Title: 'Thinking Technology' in mature industry firms: understanding technology entrepreneurship

Authors: Mariann Jelinek

Addresses: Richard C. Kraemer Professor of Business Administration, Graduate School of Business, College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795, USA

Abstract: Technological entrepreneurship is important yet difficult in mature industry firms because so many cues impede understanding that change is needed, or interpreting new data effectively, instead reinforcing old views. A cognitive approach to innovation suggests why, and offers insights illustrated by accounts of three mature-industry innovation episodes. Technology entrepreneurship is shown as a quintessentially social activity, requiring joint efforts to interpret ambiguous data, joint understanding to sustain technology efforts, and persistent, coordinated endeavour to accomplish technological change. The nominally |managerial| tasks of sensemaking, mindful alertness to anomalies, and the joint creation of a new shared cognitive context are broadly shared in these accounts, and stand out as the underpinnings of technological entrepreneurship.

Keywords: technology management; technological entrepreneurship; innovation; mature industry strategy; cognitive theory; technopreneurship.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1996.025469

International Journal of Technology Management, 1996 Vol.11 No.7/8, pp.799 - 813

Published online: 22 May 2009 *

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