Technology, innovation and strategy: recent developments

The relationship between firms and technology appears to vary greatly depending on the sector and the country. In most cases, however, it is possible to observe common trends in expenditure growth, in the centralisation of R&D, in increased co-operation and in the reinforcement of R&D structures. The management of R&D and innovation processes, which is also rapidly changing, is marked by the growing role played by marketing, by the consideration of the social acceptability of innovation, and by the "total innovation" approach. The management of technological competencies is increasingly integrated into the entire strategic process of a company, with the development of product/market strategies towards more technology-oriented strategies. Certain companies even explicitly re-orientate their strategies to a "growth through technology" concept. This paper is based on a survey of developments in R&D management practices in major industrial corporations conducted to help a major European company redefine its R&D management decision-making process.