FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPING A CONTEXT-BASED TECHNOLOGY PLANNING APPROACH FOR MANAGING DISCONTINUOUS TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

摘要

Technologies, i.e. product, material and production technologies constitute a key success factor for technology oriented companies. Often the question arises how companies can plan their technologies according to their specific context in order to increase a company's effectiveness as well as efficiency. In this paper a framework for designing a context-based technology planning approach for managing discontinuous technological change will be introduced. In the recent decades many disruptive and radical technologies have displaced established technologies. Thus, imposing massive challenges on technology-oriented organizations how to manage these technologies. Discontinuous technological change describes the change from an established technology to a radical or disruptive technology. Technology planning constitutes an useful instrument for the management of technological questions and defines which technologies need to be provided for which period for the realization of which products. Technologies can be described via different characteristics such as technology life cycle, technology complexity etc. which influence a company's technology planning. Other contextual factors are a company's external environment as well as the company itself. In practice, however, many companies are struggling with the challenge of designing and conducting technology planning consistently and according to their dynamic and complex environment. Several studies and expert interviews have proven that many companies either fail to integrate technology planning at all or only integrate individual elements of technology planning (e.g. technology roadmap) according to single demands as a response to changes. Thus, the high potential of planning technologies systematically and context-based are lost. Therefore, an overall technology planning approach is required which describes the main settings of a company towards its technology planning. Based on this approach companies are able to conduct their technology planning more efficiently and systematically. Scholarly contribution is required in terms of defining the possible design options of a technology planning approach as well as contextual factors which influence technology planning's performance. Further, the relationship between contextual factors and design options needs to be analyzed. There is a great need for concrete recommendations of action for technology managers. Therefore, in this paper the current version of a framework for developing a context-based technology planning approach is being presented. In future design guidelines can be developed considering the interdependencies between different contextual factors and design options.