Incumbency and sustainability transitions: A systematic review and typology of strategies
Saleh R, Vidican Auktor G, Brem A (2025)
Publication Language: English
Publication Type: Journal article, Review article
Publication year: 2025
Journal
Book Volume: 122
Article Number: 104000
DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104000
Abstract
The role of incumbent firms in sustainability transitions is gaining more attention, with rapidly rising evidence of their proactive role in the change. Nevertheless, debates continue to focus on their defensive and resisting role. Studies that review the existing knowledge on incumbents' interaction with sustainability transitions are lacking. Therefore, this research applies a systematic literature review to introduce a synthesised approach to differentiate between incumbents' proactive and defensive strategies. Further, it examines these strategies more closely and proposes a level-based typology that includes organisational and management, technology development, industry and markets, and institutional. It argues that this classification has implications for scholarship, policymaking and management and highlights avoiding the sectoral bias in empirical evidence on proactive and defensive strategies and how addressing the four-level strategies by which incumbents interact with sustainability transitions contributes to creating policies and strategies that enforce an incumbent-led transition.
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Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Saleh, R., Vidican Auktor, G., & Brem, A. (2025). Incumbency and sustainability transitions: A systematic review and typology of strategies. Energy Research & Social Science, 122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2025.104000
MLA:
Saleh, Rabab, Georgeta Vidican Auktor, and Alexander Brem. "Incumbency and sustainability transitions: A systematic review and typology of strategies." Energy Research & Social Science 122 (2025).
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