A study of the impact of remote working on the organisational resources and capabilities of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG. as a source of Sustainable Competitive Advantage.

Abstract

In this study, it was demonstrated that the practice of remote working impacts the organisational resources and capabilities of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG. These impacts influence the efficient deployment of resources and capabilities across several functions of the organisation and have shown to be a source of sustainable competitive advantage. The research objectives of the study were designed to examine how remote working impacts a Sennheiser employees’ ability to add value and their performance. By understanding the impact of remote work on the ability to add value and improve performance, I developed a nascent theory of how remote work impacts the emergence of distinctive capabilities or competencies which are argued to be sources of sustainable competitive advantage. The study was primarily informed by a review of the literature on remote working and the resource-based view theories in strategy. The review of the available literature allowed the development of a conceptual framework to inform my approach to primary research. I developed my research strategy with an interpretivist research perspective. My qualitative data collection method was through semi-structured interviews. I chose to hybridize my research approach, pivoting from deductive to inductive. My approach to the primary data analysis had an inductive element which complemented the use of the conceptual framework, largely RBV related concepts, and allowed for more exploratory rather than descriptive findings to emerge. The findings have shown that remote working impacted the ability of the participants to add value through additional flexibility e.g. better use of time or choice of workplace environment. This flexibility led to improved productivity and performance in cases where the behaviours or characteristics thought to be required as a remote worker were present. Traits like self-drive, discipline and entrepreneurship were recognised as characteristics congruent with good leadership and it was found that the inherent skills and capabilities derived from remote working have the potential to impact leadership competencies within the organisation. The distinctive capabilities of an organisation it is argued are a source of competitive advantage, the architecture innovation and reputation of a firm can all be sources of superior performance (Kay, 1995). The findings show that managers of remote workers recognise the deployment of remote resources as an efficient way to increase speed of response and closeness to the market. Informal relational structures such as a cooperative ethic between remote workers and management is shown to exist and there is a potential and casually ambiguous link to sustainable competitive advantage that is imperfectly imitable (Barney, 1991). The research suggests that remote work practice and the management of remote workers is influencing the fabric of Sennheiser culture and management behaviours. There is evidence of efficiencies in deployment of resources across regions and improved performance. These effects on resources and capabilities it could be argued are casually ambiguous in their link to a sustainable competitive advantage for Sennheiser. I have therefore concluded additional research is needed to establish this link.