Chapter 2

DEFINING TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

2 Defining Technological Innovation _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~7

2.1 Defining Technological Innovation 8
2.1.1 Invention 11
2.1.2 Realisation 12
2.1.3 Implementation 12
2.1.4 Conclusion 12
2.2 Different Types of Innovation 12
2.2.1 Revolutionary versus Evolutionary Innovation 13
2.2.2 Modular versus Architectural Innovation 14
2.2.3 Process versus Product Innovation 16
2.2.4 Procedure versus Service Innovation 18
2.2.5 Disruptive versus Sustaining Innovation 18
2.2.6 Market Pull versus Technology Push Innovation 18
2.2.7 Conclusion 19
2.3 Management of Technology and Innovation 19
2.3.1 The Management of Technology 20
2.3.2 Dynamics of Technological Change 21
2.4 Management of Innovation 25
2.5 Innovation Management versus Technology Management 27
2.6 Conclusion 27
2.7 References 28

2 Defining Technological Innovation

This chapter focuses on the development of definitions in the fields of technology,
innovation, and technological innovation. These definitions serve to qualify the
assumptions made later in the thesis, as well as setting some boundaries to the
innovation audit. Management practises for innovation and technology are covered
as well, since they influence the innovation audit procedures.

The importance of innovation in creating competitive advantage and improving

organisational growth cannot be understated. Appendix A in the addendum contains
four viewpoints on how 'gurus' in the field of innovation perceive its importance.
Toffler1 offers his views on the future and what it holds for business, while Drucke~
identifies the world population contraction as a serious threat. Burgelman3 and Moss
4
Kanter offer inSights into strategic aspects and generating growth for the future.

It is useful to develop a sound understanding of the dynamics of technology and

innovation to be able to audit their respective characteristics. Since different types of
innovation are possible, the boundaries to the innovation audit become important.
Deciding between radical and incremental innovation can radically alter the questions
asked in .the innovation audit. Making an informed decision on the type of innovation,
as well as the scope of the audit, is therefore only possible through knowledge of
innovation and technology and the management of both these disciplines.
 Defining Technological Innovation

The word 'innovative' is much too often used indiscriminately by the media and
general public alike. This can often create the wrong impression and understanding
of its real meaning. A technological innovation for instance, is not as many people
believe, concemed specifically with computers or electronic products such as cellular
telephones or international networks. Neither does technological innovation only
occur in complex products, processes or s~stems. Technological innovation does not
have to be complex, but it has to be new 0 and aim to implement the technology it
embodies, in the marketplace.

For example:

Bio-engineering and medicine currently represent some of the most advanced

fields in technology, yet few people refer to tablets and pills when talking of
high technology. Other even more unrecognised technological innovations
include agricultural processes, financial services, manufacturing methods,
and many others. High technological products, such as the fresh produce ·on
farms throughout the county, rely on high technology for harvesting and
protection from pests. These tomatoes, pears, apples, maize and many more,
are each high technology products, for without bio-engineering and
mechanical harvesters or sorters, these fruits and vegetables would not reach
our tables as fresh and free of defects as they do. Technology influences our
lives in many ways every day, and by thinking of technology only as
electronics or computers, one would be badly misjudging the concept of
technological innovation.

The poor understanding of 'invention' and 'innovation' is illustrated in the following

example:

Laypersons, probably because of the mystique that surrounds science,

generally view invention as a relatively rare event and assume that once it
has occurred, the process of innovation can be completed in a straightforward
manner. In actuality, the converse situation pertains here. All who have
worked in R&D wiJ/ agree that the R&D community is quite prolific in
generating inventions, and companies can rarely afford to fund .all promising
R&D projects. It is the subsequent path to technological innovation that is
typically fraught with numerous obstacles to be overcome, if the R&D
invention is to be commercially successful.

The development of a working definition on the concept of technological innovation is

imperative to the development of an innovation audit. It will be discussed next.

2.1 Defining Technological Innovation

To define innovation one might return to the Latin Origin of the word. Innovation or
'innovare', which means 'to make something new', leads to several conclusions of its
deeper meaning. The Latin concept is quite cryptic and can be better understood
when divided into three parts. To make something new one has to:

• Generate or realise a new idea (invention and creativity)

• Develop this idea into a reality or product (realisation)
• Implement and market this new idea (implementation)

The Yo make something new' refers to replacing old concepts or products with new
ones, continually updating and improving them. When introducing a concept such as

8
 Defining Technological Innovation

technology into the meaning of innovation, and defining the term 'Technological
Innovation', the following changes to the above occur:

• Generate or realise a new idea, based on technology, capability or

knowledge (Invention)
• Develop this into a reality or product (realisation)
• Diffuse, implement and market this new idea, technology, capability or
knowledge (implementation)

Thus technological innovation is a part of the total innovation discipline. It focuses

specifically on technology and how to embody it successfully in products, services
and processes. Technology as a body of knowledge might thus be seen as a building
block for technological innovation, serving as comerstone to research, design,
development, manufacturing and marketing.

Other definitions of technological innovation may be found in literature, yet they all
make some reference to Invention, realisation, or Implementation.

For example:

Invention:

Creation of new idea for a product process or service ... new combination of
pre-existing knowledge.
6
- Edosomwan

· .. and demonstreting its feasibility

7
- Girifalc0

... covers all efforts aimed at creating new ideas and getting them to work
-Roberts8

Organised creativity
9
- Ramanujan & Mensch

The advantages of defining innovation as invention, may iiiustrate the creativity and
novelty side of the process. However without emphasiS on the implementation of the
invention, innovation will not happen. By defining innovation as invention, only half
the complete definition is given and no .consideration for the total concept of
innovation is made.

Realisation:

Industrial innovation includes the technical design, manufacturing,

management and commercial activities involved in the marketing of a new (or
improved) product or first commercial use of a new (or improved) process or
equipment.
_ Freedman 10

Innovation is the specific tool of entrepreneurs, the means by which they

exploit change and opportunity for a different business or service. It is
capable of being presented as a discipline, capable of being leamed, capable
of being practised.
_ Drucker 11

9
 Defining Technological Innovation

The advantage of specifically including realisation in the definition of innovation lies in

identifying a clear time in the lifecycle of innovation, where the invention progresses
from idea to reality. The realisation phase transforms the invention into a producible
product and therefore plays a crucial part in the process of innovation.

