Warren B. Brown

Adaptive responses by conservative and entrepreneurial firms

Over time, most corporate managements face the necessity of adapting their organizations to new environments. The style of such adaptation depends both on the original strategy of the company and its new objectives and environment. Necmi Karagozoglu and Warren Brown report the results of research which explores the changes in the organizations rate of innovation in response to environmental shifts. The changes in the innovative behavior of conservative firms (which emphasize stability, standardized products and cost-minimization strategies) are contrasted with that of entrepreneurial firms (which emphasize flexibility, rapid product change and state-of-the-art product features). Organizational competence and managements willingness to change are some of the key independent variables used in the project. The data are from a study of 56 manufacturing companies representing 26 industries.

Observations on the measurement of R&D productivity: a case study

Recent concerns over national and corporate competitiveness have stimulated a renewed interest in the measurement of R&D productivity. However, the complexity of measurement problems in R&D organizations has resulted in a situation where there is a scarcity of generally accepted techniques. The authors review the major measurement issues connected with R&D productivity and presents the results of a case study to develop a R&D productivity measurement system. They describe the process of designing such a system for a high-tech product-development organization, and also provide a reduced list of ten R*D productivity indicators for ongoing monitoring purposes. >

Uncertainty and management's search for information

This study empirically examines the relationship between perceived environmental uncertainty and the information search behavior of managers in organizational boundary-spanning positions. It tests hypotheses related to the perceived importance managers attach to external, internal, formal, and informal information sources, as environmental uncertainty increases. Managerial search behavior of electronics firms is contrasted with that in wood products firms. The findings suggest that certain information search behaviors appear to be associated with perceived uncertainty. Significant positive correlations were found to exist between the level of uncertainty perceived by managers and (1) their reliance on external sources of information, (2) their use of informal sources of information, (3) their frequency of use of all information sources, and (4) the amount of time they allocate to information gathering activities.

A systems model of technological innovation

A systems framework is developed for synthesizing the major themes of previous research of technological innovation. The focus is on two specific types of input to innovation systems: decision inputs and implementation inputs. Each of these input categories is examined in detail, and interactions among their components are investigated. Broader relationships between the decision and implementation inputs are explored, first as a function of the organizations innovation goals, and then over time as the innovation process unfolds through the organization. Some key management-related stimuli and obstacles which can occur at various points in the innovation system are also examined. >

Redefining the Boundary Spanning-Environment Relationship

A review of previous studies on the relationship between boundary spanning activity and environment indicates that the full effects of environment have not been investigated due to the restricted representation of environmental effects. In addition, we argue that the boundary spanning-environment relationship may be moderated by function, hierarchical level, perceived influence, size, and industry. Accordingly, an enlarged model of the boundary spanning-environment relationship is tested in both the high-technology electronics industry and the wood products industry. Results indicate that boundary spanning activity is related to environment, but this relationship appears to vary along dimensions of environment as well as by industry. In addition, size, perceived influence, and function are found to moderate the boundary spanning-environment relationship. Implications for further studies include a reconceptualization of the boundary spanning-environment relationship based on the findings.

Technological Innovation Strategies

ABSTRACTA new framework for analyzing different strategies of technological innovation is presented. The framework compares the product innovation emphasis to the process innovation emphasis by using market focus as a mediating variable. Eight computer industry firms are highlighted to show how they vary from reactors and value leaders to product innovators and integrators. The reactors lack any clear innovation strategy, while the integrators achieve both multiple product innovations and value leadership. This exploratory study presents some preliminary implications for managers who are trying to improve their technological innovation strategies.

A multivariate approach to perceived innovation in R&D subsystems

This study proposes and tests a model concerning perceived innovation in the R&D subsystems of six organisations. Data from a sample of 102 research scientists, representing six industries, are analyzed. It was found that perceived R&D subsystem innovativeness was significantly influenced by the climate of the R&D subsystem, the R&D subsystem structure, and the personal characteristics of the R&D personnel. Managerial implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

An experiment in capturing a priority-utility function in public agencies

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present the methodology and results of an experiment performed with a group of public agency executives in order to capture an agency-wide priorityutility function. A method based on the Churchman-Ackoff-Arnoff successive comparisons approach was developed for easy administration to the policy makers. The results produced high levels of concordance among the individual executives; the use of the results as input for other decision-making, such as resource allocation or the relative effectiveness of programs, is discussed.

A Study of Optimality in Recurrent Decision-Making of Lower-Level Managers

Rational decision-making is essential for the long-term success of any organization. For lower-level managers, much of their experience in decision-making is derived from recurrent decision problem...

The Impact of a Dynamic Task Environment: A Study of Architectural-Engineering Firms

This study focuses on architectural-engineering firms and the organizational impact on them caused by major dynamic shifts in their task environment. Diverse organizational strategies by these firm...