Abstract
Following the Oil price downturn in 2014, a surge of digital innovation initiatives have surfaced which promise to decrease operational costs to reflect a new, low margin, environment. Equinor – firmly on board with the digitalization wave – has, following a strategy revision in 2017 – committed to several additive manufacturing initiatives, potentially benefitting both the company, the energy industry and society at large. We examine a set of initiatives working in the additive manufacturing space, as seen from the interior of the organization. We ask: 1. How does Equinor implement additive manufacturing in the early stage? 2. What barriers does Equinor face for rapid additive manufacturing implementation? 3. How can Equinor increase additive manufacturing implementation effectiveness? Our thesis uncovers and presents complexities along axis of early stage organizational structure and technology processes. The study examines a complex organizational user innovation process and describes the research gap between adoption and implementation in a large organizational context for a heterogeneous technology implementation. The study identified organizational tension between values of operational stability and innovation change. And identifies hurdles for AM implementation effectiveness. Lastly, the authors provide recommendations for how to increase implementation effectiveness.