The emergence of technology strategy: A new dimension of strategic management

Abstract

This article deals with the rise and character of modern technology strategy. The current elevation of technology to a strategic variable is discussed, and the key forces behind this trend are identified. The current blending of two previously distinctive private-sector modes of innovation—small high-technology firm entrepreneurialism and large corporate industrial R&D—is highlighted. A conceptual framework, consisting of decisions and trade-offs along the three dimensions of competitive strategy, domain and structure, is given. Empirical support, based on both industry-level and firm-level data and analysis, is presented. It is argued that, over the past few years, the approaches used by corporations for developing and acquiring technology have become more numerous and varied with the relative significance increasing for internal decentralized entrepreneurial units and external approaches. A stabilization or consolidation of technology strategy approaches, however, may take place in the near future. Still, the emergence of modern technology strategy has permanently changed the landscape of the strategic management field.