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Strategic capability development refers to the renewal of the organisational capabilities which are sources of competitive advantage. The aim of this paper is to examine how strategic capability and competitive advantage build up over time. Recent literature points to the integration of dynamic capability and ambidexterity perspectives in explaining organisational capability development. Literature analysis reveals the role of knowledge integration and product innovation in integrating dynamic capability and ambidexterity. However, little attention has yet been paid to knowledge integration within innovation projects as a context for capability development. Accordingly, this paper aims to develop a conceptual framework for strategic capability development focusing on the role of knowledge integration within product innovation projects. This framework contributes to identifying and emphasising the role of micro processes in capability renewal which in turn enhances our understanding of strategic capability development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a critical review of the global value chain (GVC) literature in light of the "technological capabilities" approach to innovation in less-developed countries (LDCs). Participation in GVC is beneficial for firms in LDCs, which are bound to source technology internationally. However, the issues of learning and technological efforts at the firm level remain largely hidden in the GVC literature. We propose a shift in the empirical and theoretical agenda, arguing that research should integrate the analysis of the endogenous process of technological capability development, including specific firm-level efforts, and of the mechanisms allowing knowledge to flow within and between different global value chains into the GVC literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategy has become an increasingly important theme within the management of innovation. This is reflected in the increasing amount of attention given to topics such as technology strategy within the innovation literature. However research into technology strategy has tended to focus on technology acquisition rather than technology exploitation. This paper focuses on one often neglected way in which companies can exploit the technological resources at their disposal, namely through the use of a derivative strategy where new technology is combined with old products or parts of old products in order to develop new products. The paper explores this type of strategy by means of a case study from the commercial jet engine sector of the aerospace industry. The case study provides an opportunity not only to explore the nature of derivative strategies in detail it also highlights the benefits, both direct and indirect, to be gained from this type of strategy as a means of exploiting an organisation's technological resources. The paper shows how a derivative strategy can contribute to the broader strategic goals of companies in technology based industries through strategies designed to ensure the most effective utilisation of the technology base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors that facilitate organizational learning have traditionally been analysed by organizational learning and, in particular, the learning organization literature. Following a literature review, we have identified fifteen factors. However, these factors have been considered as universal, in other words, applicable to any sector or industry. In this paper we determine the combinations of organizational learning facilitating factors in a specific sectoral context: the Spanish ceramic tile sector, through an exploratory and comparative case study of four companies that illustrate this sector. In addition, we relate the companies' combinations of factors to their strategies (Miles and Snow 1978). The study mainly reveals that: each business strategy category is related to certain factors; the organizations with the most facilitating factors are the most innovative (prospector and analyser); and becoming a prospector implies the distinctive existence of factors 1 and 2, which encompass openness to and capacity for innovative change, a culture that favours the contribution of discerning ideas and maximum attention to the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades we have witnessed a tremendous growth in the number of strategic technology alliances and a growing importance of interfirm collaboration in the high-tech sectors. The literature on these topics has grown accordingly. In this respect, our paper serves two aims. One is to provide an overview of the consensus on key issues in this vast body of literature. Second is to identify some major gaps in this literature that may inform future research. In serving these aims, we first discuss the dominant structuralist perspective that stresses the role of embeddedness, but which also reflects a deterministic stance as if firms are subject to an exogenous structure. In contrast, we also explore a more voluntaristic view of how firms may possibly shape their network in view of achieving their strategic aims. This view also seems better able to capture change and network dynamics, an issue that has been largely ignored by the structuralist view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation policy is increasingly concerned with mobilising a broad range of resources to support the development of firm-level technological capability. It is aimed at dealing with 'market failure', which arises when firms are confronted with technological challenges in which they lack the necessary experience or resources. Both internal agency and independent evaluation of such innovation policies are routinely undertaken but most are conducted during the lifetime of the programmes or soon after they have ended. There are few examples of such evaluations being able to take a long-term perspective. This paper explores the impacts of a UK government technology programme on the process and product application of microelectronic technologies (MAP) that ran between 1978 and 1986. Via interviews with a sample of firms who participated in scheme, the research explored their subsequent use of microelectronics, government support schemes and expert consultants. The study argues for more regular long-term reviews of technology promoting schemes as an aid to learning and capability enhancement in policy-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic changes faced by several Brazilian companies with origins in the defense industry have forced a shift in their technological strategies. Embraer, the darling of the Brazilian defense industry, has dramatically revamped its business strategy and has succeeded. Others, such as Avibras and Engesa, have not fared as well in this shift. This paper presents a model for the shift of companies whose technological competencies change due to market forces and how such companies respond to these strategic decisions. The cases of Embraer, Avibras and Engesa highlight the factors of success and failure. