Radical and Incremental Innovation Preferences in Information Technology: An Empirical Study in an Emerging Economy

Authors

  • Tarun K. Sen Virginia Tech university
  • Parviz Ghandforoush Virginia Tech University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-27242011000400003

Keywords:

Information Technology, Innovation, Emerging Economies, Globalization

Abstract

Radical and Incremental Innovation Preferences in Information Technology: An Empirical Study in an Emerging Economy Abstract Innovation in information technology is a primary driver for growth in developed economies. Research indicates that countries go through three stages in the adoption of innovation strategies: buying innovation through global trade, incremental innovation from other countries by enhancing efficiency, and, at the most developed stage, radically innovating independently for competitive advantage. The first two stages of innovation maturity depend more on cross-border trade than the third stage. In this paper, we find that IT professionals in in an emerging economy such as India believe in radical innovation over incremental innovation (adaptation) as a growth strategy, even though competitive advantage may rest in adaptation. The results of the study report the preference for innovation strategies among IT professionals in India and its implications for other rapidly growing emerging economies.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Tarun K. Sen, Virginia Tech university

Tarun Sen is professor of Management Information Systems at Virginia Tech. He has published extensively in reputed journals that include Management Science, INFORMS journal on Computing, Decision Support Systems, OMEGA, Strategic Finance, IEEE Transactions on Systems Man and Cybernatics, and others. He has a B. Tech in Mechcanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur, MBA from IIM Bangalore, and a PhD in MIS from the University of Iowa. His reserarch interests lie in the interface between IT innovation and global business, and decision support systems.

Parviz Ghandforoush, Virginia Tech University

Parviz Ghandforoush is Professor of Business Information Technology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). He received the Ph.D. in Management Science at Texas Tech University, MBA at the University of Texas in Austin, and B.S. Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin. Dr. Ghandforoush has over 25 years of research, teaching, administrative, and professional experience in information technology and management science and is the co-author of the textbook Management Science for Decision Makers. He has published in refereed academic and professional publications in the areas of decision and optimization models, decision support systems in complex environments, sequencing and scheduling, staffing models, and simulation of organizational operations. His research has appeared in such journals as, Computers & Operations Research, Journal on Computing, Decision Support Systems, Journal of Systems Management, International Journal of Production Research, International Journal of Industrial Engineering Transactions, European Journal of Operations Research, The International Journal of Management Science, Naval Research Logistics, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Computers & Information Sciences, Computers & Industrial Engineering, and others. He has extensive involvement in professional development, consulting and research activities in areas of executive decision models, efficiency models and optimization, strategic implications of information technology, decision support systems, and electronic commerce. Parviz Ghandforoush is the Managing Director of the Master of Information Technology Program and Director of MBA Program at Virginia Tech.

References

ARORA, A., Fosfuri, A., Gambardella, A. (2001). Markets for Technology. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

BANERJEE, P., Cole, R. (2011). Globally radical technologies and locally radical technologies: the role of audiences in the construction of innovative impact in biotechnology. Transactions on Engineering Management, 58(2), 262-274.

BARMA, N. (2005). The emerging economies in the digital era: market places, market players, and market makers. BRIE Working Paper 167, University of California, Berkeley, CA.

BOWER, J., Julian, S. (2006). Social and intellectual capital formation in leading Indian pharmaceutical companies. International Journal of Innovation Management, 10(4),407-423.

BROWN, C., Linden, G. (2006). Semi-conductor engineers in a global economy. National Academy of Engineering Workshop on the Off-shoring of Engineering: facts, myths, unknowns, and implications, Washington DC.

CASTIAUX, A. (2007). Radical innovation in established organizations: being a knowledge predator. Journal of Engineering & Technology Management, 24(1-2), 36-52.

CHESBROUGH, H.W. (2007). The market for innovation: implications for corporate strategy. California Management Review, 49(3), 45-66.

CHESBROUGH, H.W., Ahern, S., Finn, M., Guerraz, S. (2006). Business models for technology in the developing world: the role of non-governmental organizations. California Management Review, 48(3), 48-61.

CHESBROUGH, H.W., Appleyard, N.M. (2007). Open innovation and strategy. California Management Review,

(1), 57-93.

DAMANPOUR, F. (1992). Organization size and innovation. Organization Studies, 13(3), 375-402.

