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Forms of Innovation—Insights from Product Development

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Abstract

The dualism of science, technology and innovation (STI) and doing, using and interacting (DUI) modes of innovation has been accepted by scholars as a seemingly clear and useful heuristic dichotomy for analysing and benchmarking innovation systems. This paper challenges the existence of this dichotomy. Rather than the traditional approach of looking at statistical data and financial statements figures, our empirical findings are based on a thorough field analysis of product development projects in the Norwegian automotive industry. We argue that in the process of embedding scientific knowledge into products, the companies apply interchangeably STI mode and DUI mode in a sophisticated pattern of knowledge creation. Unawareness of these subtle integrating processes can lead to wrong conclusions about how knowledge is actually generated and processed at the ground floor in manufacturing firms. Misguided policy interventions can, in the worst case, be the result of such wrong conclusions.

We followed firms in automotive industry in various product development projects. In addition to an understanding of product development processes, we investigated how the knowledge is created and implemented into specific products. The objective of the paper is to provide with more accurate understanding of how knowledge processes shape competitive advantages at the firm level.

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Notes

  1. I will thank research manager Geir Ringen (PhD), senior researcher Kai Skinstad and senior researcher Eirin Lodgaard (PhD) for their help collecting data for this paper.

  2. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Epsilon_platform for a comprehensive introduction into the platform.

  3. For further reading: http://www.bmbf.de/en/19955.php

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gjovik University College, Gjøvik, Norway

    Halvor Holtskog

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  1. Halvor Holtskog
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Correspondence to Halvor Holtskog.

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This research has been made possible with the support from the Norwegian Research Council by the project called AluPart. The case companies have participated and approved of my interpretations of events and provided the formal documents. All traces that could identify the case companies have been removed or made anonymous.

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Holtskog, H. Forms of Innovation—Insights from Product Development. J Knowl Econ 8, 63–76 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-015-0318-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-015-0318-8

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