Abstract: The innovation process and the generation of sustainable competitive advantage are permanently on the agenda in technology management. According to Teece (2007), one way to achieve a competitive advantage is to develop dynamic capabilities, a process in which the author identifies three moments: i) to perceive and shape opportunities and threats (sensing), ii) to grasp the opportunities (seizing), iii) to increase, to combine, to secure and, when necessary, to reconfigure the tangible and intangible assets. The aim of this paper is to investigate how the strategic internal changes were introduced to influence on developing the innovation capability in order to sustain and expand the competitive advantages of the firm. To do so, a case study was carried out in a firm that work within the furniture sector more than 30 years and took decision to increase its competitive advantage by investing in product design, what created conditions for the development of new capabilities. Interviews were conducted using questions that allowed the respondents to freely express their experiences and perceptions about the changes that have occurred in their sectors as a result of this process and was possible to identify the intensity of reconfigurations in capabilities that resulted from the creation of the Design Center.

Resumo O presente artigo apresenta uma proposta para operacionalização do conceito de capacidades dinâmicas, criando um modelo de análise a partir da revisão teórica realizada. A pesquisa é feita por meio de estudo de múltiplos casos, resgatando dados históricos, e começa de uma decisão estratégica voltada à inovação. Em seguida, observam-se as reconfigurações que foram necessárias nas capacidades ordinárias das empresas, e apresenta-se a sua nova configuração, considerando os movimentos que foram necessários para implantar o plano estratégico que as levou a inovar. O estudo contribui com a literatura por apresentar a operacionalização das capacidades dinâmicas, e tem como contribuição gerencial a possibilidade de aplicação do conhecimento sobre capacidades ordinárias e dinâmicas nas decisões estratégicas das empresas.

Abstract This article presents a proposal for the operationalization of the concept of dynamic capabilities. It created a model of analysis based on the literature review. The study was carried out through the analyses of multiple cases, which retrieves historical data. Also, it was triggered by a strategic decision focused on innovation. The reconfigurations that were necessary for the ordinary capabilities of the studied companies were observed. Then, their new configuration was shown, considering the movements necessary to implement the strategic plan that led them to innovate. The study contributes to the literature by presenting the operation of dynamic capabilities. Moreover, there is the possibility of applying the expertise about ordinary and dynamic capabilities in the strategic decisions of companies as a managerial contribution.