Dynamics of Reverse Salience as Technological Performance Gap: An Empirical Study of the Personal Computer Technology System

Ozgur Dedehayir; Saku Juhani Mäkinen

doi:10.4067/S0718-27242008000100006

Authors

Ozgur Dedehayir Tampere University of Technology
Saku Juhani Mäkinen Tampere University of Technology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-27242008000100006

Abstract

The evolution of technological systems is hindered by systemic components, referred to as reverse salients, which fail to deliver the necessary level of technological performance thereby inhibiting the performance delivery of the system as a whole. This paper develops a performance gap measure of reverse salience and applies this measurement in the study of the PC (personal computer) technological system, focusing on the evolutions of firstly the CPU (central processing unit) and PC game sub-systems, and secondly the GPU (graphics processing unit) and PC game sub-systems. The measurement of the temporal behavior of reverse salience indicates that the PC game sub-system is the reverse salient, continuously trailing behind the technological performance of the CPU and GPU sub-systems from 1996 through 2006. The technological performance of the PC game sub-system as a reverse salient trails that of the CPU sub-system by up to 2300 MHz with a gradually decreasing performance disparity in recent years. In contrast, the dynamics of the PC game sub-system as a reverse salient trails the GPU sub-system with an ever increasing performance gap throughout the timeframe of analysis. In addition, we further discuss the research and managerial implications of our findings.

Keywords:

echnology system
personal computer
reverse salient
computer games

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Author Biographies

Ozgur Dedehayir, Tampere University of Technology

Ozgur Dedehayir, M.Sc., is a Ph.D. candidate at the Tampere University of Technology (TUT), Finland. Currently he is a researcher at the Center for Innovation Technology and Research (CITER), at TUT. He holds a M.Sc. (Ind. Mngt.) from TUT and a B.Sc. (Eng.) from the University of Melbourne, Australia. His research interests include theory of technology and technology management.

Saku Juhani Mäkinen, Tampere University of Technology

Saku J. Mäkinen, PhD, is a Professor of Technology Management at the Department of Industrial Management, TUT. He received his M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and his PhD in Technology Strategy from TUT. Dr. Mäkinen has previously been at the Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Administration, National University of Singapore and at the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of New South Wales, Australia. His research interests include technology strategy, innovation management, and technology and industry co-evolution. He is Head of the Department and Director of the Center for Innovation and Technology Research (CITER, http://www.tut.fi/citer) at TUT.

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