A Framework to Map Corporate Intellectual Property Capabilities in Large Tech Organizations: Lessons from Airbus

Overview: Complex technological organizations must strategically manage their intellectual property (IP) to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. To do this, they need to develop corporate IP capabilities that align with their overall innovation strategy. In this article, we present a framework for categorizing and visually representing corporate IP management capabilities, helping managers assess, monitor, benchmark, and enhance these capabilities over time. Through a case study of Airbus, a leading international aeronautics company, we demonstrate how managers can select an appropriate IP capability development pathway and allocate necessary resources to support their strategy. We illustrate the utility of our framework by outlining four generic IP capability configurations based on an organization’s strategy for capturing value from technological innovation.