TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT PROCESS

Technology Management Process

Technology Management Process

Introduction

Background

The impact of technology as a source of competitive advantage for manufacturing industries is widely accepted by practitioners? governments and academics. In order to realise this competitive advantage? it is vital to understand both the specific technologies? and the ways in which organisations can best manage technology. These issues are of increasing importance as the pace of technology development and its complexity increase.

The rising level of activity in the area of technology management studies is an indication of these trends. For instance? Clarke and Reavley (1993) provide a bibliography of published papers in the area of science and technology management? including over 10?000 references? up from 3?000 in 1981. As well as papers? a large number of reference books have been published? which provide greater access to technology management issues for industrialists and students (for example? Gaynor? 1996; Burgelman et al.? 1996; Lowe? 1995; Dussauge et al.? 1994; Steele? 1989). However? no particular textbook or approach to technology management has achieved wide acceptance. For instance? the technology management “handbook” edited by Gaynor (1996) comprises a collection of disparate views on technology management.

Technology management process framework

Gregory (1995) has proposed that management of technology is comprised of five generic processes (see Figure 1):

Identification of technologies which are (or may be) of importance to the business.

Selection of technologies that should be supported by the organisation.

Acquisition and assimilation of selected technologies.

Exploitation of technologies to generate profit? or other benefits.

Protection of knowledge and expertise embedded in products and manufacturing systems.

This framework is related to other process models that have been proposed for technology management? such as Sumanth and Sumanth (1996) - awareness? acquisition? adaptation? advancement and abandonment - and Jolly (1997) - imagining? incubating? demonstrating? promoting and sustaining. These types of models are often closely related to the innovation and new product development processes; Gregory's framework has the advantage of being quite generic? encompassing all technology management activities in the firm.

Skilbeck and Cruickshank (1997) have extended Gregory's five-process model? linking the framework to business activities within a systems context? and identifying three levels within the organisation where technology management processes apply:

Corporate level (network view): how to manage technology across a diverse range of businesses.

Business level (external view): how to gain competitive advantage through technology.

Operational level (internal view): how to optimise internal processes to manage technology effectively.

A technology management assessment procedure (TMAP) has been developed which is based on this model. This paper describes the application of the TMAP procedure in a manufacturing organisation.

Research framework

The development of the technology management process assessment procedure has been undertaken in the context of an “action research” framework? as set out by Maslen and Lewis (1994); see also Platts (1993). Action research provides a methodology whereby business systems can be investigated by a process of active intervention (i.e. collaborative participation).

There are two stages associated with action research in this context: development and testing (see Figure 2). During the development stage the procedure is expected to change? incorporating improvements based on ...