Course Objectives and Description

The Manufacturing Studies Board of the National Academy of Science describes the Management of Technology (MOT) as follows:

• "Management of technology...concerns the process of managing technology development, implementation, and diffusion in industrial or governmental organizations. In addition to managing the innovation process through R&D, it includes managing the introduction and use of technology in products, in manufacturing processes, and in other corporate functions."

This is the first course in a three-course sequence in the Management of Technology. The course examines factors in the external environment which influence how firm's manage technology. It is designed to give you an understanding of how processes of technological innovation occur, what factors in an organization's environment influence those processes, and the relationships between a firm's external environment and its internal management of technology. While the course emphasizes the environment or context in which innovation occurs, it is necessary to examine some intraorganizational processes as well. Thus, there will be an introduction to several of the topics explored in greater depth in MOT II (Managing Resources of the Technological Firm) and MOT III (Strategic Issues in the Management of Technology).

The effective management of technology necessarily involves the diffusion and spread of technology, as well as its development and mastery. Within this perspective, many factors influence how technology is managed as technical elements interact with economic, social, organizational, and policy aspects. While these factors often operate on a global basis, the way in which they are manifested at national and regional levels has a critical bearing on the technological performance of firms and industries. The course will pay particular attention to the influence of national and regional systems in affecting the management of technology.

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