Implementation:

Successful exploitation of new ideas ...

-- - UK DTllnnovation Unit definition (1994)

... innovation does not necessarily imply the commercialisation of only a

major advance in technological state of the art (a radical innovation), but it
includes also the utilisation of even small-scale changes in technological
knOW-how (an improvement or incremental innovation) ...
12
- Rothwell and Gardiner

Innovation is the introduction of a new product, process, or service into the

marketplace.
6
- Edosomwan

... a new technology or combination of technologies introduced commercially

to meet a user or market need
- Utterback & Abemathy13

. Implementation should be defined in innovation, to indicate the importance to market

and the real or perceived need that exists. No invention may claim to be an
innovation, before it has been implemented into the market. The acceptance of the
invention into the market changes it to the status of innovation. Therefore to define
innovation, the following quotes come very close to the truth, as understood in the
discipline of innovation.

Innovation:

An invention is essentially the creation of a new device. An innovation

additionally entails commercial or partial application of the new device ... first
application of an invention
_Sahal 14

Innovation is the process by which an invention is first brought into use. It

involves the improvement or refinement of the invention, the initial design and
production of prototypes. Pilot plant testing and construction of production
facilities .. . diffusion is the process of the spread of the innovation into
general use as it is adopted by more and more users.
7
- Girifalco

... we look upon innovation as the total process from the inception of an idea
through to the manufacture of a product and finally to its ultimate sale. It
therefore includes invention and the many stages of implementation such as
research development, production and marketing.
15
- Berry & Taggart

Innovation = invention + exploitation

-Roberts8

10
 Defining Technological Innovation

This selective and non-exhaustive list of innovation definitions, illustrates the three
areas identified in this thesis as the basis for the definition of innovation. They can
7
clearly be seen to occur in the definitions of innovation given by Girifalc0 , Berry &
15 8
Taggart and Roberts . The fragments [see above) under the headings invention,
realisation and implementation illustrate the strong foundation for proposing that
innovation consists of these three stages. The definition of technological innovation
followed in this thesis, will therefore be a mixture of the above, as they are portrayed
in the prominent areas of invention, realisation, and Implementation

Thus the Proposed Working Definition of Technological Innovation:

• To conceive and produce a new solution (from a scientific and technological

knowledge) to a real or perceived need (Invention)
• To develop this solution into a viable and producible entity (Realisation)
• To successfully introduce and supply this entity to the real or perceived need
(Implementation)

All definitions discussed above may lead one to the conclusion that technological
innovation is a highly personal concept, relying heavily on knowledge, educational
standards and intelligence. This also illustrates the difficulty of managing innovation,
for how does one manage that which is so oppositely understood. These different
ideas about innovation are exacerbated by the media referring incorrectly to any new
development or idea as 'innovative', while actually meaning 'inventive'.

The three areas of technological innovation as identified in the proposed definition

above, warrant a better description. They form a key part of the innovation auditing
process and occur as primal entries in the innovation model, which will be developed
later in this thesis. A · short introduction to invention, realisation and
Implementation follows.

2.1.1 Invention
Invention and creativity are very common, and are practised by all of us. Because
every human being understands, visualises and communicates information
differently, we have no choice in being creative. When learning or readinJl we
transform information into a personalised format to store it better in our brains.1 This
transforming of information into a personalised format, ads a uniqueness to every
piece of information and when finally retrieved, manifests itself as new ideas,
concepts and techniques. Invention therefore is a natural habit, practised to a greater
or lesser extent by all people. This can be proved by the fact that even a simple
interaction between two people, usually contains new thoughts, perceptions and
even ideas. One of the best ways to improve innovation in an organisation is to hire
new, inexperienced people with different perceptions and ways of dOing things.

Conversely routine and safety are the suppressers of invention. When routines are
formed in our minds, we tend to act along those same paths every day. To break the
routine and think more inventive, one should try new things, learn as much as.
possible and explore continuously. For instance one of Leonardo da Vinci's · most
17
valuable traits was his inquisitiveness. He simply had to know everything about
anything, enabling him to stay highly creative throughout his life.

11
 Defining Technological Innovation

2.1.2 Realisation
The part of the innovation cycle where ideas are tumed into workable and usable
. products may be referred to as the realisation phase. Engineers, designers and
developers may often be found in the realisation phase. These people are realists,
practical, goal orientated, hard workers and sure of themselves. Each of these traits
play a part in driving and forcing an invention through the difficult stages of
development, deSign, testing and pre-production to a producible product.

Without the realisation phase ideas would always stay 'blue-sky' ideals, hopes and
promises. Realisation combines the skills of engineers with researchers,
manufacturers and market 'gurus' to design and produce a working prototype,
resembling the initial idea. It is important to note that the final prototype might not
exactly constitute the initial ideas, since manufacturability, marketability and natural
laws abide for every product.

2.1.3 Implementation
To implement an innovation means convincing someone to use or buy it from the
innovator. Ultimately marketing is about convincing customers that a product is
better, cheaper, faster, safer, harder etc. than the competitor's. With a new
innovation the same holds true, yet the newness can sometimes be a drawback.
Markets resist new products and need to be informed about the features of the new
product to be able to understand its advantages. Implementation is therefore about
developing and convincing the market, or customer, to buy a new innovation.

2.1.4 Conclusion
This concludes the section on the definition of technological innovation. It was found
that technological innovation might be defined in a proposed working definition as:

• To conceive and produce a new solufion (from a scientific and technological

knowledge) to a real or perceived need (Invention)
• To develop this solufion into a viable and produceable entity (Realisation)
• To successfully introduce and supply this entity to the real or perceived need
(Implementation)

This thesis will follow the definition as proposed above. It will be applied in the
development of an innovation model, as well as a methodology for auditing
capabilities for technological innovation. To elaborate on the diverse nature of
innovation, the different types of innovation will be discussed in the following
paragraphs.

