Cultural Innovation

Technological progress is making products increasingly similar. As new technologies spread rapidly, functional advantages are quickly imitated and become market standards. In this environment — which also shapes internationalization strategies — a powerful avenue for differentiation lies in developing cultural awareness and cultural intent to create value beyond technology.

Research shows that value is created not only through functionality, but also through meanings, identities, and shared understandings that shape how products, services, and enterprises are perceived. Because culture is inherently dynamic, it provides critical insight into how enterprises can interpret change, respond to shifting expectations, and adapt over time. Differentiation therefore depends on an enterprise’s capacity to recognize evolving cultural dynamics, translate them into strategic intent, and embed them coherently across innovation processes, market positioning, and organizational practices.

At the core of this work lies expertise in uncovering the insights that enable meaningful differentiation. Culture is examined as a source of value creation in digitalized, globalized, and sustainability-oriented contexts — connecting directly to the cross-cultural and organizational change themes at the heart of the CCM's research agenda. Attention is given to how intangible resources, cultural narratives, and collective values can be mobilized to guide strategic choices, stimulate innovation, enable entrepreneurial action, and create resonance with stakeholders.

For more insights, see the work of Patricia Enzmann