The evolution of modularity and architectural innovation: web-enabled collective development of a tangible artefact

摘要

Can a web-based community of peers autonomously engage in architectural innovation and develop tangible products? We present a theoretical framework that builds upon the idea of product modularisation as a knowledge management tool enabling community collaboration. The framework consists of a community meta-model and a product meta-model; some mechanisms enabling collective innovation are also presented as part of the framework. We then apply the theoretical framework to the real case of a high-performance human powered watercraft showing how the community was able to innovate the artefact evolving its modular architecture.