2.2 Different Types of Innovation

Technological innovation is a complex process of several distinct stages, many of
which require different focuses and different management strategies. Typical aspects
.of the stages of innovation may include the following:

(a) Should the firm start with the inception of an idea (invention)?
(b) Is it more beneficial to take up a well-developed concept and focus on
commercialisation? .
(c) Should the firm spotlight an existing technology and aim at perfecting or
modifying it?

12
 Defining Technological Innovation

Managing innovation requires the juggling of many concepts and processes to keep
each performing at its peak [Appendix A Burgelman). To understand the complexity
of innovation better, some of its elements requiring different management strategies
are reviewed below.

Academics and specialists define many different types of innovation. For instance,
different applications, degrees, processes and functions all performed in innovation
function. The following are some of the more prominent types:

Marquis 18 defines the following different types of innovation:

• Radical innovations: ideas that have impact on or cause significant changes in

the whole industry
• Incremental innovations: small ideas that have importance in terms of improving
products, processes, and services
• System innovations: ideas that require several resources and many labour-years
to accomplish. Communications networks and satellite operations are good
examples

Henderson and Clark19 define the types of innovation as:

• Incremental: - incremental innovation refines and extends an established

design, but underlying concepts, and links between them, remain the same
• Architectural: - the essence of architectural innovation is the reconfiguration of
an established system to link together existing components in a new way
• Modular: - it is an innovation that changes a core design concept, without
changing the producfs architecture or primary function
• Radical: - radical innovation establishes a new dominant design and hence a
new set of core design concepts, embodied in components that are linked
together in a new architecture

Types of innovation which will be discussed further include:

• Revolutionary vs. evolutionary innovation

• Modular vs. architectural innovation
• Process vs. product innovation
• Procedure vs. service innovation
• Disruptive vs. sustaining innovation
• Market pull vs. technology push innovation

Although by no means complete, the different types of innovation do give a certain

understanding for the complexity of managing the total system. When so many
different variables exist in an equation, great effort is needed to solve or just arrive at
a sensible answer. In the following paragraphs, some of the more important types of
innovations are described, as well as their possible management procedures.

2.2.1 Revolutionary versus Evolutionary Innovation

Innovation may be classed into two main categories', revolutionary and evolutionary,
or often referred to as radical and incremental respectively. Although some
extensions to these categories exist they will be elaborated on at a later stage.

Revolutionary or radical innovation as it is also known, is accompanied by a high

degree of change in human behaviour and paradigms. In essence radical innovators

13
 Defining Technological Innovation

have a completely different way of thinking and doing things. Radical innovation is
responsible for most discontinuous product or process changes.

Huiban 20 states that radical innovation typically occurs in small organisations outside
the more established industries. This is a contentious issue which many of the bigger
organisations such as HP, 3M, DuPont, Pfizer and many others often disprove. What
Huiban possibly implies is that disruptive or industry changing innovations often
23
come from outside the industry they disturb. Christensen refers to this type of
innovation as the implementation of a disruptive technology. These technologies
often find application in niche markets where they 'survive' until a crack or
opportunity in the larger market appears. However if the innovation and technology is
of sufficient brilliance, these small firms may easily start growing exponentially. The
niche market serves as a platform for educating the market and generating resources
for further product or technology development. Michelin (steel belt automobile tires)
and Apple (personal computers) initially entered niche markets, before they were
able to grow to their present size. This afforded them the time and exposure to do the
necessary refining and development on their product ranges.

The management of radical innovation is often difficult, since it is prone to failure.

Most organisations feel more comfortable to pursue the less risky route of
evolutionary or incremental innovation.

Evolutionary or incremental innovation, on the other hand, is relatively common

and occur throughout large and small organisations. It is often the large firms, with
well-developed research facilities, that can capitalise most on incremental innovation.
By continuously improving they are able to stay ahead of their competitors, and
survive another day.

Incremental innovations build on previous radical innovations. They often focus on

introducing new features and abilities to current product lines. These innovations can
be managed in a formal way, by focusing on creative problem solving and integrating
customer needs into future designs. Incremental innovation is the typical run of the
mill innovation needed almost every day. It is most often used to keep up with the
competition.

Incremental innovation is often the only way large organisations are able to innovate.
However a hidden danger lies in specialising in incremental innovation only, for the
field of innovation is dynamic and being locked in may mean relinquishing many
opportunities to more flexible competitors. Influencing organisational competitiveness
and the bottom line.

2.2.2 Modular versus Architectural Innovation

The terms modular and architectural innovation have been coined to assist
understanding and defining the intermittent ground between revolutionary (radical)
and evolutionary (incremental) innovation. The two extreme cases of innovation, as
discussed above, do not include innovations such as fusion of technolog~,
rearrangement of units or partial radical innovation. Modular and architectural 9
innovations lie between revolutionary (radiCal) and evolutionary (incremental)
innovation, but are not necessarily simply a fusion of the two extremes. They
represent a different approach to innovation and could be used as a methodology for
implementing' innovation, when revolutionary or evolutionary may not fit.

14
 Defining Technological Innovation

A Framework for Defining Innovation

Core Concepts

Reinforced Overtllmed

UnChanged Incremental Modular

Innovation Innovation

Changed Architectural Radical

Innovation Innovation

19
Figure 2.1: A Framework for Defining Innovation, Source: Henderson and Clark
Architectural Innovation occurs when existing knowledge or hardware embodied in
a product, is arranged differently, creating a completely different product and possibly
a different market. The function of the product seldom changes dramatically.

A good example might be the innovation of the low-stress chair, commonly used in
front of personal computer desks. - The chair consists of opposing cushioned
sections for the knees and buttocks. It has no backrest. When one sits in the chair, a
crouching position results, with reduced stress on the occupant's lower back. - This
chair is not simply an adaptation of a normal chair, but a rearrangement of the back
and buttock rests, into knee and buttock sections. The important issue is that the
underlying idea of seating a person has not changed, only the way it is
accomplished. It may therefore be classified as an architectural innovation.

Implementing an architectural innovation might require scanning and monitoring a

wide variety of customer needs and possibly identifying where current organisational
technologies or competencies are utilised. Due to the holistic approach required for
architectural innovation to happen innovators will require a wide knowledge base with
information gathering and knowledge management systems close at hand.

