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FACILITATING RADICAL INNOVATION IN CONSUMER ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES

Chuang, Shengfa J
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1401470957

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Management.
Radical innovation (RI) is widely recognized as a source of competitive advantage because it contributes to business sustainability and growth. This applies especially to firms operating in the hyper-competitive environment within consumer electronics (CE) and information technology (IT) industries. A recent Boston Consulting Group survey suggests that radical product innovation is one of three top strategic priorities for 71% of companies. Despite its importance, RI has been widely characterized as lacking order and an outcome of serendipity. Indeed, prior literature has largely ignored antecedents of RI or has studied them in isolation. This dissertation explores the interplay of RI antecedents in the context of CE/IT industries. I conducted an exploratory mixed-methods study on the nature and antecedents of RI in the CE/IT industries. The dissertation consists of three empirical studies. In the first study, I interview 38 product managers and engineers in the CE/IT industries to define the nature of RI and to identify challenges associated with RI. I found that RI emerges from identifying unarticulated market needs and matching them with new technological opportunities. In the second study, I conducted a survey among 408 innovation managers from CE/IT industries to identify antecedents of RI and how they interact with incremental innovation (II) and influence product performance. My findings reveal that identifying unarticulated market needs has a significant positive effect on RI and that strategic intent has a significant positive effect on product performance. I also examined which antecedents are most salient in influencing RI, II, and product performance. The third study focused on how firms can facilitate (strategically) the RI process. I suggest a new construct of future-oriented thinking—which identifies a pivotal cognitive future oriented element of RI—and use it as a mediator to explain the effects of strategic intent and technology sensing on RI. Findings show that future oriented thinking has a significant (mediating) effect on RI, while strategic intent has a positive effect on both sensing and future oriented thinking. These findings suggest that firms can strategically facilitate RI by creating a strong exploratory “flow” of activities expressed in path: Strategic Intent ¿ Technology Sensing ¿ Future Oriented Thinking ¿ RI. Overall, my study suggests that strategic intent helps address the complexity of RI. It also enriches our understanding of the cognitive processes associated with RI and the negative effects of current market focus on RI.
Kalle Lyytinen, PhD (Committee Chair)
Richard Buchanan, PhD (Committee Member)
Sayan Chatterjee, PhD (Committee Member)
Toni Somers, PhD (Committee Member)
214 p.
Information Technology; Technology
Radical product innovation; strategic intent; technology sensing; market sensing; future-oriented thinking; complexity; mixed-methods research

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Chuang, S. J. (2014). FACILITATING RADICAL INNOVATION IN CONSUMER ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1401470957

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Chuang, Shengfa. FACILITATING RADICAL INNOVATION IN CONSUMER ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES. 2014. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1401470957.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Chuang, Shengfa. "FACILITATING RADICAL INNOVATION IN CONSUMER ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1401470957

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1401470957
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This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.