This dissertation reports a phenomenological investigation of human activity called "innovation", the process by which new technology is created. The dissertation’s central, interlocking, themes are authenticity and different worlds. Its conceptual foundation is Martin Heidegger’s account of being human. It explores the ironic possibility that innovation as it is don’t today (as integrated craft work) can encourage "authentic" human existence. The dissertation synthesises original research on innovators working in a commercial innovation consultancy with Heidegger’s thinking on authenticity, science and technology, and with contemporary innovation scholarship and social studies of science and technology. It uses a Heideggerian phenomenological method and includes two chapters written in an unusual fragmentary style to signify the momentary nature of understanding. Original aspects of the dissertation include (1) an interpretation of Heidegger’s concept of fore-structure as self-understanding in the sense of understanding ones role in how the world is understood and (2) the ironic suggestion that pressure for commercial success has transformed innovation from a scientific process to a techne process and has encouraged authenticity. I suggest the self-understanding of scientists is different from the self-understanding of innovators. I suggest innovators, at least some of the time (in their magic moments), understand themselves as "partners with Being," as modest but important witnesses to what being grants rather than as masters of the "reality" with which they work.

<div> <p>In this dissertation, I investigate how entrepreneurial ventures and industry incumbents enter into interorganizational relationships in the context of corporate venture capital (CVC) investments. In Essay 1, drawing from the literature on employee mobility and entrepreneurship, I investigate how the competitive tension between spinouts and their parent firms with regard to potential knowledge diffusion influences other industry incumbents’ decisions to invest in spinouts. Specifically, I suggest that a high level of technological overlap between a spinout and its parent firm deters other industry incumbents from investing in the spinout due to anticipated hostile actions by the parent firm. Moreover, such negative effects can be amplified when the parent firm has a strong litigiousness to claim its intellectual property rights. I also consider that the negative effects can be mitigated when industry incumbents expect to benefit from gaining indirect access to parent firms’ technological knowledge through investing in spinouts.</p><p><br></p> <p>In Essay 2, I focus on academic hybrid entrepreneurs—defined as individuals who found their own ventures while working at academic institutions (e.g., professors, scientists)—and investigate how their intended exit strategy influences their decisions regarding CVC financing. Specifically, I first propose that academic hybrid entrepreneurs may have strong preferences for acquisitions over initial public offerings as an exit strategy for their ventures because of the high level of opportunity/switching costs associated with transitioning between their academic roles and entrepreneurial activities. Drawing from the literature on mergers and acquisitions, I then suggest that compared to other ventures, those founded by academic hybrid entrepreneurs are more likely to receive funding from CVC investors to effectively disclose the quality of their resources and knowledge to potential acquirers.</p><p><br></p> <p>In Essay 3, I examine how the industry incumbents’ relative positions in technology domains vis-à-vis other firms influence their CVC investment activities. Drawing upon the literature on factor market, I conceptualize CVC investments as external knowledge acquisition activities in knowledge factor markets consisting of several different technology domains. Building on this conceptualization, I emphasize that industry incumbents’ choices of investment areas are dependent on their positions vis-à-vis their rival investors in a given technology domain. This is because a firm’s technology position in a given domain can simultaneously influence the opportunities and incentives that jointly determine the likelihood of CVC investments in the domain. The theoretical arguments and empirical results suggest that firms with intermediate technology positions (i.e., technology intermediates) with moderate levels of opportunities and incentives are more likely to make CVC investments than are technology laggards and leaders with the lowest levels of opportunities and incentives, respectively.</p></div>

Network management is a critical concept in innovation and technology transfer. Linkages among network members are fundamental in the innovation process which has been heralded for its contribution to wealth creation in economies increasingly characterized by both globalization and technological connectivity. Innovation networks involve relationships among members of governments, businesses and universities that collaborate continuously to achieve shared scientific goals. This study focuses on identifying the key management factors operating in such networks and on determining the process through which these lead to successful technology transfer. This is of increasing interest for many countries seeking to foster innovation, technology transfer and, in turn, international competitiveness. The study integrates the technology transfer and network research streams in order to provide a unique contribution towards understanding key network factors that are important in technology transfer. Extant technology transfer literature predominantly provides a perspective of a focal organization or, at best, that of inter-organisational relationships while its empirical investigation from a network perspective remains limited. In order to develop a more holistic network perspective, this study draws on the network literature and in particular that of the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) group. Although neither a comprehensive network management theory nor suitable measures at the network level of analysis currently exist, the network literature is quickly evolving and has highlighted several concepts that contribute to achieving network outcomes, albeit in a conjectural fashion. Therefore, this study applies these concepts towards contributing to network management theory development in both the network and technology transfer fields. This study adopts a multi-method research approach. Qualitative exploratory research was necessary as concepts from the technology transfer and network management literatures were combined in a novel way. It was also essential in developing appropriate scales. Quantitative research then followed in order to test these scales by applying exploratory factor analysis and reliability testing. The developed scales were then employed to advance theory development, using confirmatory factor analysis via structural equation modelling. The study predominantly investigates networks within several industries that are relevant internationally and consistent with some of Australia’s national research priorities. Consequently, a pilot study was conducted in the wine industry to purify scales followed by full field work undertaken in the information and communications technology and biotechnology/nanotechnology industries. Common patterns that emerge within different industries strengthen theory development and lead to generalizations to other related industries while differences lead to industry-specific implications. A number of patterns were uncovered. Evidence was provided for the significant impact of power distribution, trust, coordination and harmony on achieving network outcomes in the ICT and the biotechnology/nanotechnology industries. While both communication and R&D efficiencies were deemed important in achieving network effectiveness, the specific relationships among these factors varied between industries. The study contributes to advancing theory on network management and offers practical management implications particularly for the industries under investigation. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1346750 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Business School, 2008