A modular Innovation usually takes place in complex products or processes with

many sub units and functions. This type of innovation can be a radical innovation of a
certain part of a total product. A new personal computer may have a new central
processing unit, but without accompanying software, interfaces, memory and buffer
units, it could not be regarded as a radical new product innovation. In this case a
neural network computer or something completely new, would be considered a
radical innovation.

Modular innovation is related to radical innovation in the nature of its implementation.

As proposed above a modular innovation represents a radical innovation in a single
part of a system. Linking modular innovation directly with radical innovation,but in a
diminished capacity.

15
 Defining Technological Innovation

2.2.3 Process versus Product Innovation

. Innovation at the organisational level involves both the creation of new products, and
improvement in the process of producing these products. These two aspects of
innovation can be actively managed as different but interrelated entities. However,
there is a clear time lag between product and process innovation as described by
1
Utterback and Abemath/ in Figure 2.2.

The Dynamics of Innovation

ominant design established

Product

Time

Figure 2.2: Product vs. Process Innovation Dynamics, Source: Utterbac';l

The dominant design innovation-cycle in the figure shows the increasing volume of
new products in the section where a dominant design has yet to emerge. As shown
in the figure a large amount of product innovation occurs until the dominant design is
established. This phase is therefore called the fluid phase.

After the dominant design is establishment, the focus shifts to improving the
efficiency of manufacturing and production of the product. This results in higher
product innovation and is called the transitional phase.

Finally the product enters the specific pattern in its lifecycle, where incremental
product and process innovation occurs. Specialising the product further with regard
to customer needs or demands. This phase is highly dangerous since technology
lock-in often occurs, resulting in low firm agility, and ultimately no way of adapting to
new demands or technological evolution.

The dynamics of innovation in Figure 2.2 are important when strategic innovation
planning is done. Organisations need to take the nature of product and process
innovation into account, when developing future strategies.

Process Innovation can be described as improving or changing current procedures

and techniques used in the production of products. Any improvement to current
manufacturing, delivery, packaging, marketing, project management, etc can be
considered a process innovation.

16
 Defining Technological Innovation

A good example of an operation reliant on process innovation would be Federal

Express, the ovemight package delivery service. Fed Ex guarantees that if any
package delivered by them arrives late, they will refund 25% of the sending costs per
hour of lateness. This means that if an ovemight package arrives four hours late,
FedEx will receive no mon~y for the delivery and the package thus gets delivered for
free. To be able to offer this incredible guarantee, every person in Fed Ex has to be
committed to delivering every package on time, no matter what the circumstances.

For Fed Ex to accomplish their guarantee, every department by itself is responsible

for their own efficiency. The number of packages dispatched across the world can
demonstrate the effectivity of this arrangement. When given the opportunity to
improve their delivering times, pilots claimed that flying normal flying hours delayed
delivery and insisted on flying 'in the gaps' or outside normal flying hours. This they
said gives them the advantage of lower flight densities, with less delay on runways
and unloading of their cargo. FedEx researched this notion and saw the advantage to
be gained, and today the pilots at FedEx fly in the carefully predicted gaps outside
normal flying hours.

Typically this type of innovation can be characterised by an improvement in the pilots

working procedures, resulting in an improved delivery system. It is therefore a
process, rather than a product innovation.

Product innovation is often associated with New Product Development (NPD) and
not necessarily with innovation. However, product innovation forms the core of
innovative organisation and offers incredible competitive advantage in new as well as
established markets. Although related to process innovation, product innovation is
much more of a process than a single implementation or improvement. Product
innovation is often a shot in the dark with the hope of hitting the right market with the
right product at the right price. Good examples of product innovation is not hard to
find, but the following is one of the most classical ones:

As discussed by Foster:22

By the late eighteen hundreds the Swiss watch making industry reached its
peak in performance and quality. Their workmanship was revered to
throughout the world and watches made by them dominated the market. The
Swiss however, became too sure in their dominance and failed to spot the
possibilities of a certain development. One of their own creative workers in
the electronic and crystal impulse generation field started this development.
After seeing this new device on a fair in Switzerland, using a crystal instead of
a pendulum, Japanese entrepreneurs were ecstatic. They immediately bought
the patent from the young designer and set to work on one of the best
innovations of the twentieth century, the digital watch . This invention took the
world by storm. Suddenly a timepiece made in Japan could keep as good
time as an expensive Swiss watch, and at a tenth of the cost. Obviously the
Swiss industries collapsed as market share diverted towards the Japanese
companies, yet it was the consumer who won in the end. By destroying the
Swiss monopoly and introducing new technology better simpler arid cheaper
products were possible.

This example illustrates how easily an organisation may lose track of possible new
innovations in their own research laboratories. A consistent focus on incremental
product innovation like. the Swiss, may result in a mindset which disqualifies
altematives. A mixture of incremental and radical product innovation is therefore
necessary to open the paradigms inside an organisation.

17
 Defining Technological Innovation

2.2.4 Procedure versus Service Innovation

Writings on innovation often focus on product and process innovation, and do not
include enough research on service and procedure innovation. Although service and
. procedure innovation is important most strategies and methodologies for product and
process innovation respectively hold true for them as well. For the sake of
completeness these innovation terms are explained to some extent

Procedure innovation (or process innovation) - Innovation that changes the

management procedures is a good example of this kind of innovation. This
innovation has no direct influence on the products size, shape or features but can
cause the process of producing the product to improve. In this way a procedure
innovation is a process innovation since it improves the manufacturing or production
process.

Service Innovation (or product innovation) -In a service organisation the product
is supplying a service to the client In this regard the service becomes the product of
the organisation, since it generates income. Organisations like banks and repair
service stations have many different types of 'packages' they offer, and each of this
represent a certain service to the client.

Procedure and service innovation can clearly be incorporated into the larger picture
of process and product innovation. But they are often difficult to manage or audit due
to their qualitative nature.

