Patterns of Learning in Dynamic Technological System Lifecycles—What Automotive Managers Can Learn from the Aerospace Industry?

Daniel Guffarth,Mathias Knappe

doi:10.3390/joitmc5010001

Abstract

Not only with respect to the common overlaps within the market of urban air mobility, but also in terms of their requirement profile with regard to the systemic core, all mobility industries are converging. This article focuses on the required patterns of learning in order to cope with these changes, and what automotive managers can learn from the aerospace industry in this context. As organizational learning is the central parameter of economic evolution, and technology develops over trajectory shifts, companies are, at the very least, cyclically forced to learn ambidextrously, or are squeezed out of the market. They have to act and react as complex adaptive systems in their changing environment. Especially in these dynamics, ambidextrous learning is identified to be a conditio sine qua non for organizational success. Especially the combination of efficiency-oriented internal exploitation with an explorative and external-oriented open innovation network turns out to be a superior strategy. By combining patent data, patent citation analysis and data on the European Framework Programs, we show that there are temporal differences, i.e., position of the product in the product, technique, technology, and industry life cycle. Furthermore, we draw a conclusion dependent on the systemic product character, which enforces different learning requirements concerning supply chain position and, as an overarching conclusion, we identify product structure to be decisive for how organizational learning should be styled.

Highlights

As techniques are growing in technological complexity over time, the evidence of learning as a success factor for organizations is growing, as they have to act and react as complex adaptive systems in their environment
Analyzing the aerospace industry, which is accepted to be emblematic of a complex product industry, we showed that all OEM and RRSPs are already working ambidextrously, and even one in four suppliers on lower levels of the supply chain are doing so
Since the recent paradigm shift in the dominant subsystem of the automotive powertrain from combustion to electrical engines—in convergence with connected and autonomous driving technology—the automobile is becoming a complex product; at last, car manufacturers have to implement the meta-skill of permanent ambidexterity

Summary

Introduction

As techniques are growing in technological complexity over time, the evidence of learning as a success factor for organizations is growing, as they have to act and react as complex adaptive systems in their environment. With respect to the common overlaps within the market of urban air mobility [1], and in terms of their requirement profile with regard to the systemic core, all mobility industries are moving ever closer to one another, i.e., industrial and technological convergence is a much-debated topic. Industrial convergence is not to be seen in terms of its balancing products and overlapping customer markets, but rather in the technological requirement profiles of organizations. Autonomous mobility, electrification of powertrain and connectivity result in complex automotive product systems whose handling places the ability to be ambidextrous at the center of the entrepreneurial capability spectrum. What factors do managers have to recognize? Which of them are decisive when evaluating how the

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Discussion

Conclusion