Marco Iansiti

Technology integration: Managing technological evolution in a complex environment☆

Abstract We report on an empirical investigation of product development in an environment characterized by discontinuous technological change. Our sample is composed of field-based observations on 27 projects and 61 technical problem solving attempts by all leading organizations developing high performance mainframe computers. Different organizations attained very different levels of R & D performance, as indicated by development lead time, R & D productivity and technical product improvement. We show that the differences in performance are correlated with skills and routines aimed at technology integration. High project performance is linked to a broad approach to resolving critical problems, merging deep technical knowledge with a detailed understanding of the specific environment in which the new technologies would be applied. Effective organizations are characterized by a ‘system focused’ approach. The approach involves an emphasis on project specification and concept development, a number of specific routines that probe the systemic impact of technical options on the existing capabilities of the organization, as well as the retention of individuals with direct experience of related product introduction efforts.

Organization Design and Effectiveness over the Innovation Life Cycle

Differing bases of competition in early and later stages of an innovations life cycle call for differing organization designs. Designs that fit early strategic contingencies tend to misfit later ones. Over time, innovating units must either minimize the negative effects of misfit, or make difficult changes in design. Using four paired case studies, we examine how firms address conflicts in strategic contingencies, how managers adjust to misfits, and how organizations adapt their designs. We find that firms use one of three adaptation modes, none of which is fully autonomous nor fully integrated, and all of which change over time. Each mode optimizes for one contingency while suboptimally attempting to address the other. The study suggests practical insights for researchers and managers.

Experience, experimentation, and the accumulation of knowledge: the evolution of R&D in the semiconductor industry

This paper examines the interaction and impact on performance of two organizational mechanisms supporting generation and retention of knowledge: experience accumulation and experimentation. It provides evidence that generation of knowledge through experimentation and retention of knowledge through experience were significantly correlated with performance, whereas other measures of R&D commitment and organization, including several suggested by prior studies, were not. It argues that experience and experimentation can function as at least partial substitutes for one another, possessing more of one, firms may need less of the other, and provides evidence that they were so in the semiconductor industry. The evolution of practice at one firm—Intel Corporation—is explored at greater length, providing a qualitative perspective on the process by which a shift towards greater experimentation occurred.

From technological potential to product performance: an empirical analysis

Abstract RD the second measures the extent to which this potential is translated into acual or ‘realized’ system performance, and probes wether the fundamental technologies employed are well integrated with theirapplication context. We apply these measures to empirical data from the global computer industry. We find that technological potential is related to depth in specialized research, while technological yield is associated with the process for technology integration. The analysis therefore shows that the products mirror the organization that conceived them—‘integrated’ products are correlated with organizational processes aimed at ‘integration’. The findings have significant implications for the design of R&D organizations and processes.

Technology development and integration: an empirical study of the interaction between applied science and product development

The authors report on the results of an empirical study of the development of products based on novel technologies. Their observations are based on field investigations of recent projects performed by all leading mainframe computer producers. All projects focused on the development of advanced technologies for a specific product application, and probed deeply into its science base. The results indicate striking differences in development lead time and R&D productivity between different groups of firms. The authors relate the development performance of the projects to managerial and organizational structures and processes for the integration of new technology. >

Economic Impact of Cloud Computing White Paper

In this paper we find that advances in cloud computing likely will extend the IT induced economic growth in developed economies and foster growth in economies where IT penetration is not yet fully mature. We conclude that governments should work together to take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing.

A study of economic impact of cloud computing

In this paper we find that advances in cloud computing likely will extend the IT induced economic growth in developed economies and foster growth in economies where IT penetration is not yet fully mature. We conclude that governments should work together to take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing.

Possible Observation of Charging Energy Effects in Single Ultra-Small Josephson Tunnel Junctions

We report measurements of the current-voltage characteristics of small single tunnel junctions at temperatures between 4.2K and 23mK. Sample parameters are such that their estimated single electron charging energy is comparable to or greater than their Josephson and thermal energies. As the normal resistance increases to the order of the quantum resistance the behavior of the devices studied becomes fundamentally different from that of conventional Josephson junctions. We suggest an interpretation of our low temperature observations which takes into account the competition between the charging, Josephson, and thermal energies of the system, within the framework of a Bloch function description.