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Innovation-led performance improvement in the construction industry is significantly influenced by the innovation performance of small firms. There is a dearth of research investigating innovation from the perspective of the small construction firm. This paper contributes to this underdeveloped area by offering relevant empirically based results. The findings stress the important role that owners of firms play in successful innovation. The type of innovation undertaken, and the different organizational factors which are brought into play, is shown to depend on the characteristics of the interaction environment in which the firm is operating. Small construction firms need to incrementally nurture, or identify and move into, supportive enabling interaction environments. This is achieved through an integrated development of a firm's business strategy and market positioning, organization of work, technology and people. The process of innovation is demonstrated to be subject to cyclical peaks and troughs as the progress of the innovation competes with day-to-day pressures. Small construction firms have their own distinctive characteristics, which are profoundly different from those of large construction firms. The implication for policy is that any initiatives geared toward improving appropriate innovation need to appreciate these differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of technology developments on the content and arrangement of work is a recurring theme in many publications. Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) are reshaping internal organizational design and necessitate new types of employee capabilities and behaviour. As will be illustrated, ICT developments create a heightened level of business and market dynamics. Arguably, these dynamics affect the required capabilities and behaviour of employees even more strongly. Similarly, the way businesses are operating, and customer, supplier and business partner relationships are formed, is also affected by the rapid ICT progress. Key drivers shaping the new business context will be addressed. This paper argues that the trends and developments illustrated necessitate revision of traditionally held beliefs and paradigms. Said revision has important implications for the strategy and management of human resources, whereby the focus on employee behaviour is crucial. Two key aspects of a human resource strategy will be discussed, identified as HR alignment and HR enablement. With the focus on employee behaviour, attention should be given to the organizational context, since this context determines employee behaviour. Said context is defined by organizational culture, management practices and various organizational structures and systems. In view of the necessary organizational change associated with the developments illustrated, the importance of consistency and coherence between the elements of the organizational context is stressed. Establishing change under conditions of consistency and coherence is therefore identified as a crucial organizational competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A questionnaire was mailed to the 404 small manufacturing firms in middle Tennessee. This article is based on the 123 questionnaires that were returned. The survey was developed to test a conceptual framework which describes the technology transfer process from public agencies to small manufacturers. The paper suggests that selecting technology is part of the strategic planning process. External variables such as competition and internal variables such as production problems are correlated with awareness of, prior use of, and plans for use of the transfer agents. The article concludes that although there is little awareness of these agencies by small businesses, the prior use of these agencies will lead to the future use of them. In addition, sales growth and response to foreign competition are significantly correlated with awareness of, prior use of, and plans for using the agencies. The speed of change in technological development and level of technical sophistication both in the industry and the firm were correlated with the awareness of, prior use of, and plans for using the agencies. Suggestions for improving the network between small businesses and these agencies are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we conduct an international comparison of bank production and technological characteristics. The comparison is performed using novel evidence on changes in labour demand over the period 1980-89 for banks headquartered in Canada, France, West Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. The results suggest that there is relatively low substitutability of labour for capital in the production process of these banking organizations. Significant scale economies were found with regards to the expansion of output and the concomitant increase in labour. In addition, technological change operated to lower the quantity of inputs needed to produce a given level of outputs and increased the minimum efficient-size bank over the sample period. Many of the production characteristics and technology effects varied significantly across countries. These findings imply that intercountry differences in production characteristics and technological change should be explicitly recognized in bank strategic planning, in the establishment of domestic regulation, and in the coordination of international bank regulation. This is of particular interest to managers and regulators alike since the establishment of a 'level playing field' has often been stated as a major goal of changes in bank regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selecting the right technology for a given application is critical to the future of any enterprise. Companies invest billions of dollars each year in new technologies intended to provide competitive advantage. While there have been many attempts to rationalize the technology selection process, most are not sufficiently focused on the technology itself and many processes simply add a layer of complexity to an already difficult process. We have developed a three-stage technology selection tool that provides a framework and a simple risk-managed process for evaluating and selecting new technologies. The tool provides a powerful visual aid to help clarify key attributes of various technologies and the decisions related to their adoption, illustrating for both team members and senior management the decision-making processes engaged by technologists and project managers in considering new technologies. The three-stage filter was tested during a new product development project for a leading multinational company seeking smart material technologies to drive strategic innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of the chief technology officer role is widely accepted, particularly in today's turbulent, global conditions. However, not enough is known about the key activities of CTOs or the factors that influence their priorities. Thirty in-depth interviews conducted with the CTOs in global firms identified key activities: aligning technology and corporate strategy and business models, determining technology entry and exit points, and preparing business cases to secure funding for technology development. The research also showed that priority areas for CTOs are related to technology transition points--major contextual and business discontinuities that impact the focus of the CTO. We conclude that the determination of priorities at these technology transition points is highly idiosyncratic and closely related to whether the CTO functions more or less strategically. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Discusses the efforts of General Motors Corp. to implement technology roadmapping. Reason for the creation of technology roadmapping in the company; Expectations and desired outcomes from roadmapping; Format used by the company in technology roadmapping; Reactions of some groups in the company toward roadmapping.