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This thesis addresses conceptual and practical challenges in anticipating potential standardisation needs and developing relevant strategies throughout various stages of technological innovation. With increasing awareness of critical roles played by standardisation in supporting a variety of innovation activities, strategic foresight for timely and appropriate standardisation is becoming a crucial innovation policy interest in many countries. However, there are currently limited and fragmented studies on this issue, because of the complexity and variety involved in dynamic interplays between standardisation and other aspects of innovation. There are also increased challenges to develop coherent and long-term strategies for standardisation, due to modern technologies that are becoming more complex, interdisciplinary, and fast-evolving at the same time. Standards organisations and policymakers thus face significant challenges in developing standardisation strategies (in terms of what, why, when, how, and who) to support technological innovation more effectively. In this regard, the current research develops a systematic conceptual framework for more comprehensive understanding of standardisation – particularly highlighting its technological complexities – in the context of innovation, and a structured process model for using it to support strategic policy foresight. Building on the innovation systems perspective, preliminary framework and process model are first developed by adopting the holistic approach of strategic roadmapping as method, and incorporating a priori constructs drawn from existing literature relevant to standardisation. Then, multiple exploratory case studies covering various technology domains have been conducted to identify first order elements for their development. They are followed by an in-depth longitudinal case study on standardisation of photovoltaic technology, testing and refining the framework and process model by exploring complex dynamics between standardisation and innovation in greater detail. Interviews with experts across a broader range of domains and regions have then been carried out, to verify the framework and process model, including their utility and practicality. This thesis makes contributions to both theory and practice. With a systems perspective on standardisation, it provides a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of how standardisation supports innovation, highlighting its mediating roles between critical innovation activities and functions. It also presents a unified framework integrating various dimensions of standardisation with particular emphasis on technological elements, addressing challenges due to complex technological systems. Such new insights are expected to help standards organisations and policymakers with strategic foresight for standardisation in support of innovation, using the proposed framework and process model as practical tools for anticipating future standardisation needs and developing relevant strategies. In addition, the current research contributes to the roadmapping literature and practice, by presenting more structured and advanced frameworks and processes, and providing insights for using the roadmap-based approach as methods for data collection and analyses.

The Role and Contribution of the Chief Technology OfficerThe role of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) came about because of new organisational demands on technology leaders in the 1980s. The initial research objective of this dissertation was to provide a clear scope of activities (a remit) for the CTO role. However, the analysis did not support a generic description for the role. Therefore, the approach taken explores CTO perspectives on technology management priorities when the technology context changes. There is limited literature on the role and contribution of the CTO per se. The resulting gap in the knowledge about the role is amplified by a wide variety of research methods and academic perspectives. From a theoretical point of view, the existing research tends to focus in isolation on the work being done, the working context or the worker (i.e. the CTO). There are studies that consider how the working context is changing, and studies that consider the work of the CTO, for example, the technology management priorities. There are still other studies that consider the attributes of the CTO. In this dissertation, these three perspectives - the working context, the work and the worker - are investigated in an integrated way using a data collection technique called 'personal role mapping' that is based on cognitive mapping. The 'personal role mapping' approach has been developed as part of this work. The evidence collected and analysed shows that the role of the CTO is highly idiosyncratic. This is because the CTO role changes as the organisation adapts in order to compete. Also, the role differs from one industry to another and between organisations within the same industry. To help deal with these variations, a CTO/Context Framework has been derived for use in conjunction with 'technology transition points'. The CTO/Context Framework has 20 sub-elements that support 6 primary elements including, 'technology management infrastructure', 'technology entry/exit points', 'technology business case & funding', 'operational improvement', 'people management' and 'technology business model & strategy'. The CTO can review each element with related sub-elements in anticipation or at the point of a 'technology transition'. This model for the CTO role is proposed as an alternative to a generic 'job description' (remit) for the CTO role. It is intended to be used as a platform for planning and decision-making. Together, the framework and the research approach for mapping an individual's role are offered as a unique contribution to knowledge.

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With constant technological advancements, the attacks against existing infrastructure is constantly increasing and causing more damage. The current Red and Blue team approach to cybersecurity assessments is used to test the effectiveness of security defenses and in identifying vulnerabilities before they are exploited. Due to a lack of collaboration and inherently contradicting natures of these teams, the credibility of audits is impacted. While this has led to the synergistic and collaborative Purple team, it is important to understand how cybersecurity professionals perceive this new concept and its function. Analyzing perceptions of self-reported cybersecurity professionals via an online survey showed most believed Purple teams were beneficial and should be created from and collaborate with Red and Blue teams. However, past Red team experience was negatively linked to perceived benefit. Those who had more years of experience or had been on Red teams were more likely to believe Purple teams may have ownership or learning issues. Furthermore, professionals identified active managerial involvement and project clarity as critical success factors for Purple teams. Alongside these, management could help find the right skillset, provide resources, and offer active direction in order to avoid issues and maximize outcomes. Based on assessment relevance, a collaborative agreed-upon methodology for Red, Blue, and Purple teams was provided.