Title: Innovation and corporate strategy

Authors: James M. Utterback

Addresses: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Abstract: The field of innovation studies is highly fragmented. It has not been adopted by any discipline as its own, and is in need of integration both with theory and other fields of study. A good deal of thought and effort is now under way to redefine and reformulate the field, through conferences and publications. No single set of variables will suffice to provide a workable model or a predictive understanding of innovation. A wider, more holistic appreciation is required of the phenomena involved. This requires moving beyond units of analysis such as the individual group, project or innovation to comprehend change at the level of the firm, and to encompass changes in software, services and management within the framework as well. It requires that we focus on interactions between firms and among collections of firms as our aim is to understand strategic points of leverage in the process, and it requires that we look at the changes in and interaction among variables over time. The purpose of this review is to identify the clusters of ongoing research and research issues in this new field which are most important with respect to the growth and development of industry in advanced economies such as Sweden and the United States. The most promising problems for further research will be discussed. This review is limited to the United States.

Keywords: technological innovation; productivity; innovation studies; technological change; corporate strategy; R&D; research and development; United States; USA.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1986.026102

International Journal of Technology Management, 1986 Vol.1 No.1/2, pp.119 - 132

Published online: 27 May 2009 *

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