2.2.5 Disruptive versus Sustaining Innovation

Christensen23 elaborates on the concept of disruptive and sustaining technologies
yet his conclusions and remarks may be applied in the field of technological
innovation as well. He proposes the existence of disruptive technologies that have
the ability to change the industry paradigm as well as the dominant design. The
examples Christensen use, are frOm the computer hard disk industry where a simple
size reduction, had a major influence. In this example he also refers to the sustaining
technologies which do not necessarily change the current paradigm.

Christensen describes sustaining technologies as those that fall within the limits and
boundaries of the current technology trajectories and therefore only serve to
incrementally improve the product. These technologies build upon the previous ones
and are mostly well known in every organisation in the industry. Although many
resources are spent on advanCing the current sustaining technologies, they will not
enable the organisation to break free of the current paradigm.

For a paradigm breaking technology Christensen propose doing disruptive

technology development. In the Hard Disk Storage industry for instance, the shift
from five and a half inch drives to three and a half inch drives, were such an
paradigm shift. Christensen defines disruptive technologies, as often simpler and of
poor quality, than current technology, yet with a definite niche market. The disruptive
technology should also have higher limits than the current one. Then when disruptive
technologies are tumed into disruptive innovation, they often have the power to
unsettle powerful industries.

2.2.6 Market Pull versus Technology Push Innovation

In this regard innovation can be seen in two lights, and the distinction lies between
listening to the market or the scientists. An innovation starting with an identified

18
 Defining Technological Innovation

customer/market need, is called a market pull 33 innovation, while an innovation

,based on new technology or ,bright i<;:lea is called a technology pUSh 33 innovation.

Both these innovations occur frequently but usually in different markets and
environments. A technology push innovation, for instance, occurs in a research and
development rich environment. On the other hand customer based or service based
institutions make mostly use of market pull innovations.

Market pull innovation needs a strong customer base and an information gathering
mechanism to qualify their needs. Since the customer/market actually asks for a new
innovation, little in the form of direct radical creativity is needed. A well-oiled research
and development team however, has to translate the needs of the customer/market
into practical product proposals. In this regard the organisation doing the innovation
has to continually have good contact with the customer/market to ensure the product
meets their expectations.

Technology push innovation on the other hand needs a strong technology base. By
doing basic 'blue sky' research, new materials, methods and techniques are
discovered. When these new ideas are incorporated into products, technology push
innovation occurs. Although a need for this new technology driven products often
exists, there might not always be one. When this happens, the customer/market is
often ignorant of the characteristics and advantages of the product, and needs to be
educated. A lot of market development is usually required to launch such a
technology driven product.

Although technology push innovation can have very high rewards, it is extremely
expensive and may fail more often than market pull innovation.

2.2.7 Conclusion
The many distinctions between the different types of innovations are one of the
reasons why it is difficult to implement a general recipe for innovation. Another, is the
many differences between organisations and how they implement their own
innovation strategies. To find a sensible and applicable middle road, weighing up the
different options correctly will require an enormous amount of research and study,
which fall outside the scope of this thesis. The focus will now shift to the applied
aspects of innovation, as well as the identification of the key areas defining the
discipline of innovation. However the different types of innovation and their
management procedures, will influence future conclusions and developments of any
kind.

2.3 Management of Technology and Innovation

Technology management is becoming an accepted management practice, and in
some cases even the equal of current financial management methodologies. With the
increase in importance of technology, it is becoming prudent for senior management
to be more aware of new technologies. New technologies have the ability to
completely disrupt established industries, and make most, if not every, of their
competencies obsolete. Conversely, a specific technology identified early enough
and developed into a market leader may be extremely profitable.

The management of technology has been developing as a formal disciple over the
past decade or two. Compared to other management disciplines it is in its infancy.
When one looks at innovation management it is even less developed than technology
management as formal discipline.

19
 Defining Technological Innovation

Many aspects are hampering the rapid acceptance of technology management in

industry. One of these is the difficulty of defining technology itself. Another is finding
the value technology management adds to the organisation. It is quite difficult to
define the value of an 'undefineable' and 'unquantifyable' discipline.

Due to the increased use of technology in the workplace, especially information

technology, technology management will in future years become increasingly
important.

If the discipline of technology management is difficult to quantify so much more may

the discipline of innovation management be. Innovation management as discipline is
often confused or combined with technology management. Although it is possible to
combine the two as proposed by Betz,24 in the statement, .

.. .the central concept of managing technological change is the idea of

'technological innovation': Technological innovation is the invention of new
technology and the development and introduction into the marketplace ...
_Betz24

it may often lead to complications in the implementation of technology or innovation.

It may possibly be simpler to make a distinction between technology management
and innovation management by looking at the processes they are based on.

Technology management is mainly concemed with the interaction of the organisation

and the extemal technological environment. As such licensing, acquisition,
technological status, R&D and technological policies could be classified as pure
technological management items. While other, more innovation related areas such as
new product development, new process development and innovation policies could
be classified as pure innovation related items.

The question arises: which one is concemed with the implementation of technology
or which one only with the technology itself? There is no doubt that some overlaps
between the two disciplines exist, yet few academics are prepared to stake their
reputation on drawing the dividing line.

Some of the differences between the two disciplines are relevant to this thesis and
will therefore be reviewed in the rest of this chapter.

2.3.1 The Management of Technology

One of the possible responsibilities of a technological manager might be to ensure
that there exists adequate contact between the organisation and the technological
world. Another typical function of a technological management department or office,
would be to implement far reaching technological plans with regard to current
resources employed, as well as future product development. This may include
functions such as information system design, production system planning, technology
acquisition planning, technological monitoring and scanning, as well as strategic
advice on future developments in the technological domain.

Technology may be defined as 'created capability' in the words of Van Wyk. 25 A

cryptic, yet accurate definition, showing a general in-depth understanding of the term .
'technology'. However, technology often requires a 'gut feel' definition rather than one
in words, and is often best understood over time and through personal research.

20
 Defining Technological Innovation

One important aspect of technology is its tendency to continuously change; this is

often referred to as the dynamics of technological change. The management of
technology revolves around the dynamics of technological change . In the following
.section more detail on this subject is given.

