Post-Dominant Design Technological Shift: Analysis of Subsystem-Level Evolution of Complex Product

Abstract

Using the systems view of the product, I argue that the emergence of a dominant design does not necessarily lead to a period of incremental innovation and subsequent product discontinuity; rather, firms shift focus of innovation to another part of the product at a subsystem level following the emergence of a dominant design. I carefully performed both the historical analysis of technology evolution and detailed patent content analysis for the automotive emissions control system and empirically confirmed that there was significant shift in the focus of innovation to another subsystem, electronics, following the emergence of a catalyst-based dominant design. Moreover, the rate of innovation during the post-dominant design period is found to be lower than that of the pre-dominant design period. Findings of this study highlight the importance of the “match complexity” view of researchers that emphasizes system integration capability for managing contemporary complex technology evolution.