The Role of Technology Pivots in Software Startups: Antecedents and Consequences

Software startups implement and deploy innovative software-based products and services, for which they are in search of a viable and scalable business model. In the well-established Lean Startup Approach, pivoting – testing new fundamental hypotheses about a product, strategy, or engine of growth – is a standard method applied in this process. Failing to pivot at the right time and for the right reasons can substantially jeopardize a startup’s chance to develop into a viable business. Given the alleged importance of pivots, surprisingly little is known about the events leading up to and resulting from pivots. Our study starts to fill this gap in theoretical knowledge by empirically investigating the circumstances under which it is beneficial to perform pivots and what to expect from them for product development, business model development and innovation. Focusing on technology pivots – one specific type of pivot – we use an embedded inductive multi-case research design to propose a preliminary model that identifies three prerequisites, five antecedent and nine consequence categories of technology pivots. Lastly, we discuss the impact of technology pivots on individual business model dimensions

All Things Considered? – Technology Design Decision-making Characteristics in Digital Startups

Digital startups offer innovative products, for which they require a suitable technology solution. Choosing an appropriate technology design among the range of available designs is crucial, as the wrong design decision could have disastrous consequences for product development and quality, and waste valuable resources. While the literature has highlighted the role played by the decision context, little is known about ‘how’ technology design decisions are reached in digital startups. Using an exploratory research design, we investigate how technology design decisions are made in digital startups, and identify decision-making characteristics, consisting of three decision paradigms and seven decision attributes. Our empirical evidence suggests that in addition to the decision context, these decision-making characteristics play an important role in enabling digital startups to reach satisfactory technology design decisions. Our study thus lays the basis for more research on the topic, contributing to knowledge and practice of digital startups

General Principles of CBVM Legend with an Example from North Eurasia

Arctic Council's CAFF Working Group's Circumpolar Flora Group report

A systematic literature review on competitor analysis: status quo and start-up specifics

The purpose of this paper is to determine the status quo of research on competitor analysis (CA), which constitutes a cornerstone of strategic management. Of special interest are potential specifications for start-ups which act in an environment of high uncertainty, where CA is supposed to provide meaningful information to determine the right course of action. This study is performed as a conceptually organized systematic literature review with representative coverage and focus on research outcomes. The findings of 78 identified relevant studies out of 43 different journals are analyzed. Results are presented with regard to research contribution, mentioned purposes for conducting CA, CA processes and methods, and elements for ensuring quality of CA. To provide a cohesive understanding of the CA theme, as well as a foundation and guidance for researchers and practitioners, a conceptual framework is derived, which synthesizes the facets of the CA theme in a novel manner. Start-up related research contributions and avenues for future research are discussed

EuReCa ONE—27 Nations, ONE Europe, ONE Registry A prospective one month analysis of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes in 27 countries in Europe

AbstractIntroductionThe aim of the EuReCa ONE study was to determine the incidence, process, and outcome for out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) throughout Europe.MethodsThis was an international, prospective, multi-centre one-month study. Patients who suffered an OHCA during October 2014 who were attended and/or treated by an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) were eligible for inclusion in the study. Data were extracted from national, regional or local registries.ResultsData on 10,682 confirmed OHCAs from 248 regions in 27 countries, covering an estimated population of 174 million. In 7146 (66%) cases, CPR was started by a bystander or by the EMS. The incidence of CPR attempts ranged from 19.0 to 104.0 per 100,000 population per year. 1735 had ROSC on arrival at hospital (25.2%), Overall, 662/6414 (10.3%) in all cases with CPR attempted survived for at least 30 days or to hospital discharge.ConclusionThe results of EuReCa ONE highlight that OHCA is still a major public health problem accounting for a substantial number of deaths in Europe.EuReCa ONE very clearly demonstrates marked differences in the processes for data collection and reported outcomes following OHCA all over Europe. Using these data and analyses, different countries, regions, systems, and concepts can benchmark themselves and may learn from each other to further improve survival following one of our major health care events

Do Digital Startups Prepare for Technology Pivots? - An Initial Analysis of Job Adverts

Technology pivots help digital startups, which are operating in environments of great uncertainty, to make considerable adjustments to the technology underpinning their products. Technology pivots are resource intensive and risky endeavors, especially while growing into viable and sustainable businesses. For these reasons, a well composed team able to perform these pivots effectively is required. While existing research focuses on the identification of antecedents and consequences of technology pivots, we provide insights as to whether digital startups apply anticipatory mindsets throughout team composition, starting early with the formulation of job advertisements. We analyze the extent to which the antecedents of technology pivots form part of job advertisements published by digital startups. Performing a content analysis on 510 IT job advertisements we find very limited references to the (non-)technical antecedents of technology pivots. Our study provides the basis for research extending beyond the analysis of antecedences and consequences of technology pivots

An Extended Perspective of Technology Pivots in Software Startups: Towards a Theoretical Model

As part of the Lean Startup Approach, technology pivots allow to perform significant technological changes during venture creation based on ˜validated learnings™ or external changes. The decision to pivot is, however, notoriously hard to make, especiall

Spotlight on Women in Tech: Fostering an Inclusive Workforce when Exploring and Exploiting Digital Innovation Potentials

In the digital industries, as elsewhere, an inclusive workforce is essential to reflect the diversity of society and reach different customer groups. However, women are particularly underrepresented in the digital technology sector. Even research on digital innovation processes and outcomes lacks a gender-aware perspective. Hence, our study focuses on the inclusion of women in tech. Drawing on a gender-aware framework and applying computational topic modelling to analyze 560 threads in a professional women online network, we identify the topics that preoccupy women involved in exploring and exploiting digital innovation potentials. We find that women are more concerned with topics related to the exploitation (67%) than the exploration (33%) of digital innovation potentials, suggesting that digital innovation potentials for women remain untapped. Our findings contribute to an understanding of how gender interferes with digital innovation processes, and informs measures to support companies seeking to address the underrepresentation of women in tech