2.3.2 Dynamics of Technological Change

The question why "nd how new technology and innovation happens and how this
change manifest itself in reality, leads to the study of dynamics of technological
change. A multitude of reasons for change exist yet the limits of technology are often
driven by so called barriers of performance. These limits or barriers to technology
inhibit the further development of current products and processes. A good example is
the limit Intel is reaching in miniaturising their central processing units (CPU's) for
new computers. Their CPU's internal architecture is nearing the limit of conductor
safety, and therefore they have to investigate other materials or even completely new
technologies. This technological limit can be identified as one of the primary drivers
in new technology development at Intel.

A complete field of study exists with the specific task of finding and predicting the
dynamics of technological change . As with Intel many other technologies have limits,
and when these start to impact on development, many new pathways open for
managers which need consideration. _

As part of these dynamics a renowned Russian economist Nicholai Kondratietr6.27

discovered a 54-year cycle of commodity prices, which he traced back 300 years. He
used this to accurately predict the 1929 stock market crash, three years before it
happened. The Kondratieff long wave cycle, as illustrated n figure 2.3, clearly
illustrates the cyclic nature of world prosperity. The interaction between economic
prosperity and technological innovation is fascinating.

Kondratieffs Cycles of World Prosperity and Depression

Prospertty

Depression
Depression
\....._""'
Y
...--...;'
54 Yea",

1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

Figure 2.3: Kondratieffs Long Wave Cycles, Source: Twisi 8

21
 Defining Technological Innovation

Economic Cycles in England from 1792 to 1913

As identified by Kondratieff:

First wave:
1792-1825 Economic Expansion:
Kondratieff assigns iron. steam power and textile machinery
as the reasons for economic expansion.

1825-1847 Contraction:
Due to temporary excess in the expansion cycle.

Second wave:
1847-1873 Economic Expansion:
Due to the beginning of new industries in railroads.
steamships. telegraph and coal gas.

1873-1893 Contraction:
Again due to over supply and excess
A temporary economic contraction followed.

Third wave:
1893-19/3 Economic Expansion:
The development ofnew technologies in chemical dyes.
electrical lighting. telephones and automobiles.
Followed by continued expansion after World War I.

1930 Contraction:
Temporary excess as well as war debt
of the German economy.

Table 2.1: Economic Cycles in England from 1792 to 1913, Source: BetZZ4

To study the interaction of technological innovation and economic prosperity. the

Kondratieff long wave graph may be enhanced by mapping the number of new
technological innovations per year on it. This seems to indicate the following
interesting patterns.

Firstly technological innovations can be seen to happen in surges. clustered together.

Secondly the Kondratieff cycles oppose the innovation graph in an interesting way. It
seems to indicate that when economical recession and depression occur,
technological innovation improves or reaches a peak. As unexpected as this may
seem. explanations could be as follows:

• It may be postulated that technology and innovation drives economical

resurgence. resulting in new economic revival.
• Conversely it could be that more focus falls· on innovation in difficult economic
times.
• Or that technological development and innovation takes time to develop and the
previous prosperity cycle is driving the innovation boom.
• Wars and international disasters can contribute to these cycles yet it is uncertain
to the impact they might have.

22
 Defining Technological Innovation

Long Cycles of.lnnovation

16

~ 14
~ 12
>
I/) 10
a:
w
~ 8
II)

~ 6

~ 4
z 2
~

DATE

Figure 2.4: Long Cycles of Innovation According to Mensch, Source: Girifalc026

As the world enters the new millennium it is interesting to note the surge in the
economic environment since the stock market 'crash' in 1987. The Kondratieff cycle
indicates that if one were to add 54 years to 1929, reaching the answer of 1983, a
Kondratieff depression would have been likely around that time. The depression did
come in 1987 but not as severe as was proposed by Kondratieff.

50 what happened, and why did the depression not occur at the right time with the
right severity? The answer may be found in Milne's words as he writes in The 5ta~;

In 1987 Ronald Reagan was preparing to run for re-election the next year,
and certainly did not want a great depression on his hands. America and the
other G7 countries pumped money into the world economy after the '87 crash
to counter the losses made in the collapsing stock market. This is exactly the
opposite of what the Federal ReseNe Bank did in 1929 - and it had the
desired effect. Eighteen months later the Dow Jones industrial index made a
new high and everyone relaxed.

The problem is that the debt levels (which were the initial reason for the 1987
depression) were not eliminated. In 1987 the American government had a budget
deficit of $3,5 trillion. Today that has risen to $5 trillion. At the same time the
American trade deficit, corporate debt and personal debt levels have reached record
highs, while savings have virtually ceased to exist. In effect, President Reagan 'swept
the problem under the carpet' - and it is still there, only now it is much larger. And
everyone has forgotten about the Kondratieff cycle. After the 1987 'crash', investors
became far more blase about crashes generally - after all, why worry about a crash if
all you need to do is wait 18 months for another all-time high? This attitude, of
course, sets us (the world) up for the greatest crash of all time. Ironically, for the
Kondratieff cycle to occur, it is necessary for us all to forget about it.

Although these interesting cycles show the impact of technology on economics, and
economics on technology, there is no guarantee that they will occur in the future. The

23
 Defining Technological Innovation

current expansion in information technology enables governments to collaborate and

smooth over the prosperous and depressive eras. The G7 countries proved this after
they injected millions into the world economy after 1987. The significance ' of the
Kondratieff cycle and technological waves are therefore reduced enormously.

Besides the Kondratieff cycles, other dynamics of technology exist. One of these is
known as the 'S-curve empirical prediction' cycle. This phenomenon occurs in many
natural development cycles, yet has specific significance in the technology and
innovation environment. To illustrate the 'S-curve empirical prediction' concept, one
might use the example of a growing fruit or vegetable.
30
The growth pattern of a common squash or pumpkin, as described by A.L. Porter ,
serves as a good example. As the squash starts to grow (supplied with all necessary
soil and water) its weight starts increasing slowly. After the starting period, the
pumpkin enters a period of exponential growth, followed by maturation and finally
stagnation. A graph, showing the 'S-curve effect' could look as follows:

THE BASIC 'S'-CURVE

START

r
Figure 2.5: 'S'-curve, Source: Portera

Interesting parallels between this natural growth curve and dynamiCS of technology
can be drawn. Technology diffusion into a market is one of the more common
processes following the 'S'-curve path. The diffusion process of television sets into
the American market might serve as an example, as may be observed in Figure 2.6.

