From Lab to Field: Collective Experimentation as A Driver of Seizing Capability in Established Firms – A Case Study in the Mobility Sector

This paper explores how collective experimentation activates the seizing capability within established firms, focusing on two real-world experimentation project cases in the mobility sector. While experimentation has evolved from controlled lab settings to collaborative, territorial initiatives, its role in enabling organizations to convert emerging ideas into actionable innovation remains under-theorized. Grounded in the Dynamic Capabilities framework, this qualitative study analyzes two experimentation projects, a professional carpooling pilot and a mobility-on-demand trial, conducted between 2022 and 2024. Drawing on interviews, observations, and document analysis, the findings reveal five micro-foundations of seizing: territorial anchoring, community facilitation, long and progressive temporality, solution co-construction, and mobilizing narratives. These mechanisms illustrate that seizing is not a top-down strategic decision, but a distributed, socially embedded process shaped by local dynamics and collective engagement. The study extends the seizing dimension to collective experimentation contexts and proposes operational levers to institutionalize these practices in complex organizational environments