DB8740 is the strategy and innovation specialization equivalent of DB8640 — the course in which strategy and innovation students develop the individualized capstone project topic that will frame their DBA culminating experience. The course requires the same rigorous problem of practice identification, theoretical grounding, and feasibility assessment as DB8640, with the distinctive challenge that strategy and innovation problems must connect meaningfully to the scholarly literature on competitive strategy, innovation management, and digital transformation that the specialization coursework has developed.
Identifying strategy and innovation problems of practice
What makes a viable DBA capstone problem in strategy and innovation
- Problem types appropriate for strategy and innovation capstones: DB8740 develops the capacity to identify and frame strategy and innovation problems that are appropriate for doctoral-level applied research. Common capstone problem types in the strategy and innovation specialization include: innovation underperformance (the organization invests significant resources in innovation activities but does not generate competitive advantage from them — the investigation examines why innovation investments are not producing intended outcomes and what interventions might improve innovation ROI); digital transformation gaps (the organization is not successfully executing its digital transformation strategy — the investigation examines the specific implementation barriers and what organizational changes might address them); competitive positioning challenges (the organization's competitive position is deteriorating as competitive dynamics shift, and the investigation examines strategic alternatives and their implications); business model disruption (the organization faces a disruptive threat to its existing business model and needs to develop a strategic response); and innovation ecosystem development (the organization seeks to create or leverage an external innovation ecosystem and needs to develop a strategy for doing so effectively). Effective problem of practice statements in strategy and innovation are grounded in observable organizational performance data — not "our strategy is unclear" (too vague) but "our new product development time-to-market is 40% longer than industry benchmarks and our innovation portfolio generates only incremental improvements" (specific, measurable, evidence-based)
- Ensuring practical significance: DB8740 emphasizes the dual accountability of DBA capstone research — to scholarly rigor (the investigation must engage seriously with the theory and research literature) and to practical significance (the findings must be actionable for organizational practitioners). Problems of practice that have clear practical significance — that have measurable consequences for organizational performance, that represent issues that organizational decision-makers care about and would act on, and whose investigation could inform specific organizational decisions — are stronger candidates for the DBA capstone than problems that are intellectually interesting but primarily theoretical. The course develops the practical significance assessment alongside the scholarly significance assessment (is this problem understudied? does this organizational context provide novel insight into a theoretically important question?)
Applied framework selection for strategy and innovation
DB8740 develops the capacity to select and justify the theoretical framework most appropriate for the specific strategy or innovation problem the student is investigating. The applied framework choices in the strategy and innovation space are richer and more contested than in some other management domains — there are multiple competing theoretical frameworks that each illuminate different aspects of the same phenomenon. For competitive strategy problems, potential frameworks include Porter's competitive forces framework (industry structure as the primary determinant of competitive advantage), the resource-based view (internal capabilities as the primary determinant), dynamic capabilities theory (the capacity to reconfigure capabilities as the primary source of advantage in high-velocity environments), and transaction cost theory (vertical integration and make-vs-buy decisions as determinants of organizational boundaries and competitive position). For innovation problems, potential frameworks include Christensen's disruptive innovation theory, open innovation theory, the ambidexterity framework (exploration vs. exploitation), and design thinking. For digital transformation problems, Westerman et al.'s digital maturity framework, platform theory, and organizational change theories may all provide relevant analytical lenses. The course develops the criteria for framework selection in this rich context: which framework has the strongest empirical support for the specific problem type? which framework's constructs most directly map to the observable phenomena in the student's organizational context? which framework generates the most actionable prescriptions that could inform the capstone's organizational contribution?
Research methodology for strategy and innovation capstones
DB8740 introduces the research methodology choices that strategy and innovation capstone students must make and defend in their proposals — setting up the methodological development that the capstone project will require. Strategy and innovation capstones most commonly use qualitative methodologies: case study research (examining strategy and innovation phenomena in the complexity of real organizational contexts, using multiple data sources to develop rich description and theoretical insight); action research (working with organizational participants to identify, implement, and evaluate an innovation or strategy intervention); and document analysis combined with interviews (examining both formal strategy documents and the tacit knowledge of organizational participants to understand how strategy is actually made and executed). Some strategy and innovation capstones use quantitative methodologies (analyzing innovation output data, financial performance data, or survey data on innovation climate) or mixed methods designs. The course develops the methodology selection rationale that the capstone proposal requires — connecting methodology choices to the research question, the theoretical framework, and the available data — and begins the research design development (sampling approach, data collection instruments, planned analysis) that the capstone will execute.
DB8740 deliverables include strategy/innovation problem statements, framework justifications, research methodology rationales, and preliminary project plans
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Frequently asked questions
DB8740 is explicit about the distinction between the DBA capstone and MBA consulting projects — because understanding this distinction is essential for producing work that meets doctoral standards rather than practitioner project standards. The most important difference is the relationship to theory: MBA strategy consulting projects are typically evaluated on the quality of strategic analysis and recommendations — they can draw on established frameworks as analytical tools, but their primary accountability is to the quality of the recommendation, not to the theoretical contribution. DBA capstone projects are evaluated on both the quality of applied practice contribution (the capstone must address a real organizational problem and generate actionable findings) and the quality of theoretical engagement (the capstone must engage seriously with the scholarly literature, use theory rigorously rather than as a decorative reference, and make some contribution to the understanding of the theoretical framework in the organizational context studied). A second important difference is research rigor: MBA projects typically use convenience sampling, self-reported interview data, and informal analysis; DBA capstones are expected to use systematic, justified data collection methods; analysis approaches that can be evaluated for rigor; and conclusions calibrated to what the evidence actually supports rather than to what makes the most compelling recommendation. A third difference is the audience: MBA consulting projects are written for organizational decision-makers; DBA capstones are written for both organizational practitioners and the scholarly community — and must meet the writing, citation, and evidence standards that make them credible to both audiences. DB8740 develops the habits of mind that produce this dual accountability: systematic engagement with the scholarly literature, methodological rigor in data collection and analysis, and findings framed in terms of both theoretical implications and practical recommendations.