Operationalizing of DCV Microfoundations: A Behavioral Model for a Transforming System Integrator Firm

Abstract

The company in question, as one of the market leaders, aims to maintain competitiveness and increase the share of its own high-margin IT products and complex IT projects to 80% of revenue within three years, doubling the gross margin. Based on Teece's sensing–seizing–reconfiguring model, this study analyzes which individual and team factors activate the company's dynamic capabilities at different stages and support its strategic flexibility. A mixed method was used: (1) a Likert scale survey (n=86; 35 statements) covered seven constructs: systems, creative and visionary thinking; strategic consensus at the team level; attitudes toward change, technology and mistakes; and orientation toward "execution as learning"; (2) Nine semi-structured interviews with team leaders and HR business partners supplemented the quantitative data. The Mann–Whitney U test revealed statistically significant differences in the level of dynamic capabilities between the innovation-oriented units (Transformation Office, Corporate University, Creative Class) and the routine-oriented IT systems support team (p < 0.05). Qualitative analysis showed that the key, but unevenly developed drivers of change are psychological safety and the maturity of knowledge sharing processes within and between teams. The central contribution of the study was the empirical confirmation of the two-factor model of team microfoundations, reflecting the behavioral drivers of dynamic capabilities: (1) Team Strategy Foresight (TSF) - cognitive alignment, collective strategic vision, and scenario thinking; (2) Learn Failure (LF) - a culture of meaningful attitude to errors and reflective learning. Both factors demonstrated high internal consistency, moderate interrelationships, and distinct roles across phases of the DCV cycle. Together, they explain key differences in team adaptability and provide an operationalization of the theoretical model. The paper also provides practical recommendations tailored to each team’s profile. In summary, the study demonstrates how the development of TSF and LF transforms the abstract concept of dynamic capabilities into a practical model that ensures strategic adaptability in the face of macroeconomic turbulence and increasing competition in the IT sector.