MANAGING TECHNOLOGICAL DISCONTINUITIES - A TENTATIVE FRAMEWORK

Established firms frequently face difficulties in managing technologic al discontinuities, while successful firms are often found among new e ntrants. From the perspective of an established firm, we will identify a set of factors influencing how such a firm fares through a transiti on. These factors operate at different units of analysis: the technolo gy, the firm, the industry, the technological system and the region/na tion. We will explore each of these, integrate them and develop a fram e of reference for analysing the conditions under which a firm will co me out of a technological transition successfully.