| dc.description.abstract | As the urgency of climate change and the demand for more energy increases, so does the need for changing Norway’s incumbent energy system. We are witnessing a change from the dependence of the two dominant regimes of hydropower and oil and gas, and towards several new, renewable industries. Among these industries, is the offshore wind industry, which resembles a opportunity of diversifying the incumbent oil and gas industry and similarly, the Norwegian economy, and this process entails a transition of socio-technical regime. Traditionally, the focus in the literature on sustainability transitions has focused on systemic change of socio-technical regimes. However, this notion tends to underemphasize the role of microprocesses as is apparent in management- and organizational studies. Therefore, this study has applied concepts from theories of institutional entrepreneurship to explore the role of firms during sustainability transitions. Based on in-depth interviews with firms that are aiming to develop and operate offshore wind parks in Norway, this thesis provides new understandings of how a specific type of industry actor partakes in building a new industry. I investigate the conditions for developing an offshore wind industry, what barriers and drivers the firms face in this process, and how they strategically respond to increase the legitimacy of the emerging industry. The empirical findings extend on what this takeoff stage implies for the firms in terms of increasing legitimacy and reducing uncertainties in their efforts for partaking in industry building of the offshore wind industry. This thesis contributes with empirical insights on the development of the offshore wind industry in Norway as I reveal how the industry has matured past the incubation stage and has entered the stage which I refer to as the industry takeoff. The findings illustrate that at this stage in the development of the OWP industry, the firms have attained more power and legitimacy which is expressed through the new alliances, the emergence of mobilized networks (i.e., clusters, trade unions, interest organizations), in the firms’ efforts of cultivating and maintaining relationship with decision markers, as well as the progress in the technological development. | nob |