Technology transformation and purposed play: model development and implications for high tech product development

Abstract

High technology companies increasingly meet the demand for rapid innovation by building on the work done by other firms. Many high technology firms use technology transformation, adding their own Intellectual Property (IP) to others' platform technologies to create their own breakthrough innovations or new technologies. Transformation examples can be found in many industries (automobile, consumer electronics, biomedical, etc.) adapting semiconductor chip technologies into their own innovations. Technology transformation could lead to new sources of high technology revenues and speed overall innovation. Current work suggests that purposed play (directed experimentation) is important in the transformation process. Initial surveys among high technology companies have indicated extensions of previously studied diffusion models could explain the growth of technology transformation. We review the old paradigms of organisational technology adoption and innovation processes; then we propose a new paradigm that incorporates the role of transformation. An organisation-level technology transformation model (TTM) has been suggested by preliminary surveys within various high technology industry sectors. The salient features of the TTM are outlined here. This model would have strong implications for both the marketing of technologies as products and the ongoing development of technologies and high technology products.