AC951 CW2 Example Case Study.docx
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AC951 CW2 Example Case Study.docx
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AC951CW2ExampleCaseStudy
DEPARTMENTOFACCOUNTING,FINANCEANDMANAGEMENT
AC951:
ResearchMethodsandMethodologiesinAccountingandManagement
Lecturers:
Dr.YuvalMillo&Dr.CeriWatkins
Session2006/7
AutumnTerm
COURSEWORKII
Researchdesignforarchitecturalinnovationsthatappearinthedisplay
technologyproductindustry
Theimportanceoftheinnovationinsocialsciencesgoesbacktothefirstindustrialrevolution.Manyscholarscalledattentiontotechnologicaladvanceclaimingthatithasamajorroleindrivingtheeconomicgrowthandshapingtheevolutionoforganizations(TushmanandNelson,1990).Innovationcanoccurindifferentlevelsofsociallife.Forthepurposeofthisstudy,Ilookatinnovationattheorganizationallevel.DamanpourandEvan(1984)describeinnovationasadaptationofanideaorbehaviourthatisnewtotheorganization.Thisadaptationcanincludethegeneration,development,andimplementationofnewideasandbehaviours(Damanpour,1996).Evenatanorganizationallevel,therecanbeseveraldimensionsofinnovation.Damapour(1996)describesthesedimensionssuchasadministrative,technical,product,andprocess.Inthisstudy,Iwillfocusonatechnicalinnovationinanewproductdevelopment.
Ofcourse,therearenotonlydifferentdimensionsofinnovationbutalsodifferenttypesofinnovation.Betz(2003:
73)describesradicalinnovationsasbasictechnologicalinnovationthatcreatesanewfunctionality.Ifinnovationisradical,theuncertaintycreatedbythenewknowledgeishigh,andtheeagernessofestablishedfirmstoinnovateintheradicalinnovationwillbelesslikelythentheentrants(Reinganum,1983;Henderson,1993).Alternatively,incrementalinnovationisaminorchangethatimprovesperformance,features,orqualityoftheestablishedproductsandstrengthensthecompetitiveadvantageoftheestablishedfirms(TushmanandAnderson,1986;HendersonandClark,1990).Thesetwocontradictingperspectivesoninnovationperceivethephenomenaasapropertyoffirms.
HendersonandClark(1990)underlinetheimportanceofdistinctionbetweenradicalandincrementalinnovation.However,theyalsosuggestthatitisincompleteandthesubjectofinnovationshouldbeexaminedingreaterdepth.Forexample,in1970’s
Xeroxwasthepioneeroftheplainpapercopiers(Clark1987,citedinHendersonandClark,1990).However,itlosthalfofitsmarketsharewhencompetitorsintroducedsmallercopierstothemarket(ibid).EventhoughXeroxinventedthecoretechnologiesandhadenormousexperienceintheindustry,itcouldnotcompetewithcompetitors.HendersonandClark(1990)suggestthatinsomesituations(likeXeroxexample),radicalandincrementalinnovationperspectivesareunabletoprovidereasonswhyestablishedfirmscan’tmanagetheinnovation.Moreover,HendersonandClark(1990)proposeaframeworkcalledarchitecturalinnovation,whichaltersthelinkagesbetweenthecomponentswhilekeepingthecoreconceptsunchanged.As
Arrow(1962,citedinHenderson,1993)suggests,whenanewdominantdesignemergesforanindustry,theestablishedfirmstendtocreate“communicationchannels”and“informationfilters”inordertoincreasetheefficiencyofthefirm.Thesechannelsandfiltersevolveinsuchawaythattheyreinforcethearchitecturalknowledgecreatedbydominantdesign(HendersonandClark,1990).Hendersonand
Clark(1990)claimsthatthesefiltersandchannelscanbehazardousfortheestablishedfirmssincetheymightbuildbarrierstoarchitecturalinnovation.
ThepurposeofmystudyistoinvestigatetherelevanceoftheframeworkcreatedbyHendersonandClarktodisplaytechnologyproductsmanufacturers(DTPMs).ItisintendedtofocusontheprocessoftransitionfromCRT(cathoderaytube)toFPD(flatpaneldisplay)withrespecttonotionsintroducedinrhetoricofarchitecturalinnovation.HendersonandClark(1990:
12)statethat:
“architecturalinnovationisoftentriggeredbyachangeinacomponent...thatcreatesnewinteractions...”Inmyresearch,Iwillbeinvestigatingthechannelsandfiltersofafirm,whichwassuccessfulinimplementingthearchitecturalinnovation.Thiswillbeimportantforfirmsindisplaytechnologyproductsindustrysinceanewwaveofarchitecturalinnovationisonhorizon,whichistheorganicandpolymerlightemittingdiodedisplays(JISC,accessed5thDecember2006).
OntologyandEpistemology
Inmyopinion,asocialscientistcannotpurelybelieveinobjectivismorsubjectivism,sincethepropertiesoftheresearchwillbethemostsignificantfactorthatwilldefinetheepistemologicalphilosophyoftheresearch.Thus,Iwouldidentifymyselfasapragmatistresearcher.Forpragmatism,themostimportantdeterminantoftheresearchepistemologyistheresearchquestionanddifferentapproachescanbesuccessfulforparticularquestion(Saundersetal.,2007).Therefore,adeeperunderstandingisnecessarywhenItalkaboutchannelsandfiltersofafirmandtheirrelationshipwiththearchitecturalinnovation.
