TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION: It refers to the changes in the performance characteristics of a specific technology over time. Performance characteristics refer to a characteristic of interest to the designer of a product or the user of specific technology. For example, optical fibers deliver better quality voice messages than the cables traditionally used by telephone companies.
There are six major characteristics of technology change.
1) S-curve of technology evolution
2) technology progression
3) levels of technology development
4) technology change events
5) evolutionary characteristics of technological change
6) uncertainty and technological insularity
S CURVE OF TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION:
There are four major stages in the evolution of a performance characteristic:
1. Emergence, when the technology has come into existence but shows little improvement in its performance characteristic.
2. Rapid improvement, when the performance characteristic improves at an accelerating pace.
3. Declining improvement, when the pace of improvement declines and
4. Maturity, when further improvements become very difficult to achieve.
S-Curve: A General Form: e.g. Evolution of personal computer microprocessor speed
S-curve General Form
TECHNOLOGY PROGRESSION:
It describes the process by which new technologies emerge to make existing technologies obsolete. First, radical breakthroughs appear to be a matter of chance. The reason for this is that determinants of new technologies generally tend to be numerous and extremely varied. Second, technological progression is also the result of an accumulation of relevant know-ho or learning. So technology evolution and technology progression represent two faces of technology innovation. Technology evolution represents the incremental evolution of technology over time.
Once a technology has reached its full potential, rapid improvements in performance characteristics will have to wait until a radical breakthrough in technology occurs. During later stages of evolution, technology limits come into play, and improvements in performance characteristics become lesser.
LEVELS OF TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT;
1. Research is often conducted without a practical application or a problem at hand.
2. A lengthy period often occurs between and invention in basic research and its application in the form of innovation.
3. Major technological advances require not just one innovation but a cluster of innovations.
TECHNOLOGY CHANGE AGENTS:
Government institutions such as NASA- or independent research institutes.
Independent entrepreneurs, business firms, and some governmental agencies play leading roles in applied research and commercialization.
EVOLUTIONARY CHARACTERISTICS OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE:
The existence of different types of innovations---incremental, modular, architectural and radical—and simultaneous development of innovation at multiple levels by numerous change agents bestow evolutionary characteristics on technological development.
UNCERTAINITY AND TECHNOLOGICAL INSULARITY:
* Individuals working on innovation task should concern the following things:
* the performance of innovation they are seeking to create or adopt;
* Materials and components they are fabricating into the innovation; Competitor’s innovations, government policies affecting their proposed innovation;
· The problems faced by consumers in the market and how the proposed innovation might help to solve certain perceived problems.
Technological insularity leads to two characteristics of technological changes.
1) Spatial clustering: It refers to the occurrence of innovations in clusters around certain regions of a country.
There are six major characteristics of technology change.
1) S-curve of technology evolution
2) technology progression
3) levels of technology development
4) technology change events
5) evolutionary characteristics of technological change
6) uncertainty and technological insularity
S CURVE OF TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION:
There are four major stages in the evolution of a performance characteristic:
1. Emergence, when the technology has come into existence but shows little improvement in its performance characteristic.
2. Rapid improvement, when the performance characteristic improves at an accelerating pace.
3. Declining improvement, when the pace of improvement declines and
4. Maturity, when further improvements become very difficult to achieve.
S-Curve: A General Form: e.g. Evolution of personal computer microprocessor speed
S-curve General Form
TECHNOLOGY PROGRESSION:
It describes the process by which new technologies emerge to make existing technologies obsolete. First, radical breakthroughs appear to be a matter of chance. The reason for this is that determinants of new technologies generally tend to be numerous and extremely varied. Second, technological progression is also the result of an accumulation of relevant know-ho or learning. So technology evolution and technology progression represent two faces of technology innovation. Technology evolution represents the incremental evolution of technology over time.
Once a technology has reached its full potential, rapid improvements in performance characteristics will have to wait until a radical breakthrough in technology occurs. During later stages of evolution, technology limits come into play, and improvements in performance characteristics become lesser.
LEVELS OF TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT;
1. Research is often conducted without a practical application or a problem at hand.
2. A lengthy period often occurs between and invention in basic research and its application in the form of innovation.
3. Major technological advances require not just one innovation but a cluster of innovations.
TECHNOLOGY CHANGE AGENTS:
Government institutions such as NASA- or independent research institutes.
Independent entrepreneurs, business firms, and some governmental agencies play leading roles in applied research and commercialization.
EVOLUTIONARY CHARACTERISTICS OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE:
The existence of different types of innovations---incremental, modular, architectural and radical—and simultaneous development of innovation at multiple levels by numerous change agents bestow evolutionary characteristics on technological development.
UNCERTAINITY AND TECHNOLOGICAL INSULARITY:
* Individuals working on innovation task should concern the following things:
* the performance of innovation they are seeking to create or adopt;
* Materials and components they are fabricating into the innovation; Competitor’s innovations, government policies affecting their proposed innovation;
· The problems faced by consumers in the market and how the proposed innovation might help to solve certain perceived problems.
Technological insularity leads to two characteristics of technological changes.
1) Spatial clustering: It refers to the occurrence of innovations in clusters around certain regions of a country.
2) Temporal clustering: It refers to the occurrence of innovations in clusters around particular points in time. For ex, developments in semiconductor technology have led to developments in computers, electronics and hardwares.
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