The strategic choice between "standardization" and "differentiation" in R&D

In today's world of advanced technology and global reach, one company cannot necessarily make a significant technological innovation. A company that pursues a technological advantage needs to manage global collaboration or competition appropriately. Over the years, the "standardization" of technology has been one of the major strategies with which to encourage technological innovation and acquire a competitive advantage. However, a standardized technology does not necessarily contribute to creating a competitive advantage, and the "differentiation" of technology sometimes provides a better competitive advantage than standardization can. This thesis focuses on the strategic differences between the "standardization" and "differentiation" of a technology. The purpose is to gain insight into standardization and differentiation, looking them as drivers of R&D activities in a company pursuing technical competence. The thesis suggests advantages and disadvantages of each strategy and analyzes circumstances that affect strategic differences. The first part of the thesis establishes the fact that the strategic difference has a less impact on business activities and commercial success than on R&D.

Department dc:contributor.department

Management of Technology Program.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Adachi, Satoru

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Michael A. Cusumano.

• Management of Technology Program.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/37142

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/37142