Description

This course provides a series of strategic frameworks for managing high-technology businesses. The emphasis throughout is on the development and application of conceptual models which clarify the interactions between competition, patterns of technological and market change, and the structure and development of internal firm capabilities.

This is not a course in how to manage product or process development. The main focus is on the acquisition of a set of powerful analytical tools which are critical for the development of a technology strategy as an integral part of business strategy. These tools can provide the framework for deciding which technologies to invest in, how to structure those investments and how to anticipate and respond to the behavior of competitors, suppliers, and customers. The course should be of particular interest to those interested in managing a business for which technology is likely to play a major role, and to those interested in consulting or venture capital.

The course utilizes lectures, case analyses, simulations and independent reading. The readings are drawn from economics, and from research in technological change and organizational theory. The case studies provide an extensive opportunity to integrate and apply these abstract tools in a practical, business policy context. The simulations use the principles of system dynamics to explore complex strategic situations that are otherwise difficult to grasp.

Grades will be determined by class participation and a group project. The group project - which may be written in groups of 2 or 3 people - consists of an indepth exploration of technology strategy in an industry of your choice, and will include a sequence of between four and five weekly two page papers due in the first half of the semester and a final paper due at the end of the semester. There is no final exam.

This is an advanced course. I draw extensively on the material presented in 15.900, Strategic Management, 15.011, Introduction to Economics, and 15.350 / 351, Managing Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 15.900 and 15.011 are prerequisites for the course, but 15.350 / 351 is not.

The course also makes extensive use of a system dynamics model of industry evolution developed by Professor John Sterman and myself. We suspect that those students who have taken 15.871, Introduction to System Dynamics, (or who are taking it concurrently), will find that there are powerful synergies between the two courses.

Course Requirment and Expectations

Grading

Collaboration

Group work is not only acceptable but actively encouraged. Indeed I would strongly recommend that you form a study group with a few friends who can meet to discuss the readings before each class. My experience suggests that this will significantly increase both your enjoyment of the course and the amount that you find yourself learning.