Diffusion of Television Sets into the US Market

100

90 ;r
.'.-'" ~ -..
•...
III
III 80 }I".
"C
(5 70
.r:. ~ .....
Q)
III
:::l
80
BIW '!"
o IjOlour

-
50
.r:. '!'

.+
40
c:
~ 30

~ 20

1940
I ..i
1950
I I ....
1960
r" I
1970
I I
1980
I I
1990
I I
1980
Year
26
Figure 2.6: Television Diffusion into the USA Market, Source: Girifalc0

24
 Defining Technological Innovation

Other 'S'·curve patterns may be observed in technological substitution, as well as

technological progress or development.

Both the Kondratieff and 'S'·curve methods were actively used for trend extrapolation
in the 1960's and 1970's. After severe failure, few technologists believed in or even
used these methods, resulting in few, if any, technological predictions throughout the
1980's. New development in technology and forecasting might see resurgence in the
use of these. methods, yet with clear understanding of their extrapolation limitations.
They might rather be used for" understanding technologies and their interactions
better, instead of forecasting per sa.

The discipline of technology management may be instrumental in the survival of most

technologically inclined organisations. However, to successfully manage this
discipline the dynamics of technology form the key to predicting changes and the
necessary reactions. Other administrative areas in the management of technology
will ultimately find themselves as extensions to these dynamics. Therefore through
the management of the dynamics of technological change, the total discipline may be
covered.

2.4 Management of Innovation

Innovation management is often classified correctly as a discipline separate from that
of technology management. However, concerns still surface on the actual
implementation of the two disciplines in practise. The question arises: how does
innovation management influence technology and what relevance does it have in the
high technology organisation of the future?

No easy answer exists, yet the beginning of a discipline may be observed in the
28
writings of academics and specialists such as Twiss , Tidd 34 , Utterback22 , Chiesa at
al,31 and others. Twiss and Utterback have been two father figures in defining
innovation management as a discipline. It is through their work on innovation models
and definitions that the first beginnings of a discipline were formed. By studying these
writings on technological innovation, one may come to understand the bigger picture
of the discipline.

Management of innovation is not a subject one can discuss in a brief paragraph or

two. Due to the diverse nature of innovation, it often has an impact on a large amount
of resources and functions inside the organisation, from strategic decision making to
employee attitudes and creativity. As yet few organisations have a formal innovation
management programme, increasing the importance of elaborating on the subject in
this thesis. Innovation auditing and innovation management go hand in hand.

Technological innovation management and its discipline of implementation can be a

contentious issue. Betz32 , for instance implies that innovation management should be
part of the technology management discipline, while others such as Noori 33 and Tidd
et afY' oppose this. To their reckoning technological innovation management should
be a discipline in its own right, and technology management could even be made to
fall under the umbrella of technological innovation management. Although both these ·
viewpoints have their merits, this thesis is of the opinion that technology
management and innovation management forms two distinct management
disciplines, and should be addressed as such. However, this does not propose that ·
no overlap between the disciplines exists, but there is enough evidence to suggest
that the differences between the two disciplines are relevant.

25
 Defining Technological Innovation

To describe the functions required in the management of innovation, the nature and
structure of the organisation shpuld .be taken into account. Project leaders or
managers in the new product development environment, might perceive themselves
as innovation managers, yet the management of innovation require a more strategic
approach as well. A description such as 'chief innovation officer' might be attached to
the person in charge of an innovation management discipline. Such a person should
therefore have insight into the long-term organisational strategies and architectures
of the organisation.

Six key elements were extracted from the work by Utterback,21 Twiss,28 Tidd et al,34
and Cheisa et al,31 and are discussed below. They are proposed to form the basis for
the innovation management process, which is followed in the development of a
competence audit for technological innovation in this thesis. The innovation
management function may focus on these six elements, and by continuously
improving them improve the total innovation capability of the organisation.

External environment:
Interfacing with technology management as well as marketing and
competitive intelligence of the industrial environment, the innovation
management function co-ordinates the integration of necessary information
for the conception of new ideas and projects, thereby creating an environment
rich in knowledge and capable of fostering new innovations.

Organisation:
ASSisting general management in planning and strategy formulation as well
as information capabilities in the region of innovation and new product
development. The innovation management group is able to influence the
strategiC design of new projects as well as new competencies that are
required in the organisation. Aspects such as project mix and the aggregate
project plan, new product and process development models, technology
competence and innovation audits, all form part of the structure and resource
environment that is supplied by the organisation to foster innovation.

Individual:
Improving personal knowledge as well as encouraging creativity and
participation in new innovations, lead to improve effectively and efficiency.
The innovation management function should, through interface with human
resource management, enhance the capabilities of the employees. Innovation
capabilities should also be looked for in appointing new personnel and in this
function innovation management might offer guidelines.

Invention:
The invention and idealisation process is often the first function people think
about when considering the improvement of innovation in the organisation.
Although invention is important in its own right, innovation can seldom happen
if only one of the three key areas is present. The causality of the three
functions: invention, realisation and implementation, relates their significance
to each other well. Inveniion is for instance impossible without market,
technology and industry related knowledge, which slems from the
implementation of previous innovations.

Realisation:
Realisation forms the second part of the causal map in the innovation new
product development process. The realisation process requires the input from

26
 Defining Technological Innovation

the invention process in the fonn of technology, prototypes and models.

These are then used for the creation and building of feasible and high volume
production products. .

Implementation:
Implementation might be considered to be the final part of the causal model
drawing on the outputs of the realisation process. This function consists
mainly of marketing and market education, as well as after sales service
when required. It can therefore generate highly valuable information for the
development of new products and innovations, closing the three new product
innovation functions into a ever revolving loop.

The last three elements invention, realisation, and implementation can be seen as
the heart of a new product or service development process. The first three may be
described as the innovation-fostering environment. The innovation management
functions, influences each of the six areas and improves them on a continuous basis.
Through this, exceptional control on the new product development process is
possible, resulting in strategic goals being reached faster with better implementation
of resources.

