Title: Managing technological discontinuities – a tentative framework

Authors: Ellinor Ehrnberg, Staffan Jacobsson

Addresses: Department of Industrial Management and Economics, School of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, S-41296 Goteborg, Sweden. ' Department of Industrial Management and Economics, School of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, S-41296 Goteborg, Sweden

Abstract: Established firms frequently face difficulties in managing technological discontinuities, while successful firms are often found among new entrants. From the perspective of an established firm, we will identify a set of factors influencing how such a firm fares through a transition. These factors operate at different units of analysis: the technology, the firm, the industry, the technological system and the region/nation. We will explore each of these, integrate them and develop a frame of reference for analysing the conditions under which a firm will come out of a technological transition successfully.

Keywords: technological discontinuities; technological transition; technological change; technology management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1996.025444

International Journal of Technology Management, 1996 Vol.11 No.3/4, pp.452 - 469

Published online: 22 May 2009 *

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