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Performance and sustainability of a company are often viewed as being strongly influenced by its top management. And yet, despite a rich literature in the field of organisational learning, little is known about how the top management of a company acquires and maintains the knowledge of "how to run the business", especially in fast-changing environments. This study focuses on Deutsche Telekom as it sought to transform itself during a turbulent period from a traditional operator into an international, diverse business player. This work seeks to extend the theory and understanding of organisational learning to this particular group of people at the apex of the organisation and contributes to the debate of top-level organisational learning (TLOL) as a dynamic capability. The study, which is based upon longitudinal, qualitative research, featuring separate cases embedded within a single, large organisation, explores the methods and outcomes of TLOL. Comparative cases in different organisational settings and business contexts, at corporate and at divisional level, were used in this diversified organisation to empirically investigate the deployed initiatives and methods as well as drivers of and barriers to TLOL. The research contributes to and expands upon current theory by providing empirical evidence that the interplay between exogenous factors, strategy, the characteristics of the organisation and of the top management group shapes the methods used for TLOL. It provides evidence of the link between learning method and organisational outcomes. The study finds that in the turbulent environment described, the deployed methods for TLOL in the mature part of the organization differed substantially from the learning methods used in the young, fast-growing divisions. The learning methods used did, however, not produce exclusively positive results. Finally, by developing a new conceptual framework, the study allows researchers and management to systematically examine and shape top-level organisational learning within their own organisations.

The long-term success of companies often depends on innovating beyond incremental change, but internal organisational factors often push efforts towards incremental innovations. Considerably less is known about appropriate structural solutions to foster radical innovation compared with incremental developments. This research seeks to extend the theory and understanding of how to organise innovation activities through supporting structures that foster radical innovation. The focus of the study is on structures known as Innovation Management Units (lnMUs), operating at the corporate and divisional levels within a large organisation operating in turbulent markets. The research provides an explorative account supported by empirical evidence, featuring embedded case studies within a single organisation. Comparative cases were used to explore the similarities and differences between lnMU approaches, as exemplified by the Deutsche Telekom Group. Through the analysis of core functions and the role comprehension of lnMUs, this study contributes to the academic understanding of innovation, and informs discussions on 'Innovation Hubs' and whether such units should be separated from, or integrated in, the operational organisation. It contributes to theory by providing empirical evidence that corporate and divisional lnMU approaches - despite partial differences in the spectrum of tasks and organisational integration - can be an appropriate structural vehicle for fostering radical innovation. This study demonstrates that the tasks of such units described in the innovation management literature have to be expanded and that the "transfer-point", where the preliminary work of an lnMU is handed over for implementation, is crucial. Moreover, in turbulent environments, such structural approaches must seriously take into account the 'promoter-approach' to implement an efficient innovation management system within an enterprise. Finally, by providing a conceptual framework based upon 'lnMU design components' and by identifying lessons learnt that are critical to success, the implications for practice are also covered within this study.