Exploitation and exploration within the Dutch Renewable Energy cooperative: a fight for scarce resources
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2021-02-10
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en
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To contribute to the organizational development of renewable energy cooperatives in the Netherlands and the achievement of organizational viability, this Master’s thesis study explores (1) the engagement of four Dutch RE cooperatives in exploitation and exploration and (2) the organizational factors influencing this engagement. The theory of organizational ambidexterity is at the heart of this study. According this theory, balancing exploitation and exploration enables organizations to become viable (March, 1991; Tushman & O’Reilly, 1996; Raisch & Birkinshaw, 2008; Popadiuk, 2012). To be able to reach the objectives of this qualitative study, a multiple case-study design was used. Moreover, the Template Analysis technique was used to analyze the data gathered from semi-structured interviews and organizational documents.
The results show that four organizational factors primarily influence the engagement of the RE cooperatives under study in exploitation and exploration, namely: limited financial resources, limited human resources, limited expertise and limited time. Above all, these organizational factors lead towards the use of dynamic structures to employ exploitative and explorative activities. Moreover, because of limited financial resources, limited human resources and limited expertise, cooperatives encounter difficulties regards the independent performance of explorative activities. However, alternatives for independent exploration are utilized by all cooperatives under study, namely: open-source exploration and inter-organizational exploration. As a result, the researcher introduces the concept of inter-source exploration, which can be defined as the utilization of the exploration function of external parties. Finally, this research stresses the importance of reconceptualization of the concept organizational viability in the context of RE cooperative organizing. Organizational viability in the context of the RE cooperative should not be comprehended as the capability of independent existence Beer (1984) refers to. Independent existence is expected to jeopardize the organizational development of the RE cooperatives under study. Conversely, this study thus implies that RE cooperatives should utilize and further develop their open-source character, in order to remain viable.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen