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Abstract/Syllabus:
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Davis, Jason, 15.912 Technology Strategy, Fall 2008. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed 10 Jul, 2010). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
A roadmap of the course: A) Innovation, diffusion and transitions, B) Creating value, C) Capturing value, and D) Deciding and delivering. (Image by Michael Davies.)
Course Description
This course provides a strategic framework for managing high-technology businesses. The emphasis throughout is on the development and application of ways of thinking or mental models that bring clarity to the complex co-evolution of technological innovation, the demand opportunity, business ecosystems, and decision-making and execution within the business.
Syllabus
This course provides a strategic framework for managing high-technology businesses. The emphasis throughout is on the development and application of ways of thinking or mental models that bring clarity to the complex co-evolution of technological innovation, the demand opportunity, business ecosystems, and decision-making and execution within the business.
The primary focus is on the acquisition and application of a set of powerful analytical tools that are critical for the development of technology strategy as a key element in business strategy. These tools provide managers with insights when anticipating and deciding how to respond to the behavior of competitors, complementors and customers, and when deciding which technologies to invest in, opportunities to target or partnerships to pursue. Its objective is to improve (significantly) the odds of success when figuring out how to create and capture value, make difficult decisions and develop and deliver technologies, platforms and products.
It will focus on domains in which systems are important, because either or both products are parts of larger and more complex systems, or they are comprised of systems. The domains that will be covered include computing, communications (in particular the mobile and IP domains), consumer electronics, industrial networking, automotive and aerospace. The course will be of particular interest to those interested in managing a business in which technology will likely play a major role, and also to those interested in investing in or providing counsel to these businesses.
The course uses case studies and presentations, and also relies upon independent research by participants. The readings are drawn from research in technological change, theoretical and empirical economics, and organizational theory. There are both required readings, which are essential preparation for the class sessions, and recommended readings, which you may also find interesting or useful. The case studies provide an extensive opportunity to integrate and apply these tools and theories in a practical, business policy context.
Grading
Grades will be determined by class participation, by two short interim papers, and by a final presentation and paper. The short interim papers and the final presentation and paper should be done in groups of three to four (with the same group for all of them).
Grading criteria.
ACTIVITIES |
PERCENTAGES |
Class attendance and participation |
40% |
Short interim papers |
20% |
Final paper |
40% |
Attendance and Class Preparation
This is not an easy course, because this is not an easy subject, and its objective is to provide a complete introduction to and overview of this complex, dynamic and uncertain area.
Cutting class will affect your grade and, more importantly, both your own and your classmates' experience in the class. If you do miss a session, it is your responsibility to inform me beforehand in good time - which means the previous working day - and to find out what materials were covered, what assignments were made, and what handouts you missed. If you miss more than one session without warning me in advance it will have a severe negative impact on your grade for class participation.
On the other hand, the grades for class participation will be awarded on the basis of the quality of the contribution, not the quantity. You should not feel compelled to speak up in every class. Interesting questions count as much as interesting answers.
Collaboration
Group work is not just acceptable but very actively encouraged. I strongly recommend that you form a study group with a few friends who can meet to discuss the cases and readings before each class. Our experience suggests that this will significantly increase both your enjoyment of the course and the amount that you find yourself learning.
Calendar
Course calendar.
SES # |
TOPICS |
A. Introduction and overview |
1 |
What is technology strategy and why does it matter |
B. Creating value: Patterns of change in technologies and markets |
2 |
Co-evolution of the demand opportunity and technological infrastructure |
3 |
Life-cycles, dominant designs, transitions and disruptions |
4 |
Debrief and discussion on value creation |
C. Capturing value: Making a distinctive contribution |
5 |
Appropriability, uniqueness and resources |
6 |
Systems, solutions and standards |
7 |
Architecture, interfaces, modularity and platforms |
8 |
Debrief and discussion on value capture |
D. Deciding on value: Tough choices, limited time and incomplete information |
9 |
Constructive conflict, uncertainty and real options |
E. Delivering value: The dynamics of organizations |
10 |
Simple rules, active waiting and avoiding overload |
F. Summary |
11 |
Recap and summary |
12 |
Student presentations |
13 |
Student presentations (cont.) |
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Further Reading:
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SES # |
TOPICS |
READINGS |
A. Introduction and overview |
1 |
What is technology strategy and why does it matter |
Case
Amabile, Teresa M., and Susan Archambault. "E Ink." Harvard Business School Case. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: 9-800-143, August 16, 1999.
Required Readings
McGahan, Anita. "How Industries Change." Harvard Business Review 82, no. 10 (2004): 86-94.
Christensen, Clayton M., Michael E. Raynor, and Matt Verlinden. "Skate to Where the Money Will Be." Harvard Business Review 79, no. 10 (2001): 72-81.