Aftertheemergenceofaradicalinnovation,firmsstarttocreateadominantdesign.Thearchitectureoftheproductbecomesstableandmoreeffortsareusedtoincreasethequalityandtheperformanceoftheproduct–incrementalinnovation(HendersonandClark1990).Toincreasetheefficiencyoftheincrementalinnovation,firmstendtocreatedifferentsub-unitswheredifferentcomponentsoftheproductareinvestigated(ibid).Acommunicationchannelisdefinedastheknowledgetransformationamongdifferentsub-units(ibid).Thesechannelscanbeformal(suchasreporting)orinformal(i.e.askingtosomeoneaboutsomething).Filtersarecreated(byindividuals)toidentifywhichinformationiscriticalintheinformationstream(Arrow,1974:
54).HendersonandClark(1990)suggestthatfiltersandchannelsembodyarchitecturalknowledgeandintime,theybecomeimplicit.Theyalsoclaimthattheemergenceofarchitecturalinnovationcanbescreenedoutbecauseofchannelsandfilters(ibid).Inthisresearch,myintensionistoinvestigatethechannelsandfiltersofaspecificfirmandunderstandthefirm’sstructure,whichmadepossibletoovercometheproblemscratedbyarchitecturalinnovation.
Ascanbeunderstoodformpurposeofmyresearch,Iamunlikelytouseapositivistepistemologyforthisresearch.First,oneofthekeyfeaturesofpositivistapproachisthegeneralizabilityofthefindings(Easterby-Smithetal.,2002).SinceIaminvestigatingaspecificfirmforaspecificevent,itisnotrealistictoassumethatthefindingscanbeusedasafutureguidelinefordifferentfirms.Inaddition,Iamtryingtounderstandindividuals'(andgroups’)problemsolvingtechniquesandthiscanbedifficulttooversimplify.Second,thepositivistapproachsuggeststhatconceptsmustbegeneralizedinwaythatfactscanbemeasuredquantitatively(Easterby-Smithetal.,2002).Myintensionistounderstandhowdifferentsub-unitsinteractwitheachothertosolveaproblem,andaquantitativemethodwillshowlittleinsightformyquestion.Therefore,Iamintendedtousequalitativemeasures.IbelievetheknowledgegainedfromthisresearchwillbeverysubjectiveandcontextualsinceIamlookingatthereflectionsofgroupsorindividualstospecificsocialphenomena.Itmustbeunderstoodthatthe“reality”thatisinvestigatedisbiasedaccordingtodifferentperspectives.First,thereisthebiasnessofindividualsthatwillbesubjecttotheresearchandsecond,thereisthebiasnessofresearcherthatwillanalyzetheindividuals,groupsandthesituation.Associalactorsintheworld,peoplehavebehaviorsandexperiences.Behaviorsarewhatwegetfromtheworldandexperiencesarewhatwemakesenseoftheworldbasedonourbehaviors.Whenthefocalpointoftheresearchistheindividualsandtheirinteractionswithsocialenvironment,researchermustlookatindividual’sexperiences,whichwillbeinevitablysubjective.
Also,theinteractionsbetweenobserverandparticipantwillcreateexperienceoneachother,becausethenatureoftheresearchisverycontextual.Finally,thebiasnessofresearcherwillbereflectedtohisorherfindingssinces\hewillreporttheexperiencethatisgainedfromtheinteractionswithparticipants.Onecanarguethatthesubjectivecharacteristicsoftheresearchwilldecreasethevalidityandreliabilityofthefindings.Nevertheless,itisessentialtoexplorethesubjectivemeanings.Inordertounderstandtheindividual’sactionsonemustunderstandtheemotionsthatmotivatetheindividual.Therefore,myepistemologicalstandforthisresearchisclosertotheinterpretivism/socialconstructionism,whichdefinesrealityasasociallyconstructedphenomenon(Easterby-Smithetal.,2002).Inaddition,interpretivistapproachacknowledgesobserverasapartofthesensemakingprocess(Robson,2002).
Asthenatureofmystudy,theresearchwillbeanexploratorystudywhereItrytounderstandtheexistenceofthearchitecturalinnovationinafirmandtheusageofchannelsandfiltersinproductdevelopment.Astheresearcher,Idonotintendtogiveanycausalrelationshipsbetweenarchitecturalinnovationandfirmsabilitiestomanageit.Myresearchwillnotexplainrelationshipsbetweentwoormorevariablesthatarepredefinedbeforethedatacollection.Rather,critiquesaboutrelationshipswillfollowthedatacollection.Hence,aninductiveapproachisnecessarywhichgivesafeelofwhatisgoingonandhelpstounderstandthenatureoftheproblem(Saundersetal.,2007).Here,Imustunderlinethatarchitecturalinnovationisusedasatooltoidentifyspecificproblemsets.Theseproblemsetswillhelpmetounderstandarchitecturalinnovation
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