The dynamics of technology strategy: an exploratory study

A study of the evolution of competitive capabilities in exemplar New Zealand firms identified that technology strategy played the key role in motivating the firms' transition to positions of global prominence. Adequate description of these transitions required a view of technology strategy that is more dynamic than those typically available. We use complexity theory to identify, first, a number of positive feedback loops that have driven the technological progression of these firms, second to identify the complex webs of strategic development within which technology has progressed, and finally to explain why these trajectories carry firms to positions of distinctive advantage. These loops come together to impel firms through a radical transition from broad technology dabblers to focussed technology specialists. We view the study as exploratory to a class of studies aimed at understanding the evolution of technology strategy over time.