Method to determine the fit of a technology strategy

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Günther Schuh
• Subject Area: Production Systems, Operations Management, Quality Management and Factory Planning
• Term: from 2013 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 240751629

Enterprises with an explicit technology strategy operate more successful than competitors without an explicit technological long-term orientation. Thus, technology strategies fitted to the requirements and conditions of an enterprise are a key success factor. Therefore, the research project aims to develop a method for determining the fit of a technology strategy. The term technology strategy denotes the collectivity of all strategic, technology related decisions made by a company. The fit as the object of investigation refers to the fit between those decisions taken and the organizational, strategic, and technology related framework circumstances of the company and the factors influenced by the environment.The planned project aims to support enterprises in designing fitted technology strategies. The design of technology strategies is a decision process which is influenced by the mentioned factors. Nevertheless it is not a simple selection process, but subjective assessments have to be taken into account. Thus, it is not the objective of this research project to develop a »strategy generator«. The objective is to develop a method with which enterprises will be able to determine the fit of their technology strategy in their specific context. Context refers to the organizational, strategic and technological boundary conditions of an enterprise as well as its environment. The procedure shall identify inconsistencies and allow the derivation of concrete measures to initiate change programs. The planned project shall above all support enterprises with the evaluation of the fit of their technological strategic choices under changing conditions. Thus enterprises don´t have to start the strategy formulation process again.The project aims to provide companies with tools enabling them to describe the aspects of their environment, their technologies, and their company, which influence strategic technology decisions. Moreover, the tools allow to set the technology strategy in the appropriate strategic context of their company. A method helping the companies to identify exclusion criteria for the choice of technology strategic options and to assess the fit by the use of interaction and correlation matrices is additional supposed to be developed. In order to achieve these goals, relevant dimensions of the fit of a technological strategy are worked out and via cybernetic theories operationalized (e.g. coherence, stability). The developed procedure shall allow the systematic determination of the fit of a technology strategy in the context of the specific enterprise and thus build the basis for aligned technology strategies.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants