Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore and illustrate how organizations may use online communities strategically to adapt to a changing business environment, specifically from a dynamic capabilities perspective. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents empirical evidence from three cases. Findings: Online communities may help organizations to adapt to a changing business environment by allowing them to sense opportunities and threats, seize opportunities and reconfigure organizational assets. Research limitations/implications: The paper contributes to both the strategy and the information systems literatures by providing empirical insights into the strategic use of online communities. Practical implications: The results of the paper are relevant for managers, helping them to understand the strategic role online communities (may) play and illustrating ways to use them accordingly. Originality/value: The paper addresses a previously defined gap in the literature and provides novel empirical evidence. As online communities become integral parts of digital strategy and open innovation initiatives, the paper is both timely and relevant.