From theory to practice: challenges in operationalising a technology selection framework

Abstract Industrial managers are often faced with the dilemma of selecting a single most appropriate technology from a range of competing options. The rapid development of technologies, together with their increasing complexity and variety, has made the task of technology selection difficult. Current approaches to the technology selection decision have usually been narrowly focused on assessment of the financial viability of technology options, or conventional investment justification factors. In many cases, the selection processes are based on generic decision support tools which are not fully adapted for technology selection. Where specific approaches exist, they tend to be theoretically based rather than empirically tested on practical cases. Whilst the role of theory and accumulated management experience cannot be ignored, the engagement with ‘real-life’ situations brings to the surface many important issues that would not be visible otherwise. The difficulties associated with translating theoretical ideas into practically applicable approaches represent a major challenge of this research work. This is compounded by the problems associated with applying the developed approach, interpreting the results obtained, and articulating how this new practical understanding affects the theoretical concepts that have guided the research. This inductive–deductive testing of concepts has contributed to the richness of the understanding obtained. There is an abundance of literature relating to the selection of technology for R&D purposes, i.e. R&D project selection. Similarly, many literature sources exist for investment justification, and a number of frameworks and tools have been proposed. However, empirical work conducted during this research project indicate a clear need to explore the issues surrounding the selection of ‘packaged’ or ‘off-the-shelf’ technology, i.e. technologies that do not require extensive R&D after acquisition. This paper focuses on the experience of operationalising of a framework for technology selection. This is achieved through the application of a software tool, which is based on the structure provided by the framework. The paper reports on how theoretical concepts presented in the framework relate to ‘real-life’ technology selection considerations.