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Complex Engineered Systems pp 175–205Cite as

Modularity in the Design of Complex Engineering Systems

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Part of the book series: Understanding Complex Systems ((UCS))

Abstract

In the last decade, the concept of modularity has caught the attention of engineers, management researchers and corporate strategists in a number of industries. When a product or process is “modularized,” the elements of its design are split up and assigned to modules according to a formal architecture or plan. From an engineering perspective, a modularization generally has three purposes:

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Business School, Boston, MA 02163

    Carliss Y. Baldwin & Kim B. Clark

Authors
  1. Carliss Y. Baldwin
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  2. Kim B. Clark
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Charlton School of Business, University of Massachusetts, North Dartmouth, 02747-2300, MA, USA

    Dan Braha

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Computer Science, University of Cincinnati, 210030, Rhodes Hall 814, Cincinnati, 45221-0030, OH, USA

    Ali A. Minai

  3. New England Complex Systems Institute, Mt. Auburn St. 24, Cambridge, 02138-3068, MA, USA

    Yaneer Bar-Yam

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© 2006 Springer

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Baldwin, C.Y., Clark, K.B. (2006). Modularity in the Design of Complex Engineering Systems. In: Braha, D., Minai, A., Bar-Yam, Y. (eds) Complex Engineered Systems. Understanding Complex Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-32834-3_9

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