Process of Technological Innovation: Reviewing the Literature

摘要

Technological innovation is defined and characterized and the view of technology as a disembodied machine or tool is contested. It is pointed out that technology and innovation encompass the organizational setting in which tools are deployed, the work roles of people involved in their use, and the perceptions of actors involved in adoption and implementation. Stages and processes in innovation are discussed, including: (1) basic research, (2) applied research, (3) development, (4) testing and evaluating, (5) manufacturing and packaging, and (6) marketing and disseminating. The limits of disciplinary inquiry for economics, engineering, political science, psychology, and sociology, are considered. Organizational approaches to the study of innovation are explored. Government policies on innovation, incuding regulation, tax, and patent policies, are analyzed.