A1 Journal article (refereed)
The curse of agility : The Nokia Corporation and the loss of market dominance in mobile phones, 2003–2013 (2021)

Lamberg, J.-A., Lubinaitè, S., Ojala, J., & Tikkanen, H. (2021). The curse of agility : The Nokia Corporation and the loss of market dominance in mobile phones, 2003–2013. Business History, 63(4), 574-605. https://doi.org/10.1080/00076791.2019.1593964

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Lamberg, Juha-Antti; Lubinaitè, Sandra; Ojala, Jari; Tikkanen, Henrikki

Journal or series: Business History

ISSN: 0007-6791

eISSN: 1743-7938

Publication year: 2021

Volume: 63

Issue number: 4

Pages range: 574-605

Publisher: Routledge

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00076791.2019.1593964

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/64770

Abstract

We investigate how and why the Nokia Corporation failed to develop a successful strategic response to the threats of Apple and Google in the smartphone business and instead worsened its situation through several badly timed decisions. We identify key choices in technology and organisational design that jointly constituted sufficient cause for the abandonment of the mobile phone business. By focusing on choices instead of attributes (e.g. fear or hubris), we make progress in strategic failure research and simultaneously emphasise the strength of oral history methods and the philosophy of history as fruitful starting points for such an inquiry.

Keywords: strategies; technology companies; leadership (activity); decision making; oral history

Free keywords: strategy; technology management; business history; Nokia

Contributing organizations

Related projects

Ministry reporting: Yes

VIRTA submission year: 2021

JUFO rating: 2