Recommended Readings
Christensen, Clayton M., and Michael E. Raynor. "Why Hard-nosed Executives Should Care about Management Theory." Harvard Business Review 81, no. 9 (2003): 66-74.
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B. Creating value: Patterns of change in technologies and markets |
2 |
Co-evolution of the demand opportunity and technological infrastructure |
Case
Tripsas, Mary P., and Emily Thompson. "Lexar Media: The Digital Photography Company?" Harvard Business School Case. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: 9-805-062, October 15, 2004.
Required Readings
Gourville, John. "Eager Sellers and Stony Buyers: Understanding the Psychology of New Product Adoption." Harvard Business Review 84, no. 6 (2006): 98-106.
Ulwick, Anthony. "Turn Customer Input into Innovation." Harvard Business Review 80, no. 1 (2002): 91-97.
Leonard, Dorothy, and Jeffrey Rayport. "Spark Innovation through Empathic Design." Harvard Business Review 75, no. 6 (1997): 102-113.
Recommended Readings
Moore, Geoffrey. "High-tech Marketing Illusion," and "High-tech Marketing Enlightenment." Chapters 1 and 2 in Crossing the Chasm. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2002. ISBN: 9780060517120.
Rogers, Everett. "Innovativeness and Adopter Categories." Chapter 7 in Diffusion of Innovations. New York, NY: Free Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780743222099.
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3 |
Life-cycles, dominant designs, transitions and disruptions |
Case
Gavetti, Giovanni, Rebecca Henderson, and Simona Giorgi. "Kodak and the Digital Revolution (A)." Harvard Business School Case. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: 9-705-448, November 16, 2004.
Required Readings
Suarez, Fernando F., and Gianvito Lanzolla. "The Half-truth of First-mover Advantage." Harvard Business Review 83, no. 4 (2005): 121-127.
Henderson, Rebecca. "Breaking the Chains of Embedded Knowledge: Architectural Innovation as a Source of Competitive Advantage." Design Management Journal 2, no. 3 (1991): 43-47.
Recommended Readings
Henderson, Rebecca, and Kim Clark. "Architectural Innovation: The Reconfiguration of Existing Product Technologies and the Failure of Established Firms." Administrative Science Quarterly 35, no. 1 (1990): 9-30.
Christensen, Clayton. "Exploring the Limits of the Technology S-Curve Part I: Component Technologies." Product and Operations Management 1, no. 4 (1992): 334-357.
Christensen, Clayton, and Joseph Bower. "Disruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave." Harvard Business Review 73, no. 1 (1995): 43-53.
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4 |
Debrief and discussion on value creation |
Case
Yoffie, David B., and Michael Slind. "Apple Computer, 2006." Harvard Business School Case. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: 9-706-496, April 12, 2006.
Recommended Readings
Henderson, Rebecca. "Of Life Cycles Real and Imaginary: The Unexpectedly Long Old Age of Optical Lithography." Research Policy 24, no. 4 (1995): 631-643.
Tripsas, Mary, and Giovanni Gavetti. "Capabilities, Cognition and Inertia: Evidence from Digital Imaging." Strategic Management Journal 21, no. 10-11 (2000): 1147-1161.
Tripsas, Mary. "Unraveling the Process of Creative Destruction: Complementary Assets and Incumbent Survival in the Typesetter Industry." Strategic Management Journal 18, (Summer 1997): 119-142.
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C. Capturing value: Making a distinctive contribution |
5 |
Appropriability, uniqueness and resources |
Case
Henderson, Rebecca, and Nancy Confrey. "Ember Corp.: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard." Harvard Business School Case. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: 9-703-448, February 3, 2003.
Required Readings
Collis, David, and Cynthia Montgomery. "Competing on Resources: Strategy in the 1990s." Harvard Business Review 73, no. 4 (1995): 118-128.
Teece, David. "Capturing Value from Knowledge Assets: The New Economy, Markets for Know-how and Intangible Assets." California Management Review 40, no. 3 (1998): 55-79.
Recommended Readings
———. "Profiting from Technological Innovation: Implications for Integration, Collaboration, Licensing and Public Policy." Research Policy 15, no. 6 (1986): 285-305.
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6 |
Systems, solutions and standards |
Case
Tripsas, Mary. "Adobe® Systems, Inc." Harvard Business School Case. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: 9-801-199, December 5, 2000.
Required Readings
Moore, James F. "Predators and Prey: A New Ecology of Competition." Harvard Business Review 71, no. 3 (1993): 75-86.
Iansiti, Marco. "Strategy as Ecology." Harvard Business Review 82, no. 3 (2004): 68-78.
