Discovering quiescent meanings in technologies: exploring the design management practices that support the development of Technology Epiphanies

ABSTRACT

In contemporary business and academia, design has been increasingly viewed as an important strategic asset such that several scholars and executives have recently investigated the links among design, innovation and competitive advantage. Indeed, recent and emerging literature streams are exploring the potential contribution design can provide in valorising and differently adopting new or existing technologies [Dell’Era, Marchesi, and Verganti 2010. “Mastering Technologies in Design-Driven Innovation – How Two Italian Companies Made Design a Central Part of their Innovation Process.” Research Technology Management 53 (2): 12–23 Buganza et al. 2015. “Unveiling the Potentialities Provided by New Technologies: A Process to Pursue Technology Epiphanies in the Smartphone App Industry.” Creativity and Innovation Management 24 (3): 391–414]. This paper aims to investigate the design managerial practices able to support Technology Epiphanies, which are defined as the discovery of quiescent meanings in new or existing technologies [Verganti 2009. Design-Driven Innovation. Changing the Rules of Competition by Radically Innovating What Things Mean. Boston: Harvard Business Press]. The paper relies on four in-depth case studies developed by both primary and secondary sources: Nintendo, Kartell, Technogym and KUKA Robotics. The paper identifies three design management practices that can guide managers in the development of Technology Epiphanies: interpreting technology as an enabling platform, building double-sided network and accessing new knowledge domains.

KEYWORDS:

• Value of design
• Design-Driven Innovation
• Technology Future Analysis
• Technology Epiphanies

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge all the practitioners who collaborated with them during the in-field data gathering process. Any mistakes or omissions are the sole responsibility of the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Claudio Dell’Era is Assistant Professor in the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering of Politecnico di Milano, where he serves also as Co-Director of MaDe In Lab, the Laboratory of Management of Design and Innovation of MIP Politecnico di Milano. Research activities developed by Claudio Dell’Era are concentrated in the area of Management of Innovation. He has published in relevant international journals, such as Journal of Product Innovation Management, Long Range Planning, R&D Management, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Industry & Innovation, International Journal of Innovation Management.

Naiara Altuna is research fellow in the area of Design and Innovation Management in the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering of Politecnico di Milano, where she is also a PhD candidate. She is member of the DESMA (DESgin MAnagement) network (www.desma.gu.se). DESMA is an Initial Training Network in the area of Design Management funded by the European Commission’s Marie Curie Actions (FP7).

Stefano Magistretti is research fellow in the area of Design and Innovation Management in the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering of Politecnico di Milano, where he is also a PhD candidate. His research interests are focused on technology innovation and Innovation of Meanings. In particular, he has been working on how to foster radical innovation of meanings starting from the development stage of a given technology.

Roberto Verganti is Full Professor of Management of Innovation at the Politecnico di Milano, where he also serves as the Scientific Director of MaDe In Lab, the laboratory for education in management of design and innovation. He has been a visiting scholar at the Harvard Business School twice and a visiting professor of Design Management at the Copenhagen Business School. Roberto Verganti has issued more than 150 publications, which lie at the intersection of strategy, design and technology management, in journals such as Management Science, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Harvard Business Review. He has been featured on The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Financial Times, BusinessWeek and is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review online magazine.

Notes

1 http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/16/businessweek-interviews-miyamoto-and-ashida-about-the-wii/.

2 Source: ORBIS and WORLDSCOPE.

3 Source: ORBIS and WORLDSCOPE.

4 Source: AIDA (https://aida.bvdep.com).

5 Source: AIDA (https://aida.bvdep.com).

6 Source: ORBIS.

7 Source: ORBIS.

8 Source: www.kuka.com.

9 Source: www.kuka.com.