This paper explores how large R&D-driven firms can develop and integrate entrepreneurial experimentation as a complementary capability to traditional innovation processes. Based on a longitudinal qualitative study of Ericsson, we examine how the organization adapted to digitalization through initiatives aimed at creating new structures and processes for innovation. Our findings reveal the dynamic interplay between structural changes and framing thereof as the firm tackled the dual challenges of broadening exploration while coordinating decentralized experimentation initiatives. We propose a process model illustrating how tensions between established R&D practices and new entrepreneurial approaches can lead to iterative structural and procedural changes driven both by top management and middle management. This study contributes to our understanding of how large firms balance between broadening search scope and coordinating experimentation by navigating competing innovation frames, and transforming organizational structures.