The methodology for the management of technological innovation is still in virgin

temtory. The proposed six elements above is made on the basis of a innovation
model which will be developed in the next chapter. Other sources on technological
innovation management were used extensively in constructing the model as well as
defining the six elements.

2.5 Innovation Management versus Technology Management

The two disciplines of technology management and innovation management have
been described above. From these definitions and elements the differences between
the two disciplines should be clear. Since the two terms, innovation and technology
are understood in a qualitative manner and also on a personal level, there will always
be debate on their classifications.

If one regarded technology, it could be classified as a scientific method,' discovery or

even a certain kind of knowledge. It is not a process like innovation and does not
require implementation to be considered a technology. One might think of
technology, combined with other methods and ideas, as the input to the innovation
process. While the innovation process is where the technology is transformed from
static knowledge into practical implemented producis.

From the dynamics of technological change and the management of technological

innovation, it should be clear that there exits a niche area for both the management
disciplines. Some overlap may be necessary but in the end the advantages of
splitting technological and innovation management issues, outweigh the advantages
of grouping them together.

2.6 Conclusion
In this chapter definitions on technological innovation were discussed as well as the
management of technology and innovation.

The management of innovation and technology are both relatively new disciplines .
and are embroiled in much discussion and development. Implementation of these
two disciplines will become more crucial as global communications and intemational

27
 Defining Technological Innovation

commerce remove old continental barriers. The wave of current business practises
focusing on competitiveness, will require improvement in methodologies of
innovation. Defining the differences between them is therefore of some importance.

The next chapter will focus on the innovation process as well as the environment in
which it could flourish. With the help of an innovation model a holistic overview of the
technological innovation process is presented .

2.7 References

1 Toffler A.. [1990] Power Shift: Knowledge Wealth, and Violence et the edge of the 21"
Century. Bantam Books, New York.
2 Drucker P.F., [1997] "Looking Ahead Implications of the Present", Harvard Business
Review, September-October, pp.18-32.
3 Burgelman RA, Maidique A.M ., Wheelright S.C. [1983) Strategic Management of
Technology and Innovation, Irwin, Chicago, USA. pp. 293-350.
4 Kanter R.M., [1990) When Giants Leam to Dance: Mastering the Challenge of Strategy, and
Careers in the 1990s, Unwin Hyman Ltd, London, UK.
5 Martin M.J.C., [1984) Managing Technological Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Reston
Publishing Company, Reston, Va.
6 Edosomwan JA, [1989) Integrating Innovation and Technology Management, John Whiley
& Sons, Canada.
7 Girifalco L.A., [1991) Dynamics of Technological Change, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New
York.
S Roberts E.B., [1988) "What we've Learned, Managing Invention and Innovation", Research
& Technology Management, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 11-21.
9 Ramanujam V., Mensch G.O. [1985) "Improving the Strategy-Innovation Link~ Journal of
Product Innovation Management, Vol. 4, pp. 213-223.
10 Freeman C., [1982) The Economics of Industrial Innovation, (2"" edn). Frances Printer,
London.
11 Drucker P., [1985) Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
12 Rothwell R and Gardiner P., [1985) "Invention, Innovation Re-innovation and the Role of
the User", Technovation, Vol 3, p 168.
13 .
Utterback J. M., Abernathy, W. J. [1975) "A Dynamic Model of Process and Product
Innovation". Omega no. 6, pp. 639-656.
14 Sahal D., [1977] "The Multidimentional Diffusion of Technology", Technological Forecasting
and Social change, Vol. 10, pp. 277-298.
15 Berry M.M.J., Taggart J.H., [1994) "Managing Technology and Innovation: A Review", R&D
Management, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp.341-353.
16 De Bono E., [1969) The Mechanism of Mind, Penguin Books, Great Britain.
17 Frere J., [1994) Leonardo, Painter Inventor Visionary Mathematician Philosopher Engineer,
Brrd Presse SA, Italy.
1 Marquis D.G., [1969) "The Anatomy of Successful Innovations", Innovation, November.
Reprinted in M.L. Tushman and W.L. Moore, Eds. Readings in the Management of
innovation, Marshfield, MA, 1982.
19 Henderson R.M. and Clark K.B., [1990] "Architectural Innovation: The Reconfiguration of
existing Product Technologies and the Failure of Established Firms", Administrative Science
Quarterly, Vol. 35 pp. 9-30. .
20 Huiban J.P., Bouhsina Z., [1998) "Innovation and the Quality of Labor Factor: An empirical
investigation in the French food industry.", Small Business Economics, vol. 10, p.388-399.
21 Utterback J. M., Abernathy W. J., [1975) "A Dynamic Model of Process and Product
Innovation". Omega no. 6, pp. 639-656.
22 .Foster R.N., [1986) Innovation: the Attackers a~vanta.ge, Surnmit Books, New York.

28
 Defining Technological Innovation

23 Christensen C.M., [1997] . The InIJovator's Dilemma, Harvard Business School Press, .

Boston, Massachusetts.
24 Betz F., [1998] Managing Technological Innovation: competitive advantage from change,
Wiley, New York.
25 Van Wyk R.J., [1988] "Management of Technology: New Frameworks', Technovation, vol.
7, pp. 341-351. .
26 Girifalco L.A., [1991] Dynamics of Technological Change, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New
York.
27 Betz F., [1998] Managing Technological Innovation: competitive advantage from change,
Wiley, New York, pp. 23-29.
28 Twiss B.C., [1992] Forecasting for Technologists and Engineers, Peter Peregrinus Ltd.,
London.
29 Milne J., [1999] "The Kondratieff Wave (Part 1)", The Star, South Africa.
30 Porter A.L., [1991] Forecasting and Management of Technology, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,
New York.
31 Chiesa V., Couglan P., Voss C.A., [1996] "Development o1'a Technical Innovation Audir,
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32 Betz F., [1998] Managing Technological Innovation: competitive advantage from change,
Wiley, New York.
33 Noori H., [1990J Managing the Dynamics of New Technologies: Issues in manufacturing
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34 TIdd J., Besant J., Pavit K., [1997] Managing Innovation, Integreting Technological, Market
and Organisational Change, Wiley, UK.

29