DAVIS, L. (2008). Licensing strategies for the new intellectual property vendors. California Management Review, 5(2), 6-30.

DESHPANDE, R., Farley, J. U., Bowman, D. (2004). Tigers, dragons, and others: profiling high performance in Asian firms. Journal of International Marketing, 12(3), 5-29.

DEWAN, S., Kraemer, K. (2000). Information technology and productivity: evidence from country-level data. Management Science, 46(2), 548-562.

ETHIRAJ, S.K., Levinthal, D., Roy, R. (2008). The dual role of modularity: innovation and imitation. Management Science, 54(5), 939-955.

FINK, C. (2000). How stronger patent protection in India might affect the behavior of transnational pharmaceutical industries. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 2352. Washington, D.C.

FRIEDMAN, T.L. (2005). The World Is Flat. Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux. New York.

GINARTE, J.C., Park, W.G. (1997). Determinants of patent rights: a cross national study. Research Policy, 96,

-301.

HAMMOND, A.L., Prahalad, C.K. (2004). Selling to the poor. Foreign Policy, 142 (May/June), 30-37.

HERRMANN, A., Gassmann, O., Eisert, U. (2007). An empirical study of the antecedents for radical product innovation and capabilities for transformation. Journal of Engineering & Technology Management, 24(1-2), 92-120.

KELLER, K.H. (2008). From here to there in information technology: the complexities of innovation. American Behavioral Scientist, 52(1), 97-106.

KHAVUL, S. B., Garry, D., Zheng, C., Eric, W. (2007). Learning during and after internationalization by entrepreneurial firms from emerging economies. Academy of Management Proceedings, 1-6.

LONDON, T. Hart, S.L. (2004). Reinventing strategies for emerging markets: beyond the transnational model. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(5), 350 -370.

MACHER, J. T., Mowery, D.C., Di Minin, A. (2007). The ‘non-globalization’ of innovation in the semi-conductor industry. California Management Review, 50(1), 217-242.

MARQUIS, D. (1969). The anatomy of successful innovations. Innovation, 1, 35-48.

MEYER, K. E. (2005). Perspectives on multinational enterprises in emerging economies. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(4), 259-276.

PENG, M.W., Wang, D.Y.L., Jiang, Y. (2008). An institution- based view of international business strategy: a focus on emerging economies. Journal of International Business Studies, 39(5), 920-936.

PHENE, A., Almeida, P. (2008). Innovation in multinational subsidiaries: the role of knowledge assimilation and subsidiary capabilities. Journal of International Business Studies, 39(5), 901-919.

PORTER, M.E. (1985). Competitive Advantage. Free Press. New York.

PORTER, M.E. (1990). The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Free Press. New York.

PORTER, M.E., Ketels, C., Delgado, M. (2007). The Microeconomic Foundation of Prosperity: findings from the business competitive index. The Global Competitiveness Report, 2007 World Economic Forum.

RAMAMURTI, R. (2004). Developing countries and MNEs: extending and enriching the research agenda. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(4), 277-283.

SALA-I-MARTIN, X., Blanke, J., Hanouz, M.D., Geiger, T., Mia, I., Paua, F. (2007). The Global Competitiveness Index: Measuring the Productive Potential of Nations. The Global Competitiveness Report, 2007 World Economic Forum.

SALOMO, S., Gemunden, H. G., Leifer, R. (2007). Research on corporate radical innovation systems- a dynamic capabilities perspective: an introduction. Journal of Engineering & Technology Management, 24(1-2), 1- 10.

SHARMA, B. R. (1987). Not by Bread Alone: A Study of Organizational Climate and Employer-Employee Relations in India. Shri Ram Center for Industrial Relations and Human Resources. New Delhi.

TALKE, K. (2007). Corporate mindset of innovating firms: influences on new product performance. Journal of Engineering & Technology Management, 24(1-2), 76-91.

TREECE, D.J. (1997). Firm organization, industrial structure, and technological innovation. Journal of Behavior and Organization, 31, 193-224.

Downloads

Published

2011-11-24

How to Cite

Sen, T. K., & Ghandforoush, P. (2011). Radical and Incremental Innovation Preferences in Information Technology: An Empirical Study in an Emerging Economy. Journal of Technology Management & Innovation, 6(4), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-27242011000400003

Issue

Section

Research Articles