Knowledge Management and Capability Theory in Structured Products: Perspectives From Industry Professionals

Abstract

The structured products industry has lagged development of other areas of financialization. But that is changing quickly. This paper investigates the forces driving this industry’s recent and rapid growth using interviews with industry professionals which we analyze through the lens of intelligent complex adaptive systems theory and capability theory. We unpack the relationship between retail investors and issuers of structured products as well as the fintech-enabled knowledge management structure these firms have developed to exploit retail opportunities. We find that the lag in development has been due to the necessity of lower costs and the ability to create individualized structured products. The firms that are succeeding in this industry have identifiable sources of competitive advantage that make them more likely to achieve and sustain viability above mere survival than their rivals, what we call capability. From this, we extract generalizable principles for all knowledge management professionals.