THE POLYTROPHIC COMPONENTS OF MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

The role of management of technology in the context of achieving compe titiveness and development has become a matter of global interest. One of the problems hindering effective management of technology is the t endency to treat technology as a ''black box.'' For the effective mana gement of technology it is imperative that a clear and practical worki ng definition of technology is first established. This paper is an att empt to meet this need and initially traces the various perspectives t hat have, over time, shaped the various definitions of technology that are currently in use. It is pointed out that the four-component defin ition of technology -technoware, humanware, inforware, and orgaware-th at fall under the ''technology as embodiment forms'' perspective appea rs to have the most value in terms of opening up the ''technology blac k box.'' An indepth explanation of the nature and structure of the fou r components of technology, in the context of manufacturing technology , is provided along with further elaborations to help operationalize t he concept of the four components. A revised and more detailed definit ion of the four components of manufacturing technology is then arrived at. The term polytrophic is used by bacteriologists to refer to organ isms that derive nourishment from more than one source. It is pointed out that the four components of technology display polytrophic propert ies because of their ability to develop through their interaction with one another. The proposed detailed definition is thus referred to as the ''polytrophic'' components of technology. It is pointed out that t he ''polytrophic'' components of technology definition can be used to obtain fresh insights into technological sophistication, technology co ntent of production activities, technology transfer, and technology ca pability development. Its usefulness in examining the scope of differe nt technology transfer mechanisms is briefly outlined.