PhD defence: Exploratory Studies into Strategies to Enhance Innovation-Driven International Competitiveness in a Port Context: Toward Ambidextrous Ports
In his dissertation ‘Exploratory Studies into Strategies to Enhance Innovation-Driven International Competitiveness in a Port Context: Toward Ambidextrous Ports’, ERIM’s Rick Hollen explores how efficiency-dominated ports in economically advanced countries can become more ambidextrous and, in turn, strengthen their innovation-driven international competitiveness.
Rick Hollen will defend his dissertation in the Senate Hall at Erasmus University Rotterdam on Friday, 16 October 2015, at 11:30. His supervisors are <link people frans-van-den-bosch>Prof.dr.ing. F.A.J. Van Den Bosch and <link people henk-volberda>Prof.dr. H.W. Volberda. Other members of the Doctoral Committee are Prof.dr. T.K. Das (ZSB), <link people rob-zuidwijk>Prof.dr. R.A. Zuidwijk (RSM), and Dr. J.S. Sidhu (RSM).
About Rick Hollen
Rick M.A. Hollen (born July 4th, 1984, in Leidschendam, The Netherlands) started his PhD-candidacy in late 2011 at the Department of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, after having worked at his department as a Project Coordinator and, for about two years, at a global information and technology services company as a Project Manager Business Development. He obtained a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Strategic Management (cum laude) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Business Administration at the Rotterdam School of Management. As part of these studies he participated in semester exchange programs at three internationally renowned universities abroad: Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, HEC Montréal in Canada, and Pontificia Universidad Católica in Chile. His current research interests revolve largely around the managerial and organizational factors that contribute to the strengthening of the innovation-driven international competitiveness of firms, multi-organizational alliances, and logistic and industrial hubs, with a special interest in port-complexes. His PhD research has been supervised by Prof.dr. Frans A.J. Van Den Bosch and Prof.dr. Henk W. Volberda, and funded by the Port of Rotterdam Authority. At the time of his doctoral defense, his research was published in the peer-reviewed scholarly journals European Management Review and Maritime Economics & Logistics and in several book chapters. He presented his research at leading academic conferences of the Academy of Management (AoM), European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS), International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME) and Strategic Management Society (SMS) that were being held in Canada, France, Israel, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and the United States. He was one of the few selected PhD Candidates in Europe to participate in the Emerging Scholar Workshop at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School in 2013. He has been in the Organizing Committee of port-related (sub)tracks at conferences of the European Academy of Management (EURAM) (2012–2015) in Poland, Spain, Turkey, and The Netherlands (as co-chairman). He is affiliated with the Department of Strategic Entrepreneurship at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), INSCOPE, SmartPort, and the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s Corporate Strategy department.
Thesis Abstract
Research has highlighted that firms competing in dynamic environments have to balance exploitative (efficiency-directed) activities with explorative (innovation-directed) ones in order to remain internationally competitive. In economically advanced countries, whose competitiveness is innovation-driven, this prerequisite of ambidexterity also holds at the aggregate level of (sea)ports. Ports, being important junctions in international integrated chain systems, however, appear to focus predominantly on exploiting their existing assets and market position, minimizing the costs of freight flows, and enhancing overall efficiency levels. This dissertation contains six different exploratory studies into how efficiency-dominated ports in economically advanced countries can become more ambidextrous and, in turn, strengthen their innovation-driven international competitiveness. These studies variably emphasize how firms, business associations and, in particular, port authorities can play a role in this endeavor. Drawing on case study findings and prior literature, it is shown how new ways of organizing and managing, i.e. management innovation, introduced by these organizations at the intra-, inter- or multi-organizational level may contribute to enhanced resource productivity, greater environmental performance, advancements in technological innovation, improved safety procedures in ports, and to a more innovative business climate in general. Also, it is elaborated how the business model of port authorities and, in this connection, their strategic use of generic policy instruments are related with a port’s level of strategic connectivity and strategic value creation for its country. Several conceptual framework and propositions are developed that provide interesting directions in which future studies on management innovation, multi-organizational collaboration, and port authority strategies may be usefully enriched.
· View and download Rick's dissertation
Photos: Chris Gorzeman / Capital Images
