1st Edition

Strategic Management of Technological Learning

By Elias Carayannis Copyright 2001

    How do companies such as BMW, Airbus Industrie, and Bayer leverage technology and learn to thrive where others fail? This book provides a one-stop resource on technology, innovation, and knowledge management. It gives you a tool for gaining short-term, case-specific insight and long-term, industry-wide understanding of the best technology management and learning policies and practices. The Strategic Management of Technological Learning explores a portfolio of case studies on technology-driven-but not exclusively high-tech-companies that have an overall long-term record of success and prosperity.
    Through in-depth interviews with industry practitioners, the author empirically identifies the presence of Strategic or Active Incrementalism. The following chart shows the studied firms, which operate at high risk and uncertainty, very dynamic, and technologically intensive business environments:

    INTRODUCTION
    The Concept of Decision Under Uncertainty
    OVERVIEW OF DECISION AND STRATEGY MAKING SCHOOLS
    The Analytical or Synoptic School of Decision Making
    The Experiential or Incremental School of Decision Making
    The Design School of Strategy
    The Planning School of Strategy
    The "Emergent Learning and Deliberate Planning" or "Austrian" School of Strategy
    THE CONCEPT OF PARADIGM IN DECISION MAKING
    The Analytic Paradigm
    The Cybernetic Paradigm
    The Cognitive Paradigm
    THE CONCEPTS OF CULTURE, FEEDBACK, AND LEARNING IN DECISION MAKING AND STRATEGY CRAFTING
    Culture as a "Medium" for Learning
    Feedback as a "Tool" for Learning
    Learning: Autonomy and Responsibility
    STUDY METHODOLOGY
    Empirical Evidence
    TRANSPORT MANUFACTURING SECTOR CASE STUDIES
    Industry Overview
    Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
    Daimler-Benz AG
    Matra Automobile
    Airbus Industrie
    PROCESS SECTOR CASE STUDIES
    Industry Overview
    Bristol Myers Squibb
    Miles/Bayer Corp.
    Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA
    ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION SECTOR CASE STUDIES
    Industry Overview
    Consolidated Edison
    Duke Power Corporation
    Rochester Gas and Electric
    Tennessee Valley Authority
    Ontario Hydro
    Electricite de France
    SYNTHESIS OF THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
    Towards an Organizational Architecture of Technological Learning
    Building Sustainable Competitive Advantage Based on Learning
    Technology Transfer and Technological Innovation
    The Meta-Cognitive Paradigm of Decision Making
    Strategic or Active Incrementalism
    Empirically Identified Instances of Technological Learning, Meta-Learning and Un-learning in the Organizations Studied
    CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
    Further Research on Technological Learning
    APPENDIX
    REFERENCES

    Biography

    Elias Carayannis

    "In the fast changing pace of the 21st century economy, this book is an essential reference for all practitioners who face the challenges of creating meaningful learning and knowledge sharing initiatives in modern dynamic businesses. Full of practical examples and tools from companies that are known for having a reputation for successfully leveraging knowledge through technology, this book helps you develop a strategic framework to gain a sustainable competitive advantage based on continuous learning - a "must read" for those who intend to grow their firm's core competencies."
    - Michael JL Pommier, Senior Advisor, Network Operations and Knowledge Sharing Program, The World Bank Group, Washington, DC

    "It is this framework that will allow future researchers to address a variety of hypotheses concerning the relationship among learning, strategic planning and organizational performance of technology-driven organizations."
    -Konstantinos P. Triantis, Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech

    "One of the most essential values of this book lies in the fact that the author approaches a relevant area of organizational learning which he designates technological learning… Carayannis' contribution to the field of management and technological learning is evident. The extensive use of case examples drawn from the company studies is one of the strengths of the book."
    -Martha Burkle Bonecchi in Technovation

    "This book offers much more than a report of a comprehensive study of technological learning. It condenses the author's extensive work on learning…is unique in that empirical evidence is at the center of its argument…is an insightful and incisive look at technology learning…Dr. Carayannis boldly leads us into the complex field of organizational learning, and the difficulties inherent in the learning of technology. I was impressed with the breath of his knowledge and with the contribution of his study to the state of the art in this well traveled area of study."
    -Elie Geisler