenon that keeps evolving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]