Technology development and integration: an empirical study of the interaction between applied science and product development

The authors report on the results of an empirical study of the development of products based on novel technologies. Their observations are based on field investigations of recent projects performed by all leading mainframe computer producers. All projects focused on the development of advanced technologies for a specific product application, and probed deeply into its science base. The results indicate striking differences in development lead time and R&D productivity between different groups of firms. The authors relate the development performance of the projects to managerial and organizational structures and processes for the integration of new technology