Resumen de Associations, jurisdictional battles, and the development of dual-purpose capabilities

Steven J. Kahl

• Recently, Helfat and Winter (2011) proposed the existence of dual-purpose capabilities that can be used for both operational and dynamic purposes. This paper provides an empirical documentation of dual-purpose capabilities through the examination of how one such capability�production planning�developed. The historical analysis reveals that much of the learning involved in developing the capability occurred at the field level in a professional association and that the general efforts to professionalize also influenced its evolution. This analysis extends current learning-based models of capability development by showing how an external locus of learning shapes the content of what gets developed. It also highlights how the sociopolitical processes involved in the jurisdictional battles between groups influence the nature of the capabilities developed.