Shapiro, Carl, and Hal Varian. "The Art of Standards Wars." California Management Review 41, no. 2 (1999): 8-32.
Recommended Readings
Cusumano, Michael, Yiorgos Mylonadis, and Richard Rosenbloom. "Strategic Maneuvering and Mass Market Dynamics: The Triumph of VHS Over Beta." Business History Review 66, no. 1 (1992): 51-94.
Arthur, Brian. "Increasing Returns and the New World of Business." Harvard Business Review 74, no. 4 (1996): 100-111.
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7 |
Architecture, interfaces, modularity and platforms |
Cases
Baldwin, Carliss, and Kim Clark. "Managing in an Age of Modularity." Harvard Business Review 75, no. 5 (1997): 84-93.
Chesbrough, Henry W., and David J. Teece. "Organizing for Innovation: When Is Virtual Virtuous?" Harvard Business Review 80, no. 8 (2002): 127-135.
Recommended Readings
Baldwin, Carliss, and Kim Clark. "Architectural Innovation and Dynamic Competition: The Smaller 'Footprint' Strategy." Harvard Business School Working Paper 07-014, August 2006.
Christensen, Clayton, Matt Verlinden, and George Westerman. "Disruption, Disintegration and the Dissipation of Differentiability." Industrial and Corporate Change 11, no. 5 (2002): 955-993.
Christensen, Clayton. "Exploring the Limits of the Technology S-Curve Part II: Architectural Technologies." Product and Operations Management 1, no. 4 (1992): 358-366.
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8 |
Debrief and discussion on value capture |
Cases
Al-Najjar, Nabil, and David Besanko. "Motorola in the Wireless Handset Market." Harvard Business School Case. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: KEL023, January 1, 2000.
Burgelman, Robert A., and Philip Meza. "Nokia Beyond 2003: A Mobile Gatekeeper?" Harvard Business School Case. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: SM113, June 25, 2003.
Eisenmann, Thomas, and Fernando F. Suarez. "Symbian: Setting the Mobility Standard." Harvard Business School Case. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: 9-804-076, October 21, 2003.
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D. Deciding on value: Tough choices, limited time and incomplete information |
9 |
Constructive conflict, uncertainty and real options |
Case
MacCormack, Alan, and Kerry Herman. "Red Hat and the Linux® Revolution." Harvard Business School Case. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: 9-600-009, November 5, 1999.
Required Readings
Eisenhardt, Kathleen M., Jean L. Kahwajy, and L. J. Bourgeois III. "How Management Teams Can Have a Good Fight." Harvard Business Review 76, no. 2 (1997): 77-85.
Eisenhardt, Kathleen M. "Making Fast Strategic Decisions in High-velocity Environments." Academy of Management Journal 32, no. 3 (1989): 543-576.
Courtney, Hugh, Jane Kirkland, and Patrick Viguerie. "Strategy under Uncertainty." Harvard Business Review 75, no. 6 (1997): 67-79.
Recommended Readings
Garvin, David, and Michael Roberto. "What You Don't Know about Making Decisions." Harvard Business Review 79, no. 8 (2001): 108-116.
Mankins, Michael, and Richard Steele. "Stop Making Plans: Start Making Decisions." Harvard Business Review 84, no. 1 (2006): 76-84.
Copeland, Tom, and Peter Tufano. "A Real-world Way to Manage Real Options." Harvard Business Review 82, no. 3 (2004): 90-99.
Luherman, Timothy. "Investment Opportunities as Real Options: Getting Started on the Numbers." Harvard Business Review 76, no. 4 (1998).
———. "Strategy as a Portfolio of Real Options." Harvard Business Review 76, no. 5 (1998).
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E. Delivering value: The dynamics of organizations |
10 |
Simple rules, active waiting and avoiding overload |
Case
Reinhardt, Forest L., Dennis A. Yao, and Masako Egawa. "Toyota Motor Corp.: Launching Prius." Harvard Business School Case. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: 9-706-458, January 13, 2006.
Required Readings
Eisenhardt, Kathleen M., and Donald Sull. "Strategy as Simple Rules." Harvard Business Review 79, no. 1 (2001): 106-116.
Sull, Donald. "Strategy as Active Waiting." Harvard Business Review 83, no. 9 (2005): 120-129.
Eisenhardt, Kathleen M., and Shona L. Brown. "Time Pacing: Competing in Markets That Won't Stand Still." Harvard Business Review 76, no. 2 (1998): 59-69.
Repenning, Nelson P. "Understanding Fire Fighting in New Product Development." Journal of Product Innovation Management 18, no. 5 (2001): 285-300.
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F. Summary |
11 |
Recap and summary |
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12 |
Student presentations |
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13 |
Student presentations (cont.) |
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