Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2440/122236
Type: Thesis
Title: Combination and context: exploring the process of technological innovation
Author: McKinlay, Matthew
Issue Date: 2017
School/Discipline: Entrepreneurship Commercialisation and Innovation Centre
Abstract: Innovation has long been described anecdotally as something that comes from individual genius. Successful innovators have often been heralded as a special class of people with rare talents and unique capacities to “think different” to deliver world changing innovation. This view is reflected in innovation literature, notably with the linear model, which more recently has been widely criticised on account of this almost exclusive focus on individual action and personality as the sole determinant of innovation success. The technological innovation systems literature is a response, describing the achievement of any technological innovation as a result of a ‘system’ made up of things like individuals, resources, culture, intellectual property, working in complex ways to collectively achieve a specific technological innovation. Whilst the theory of innovation systems is acknowledged as valuable, this thesis argues the systems theory is problematic as explanatory tool specifically for technological innovation. Primarily this is due to the strong boundary conditions required of systems theory- To recognise a system, there is a need to demarcate the system from its environment. These boundaries create a strong ‘inside’ - those individuals, technologies, resources identified to be within the system, working specifically on the technology, and ‘outside’-those technologies, people, resources and all other things viewed as external, not related or relevant. The limitation of technological innovation systems is that by necessity, research often becomes an almost exclusive investigation of those internal components as the source of innovation, leaving the wider environment largely ignored. In contrast to this, other important innovation theory, including viewing innovation as a ‘recombination’ process, and significantly the recent theory of ‘technological exaptation’ suggest that this wider environment ignored by technological innovation system theory is potentially critically important to the achievement of technological innovation itself. The theories of combination and exaptation suggest that it is precisely things in the environmentthe events, technologies or people that the technological innovation systems theory often exclude from analysis, that are important sources of innovation. The broad environment for a specific technological innovation is the focus of this research. Rather than use the term environment though, this research uses the expression of ‘lifeworld’ to describe the concept environment, with justification for this terminology offered in the thesis. This research then explores how lifeworld conditions change over time, and how these conditions impact the performance of those attempting to create a specific technological innovation. In doing so, the research uses the lifeworld concept to further explore and articulate innovation theories of combination, exaptation, uncertainty and accumulation. These issues were explored with an in-depth single qualitative case study of portable digital music players. The case utilised extensive archival and secondary data (over 4,000 articles) as well as primary interviews with expert protagonists (23 hours of interview data). This resulted in a detailed chronology of events for the development of digital music players over an extended time (60+ years). This event history was then used to explore the lifeworld concept, combination, exaptation, uncertainty and accumulation. The study finds that the lifeworld, representing the wider environment, is critical to the creation of technology as well as the achievement of innovation: Portable digital music player innovation did not emerge only from a designated system, or individuals working on portable digital music player technology, but instead, often new events would spring from wider sources in the lifeworld, from domains previously unrelated to the specific pursuit of portable digital music player innovation. The lifeworld appeared an important tool to capture this detail, with recognition those working on the technology were often constrained or enabled by the wider conditions of the lifeworld in which the where placed. As the lifeworld changed, so too did the performance of those seeking to achieve portable digital music technology innovation. This was further expressed by Jon Rubinstein who described Apple’s method for creating the iPod as principally one of combination, drawing quickly from common available conditions and technologies. With these insights, the study provides a number of theoretical contributions, ranging from refining the theories of technological exaptation and combination, exploring the trajectory of the lifeworld and the stages of a development of a technological innovation, as well as recognition of the role of uncertainty and accumulation that makes possible technological innovation at one time and not another. From a practical perspective, the study offers a range of insights for individuals in respect to innovation timing, and how to look beyond ideas for technological innovation but instead to look for conditions that make technological innovation impossible at one time and likely at another.
Dissertation Note: Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Entrepreneurship Commercialisation and Innovation Centre, 2017
Description: [v. 1] [Main work] Combination and context: exploring the process of technological innovation -- [v. 2] [Case study] Portable digital music player: event history narrative
Provenance: This electronic version is made publicly available by the University of Adelaide in accordance with its open access policy for student theses. Copyright in this thesis remains with the author. This thesis may incorporate third party material which has been used by the author pursuant to Fair Dealing exceptions. If you are the owner of any included third party copyright material you wish to be removed from this electronic version, please complete the take down form located at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/legals
Appears in Collections:Research Theses

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McKinlay2017_PhD_v.2.pdfCase study116.63 MBAdobe PDFView/Open


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