Managing in a sea of uncertainty Leardership Learning and resources for the high tech firm

Technology management curricula typically comprise a variety of scientific disciplines: Management, Economics, Marketing, Engineering, Innovation Management and Social Sciences (e.g. Industrial Relations and Leadership). Practising managers wishing to improve their organization's chances of success are faced with a huge body of disconnected scientific knowledge. In seeking to improve their next management decision, they must somehow integrate and make sense of all that input. This book, which is based on published research and illustrated by many examples drawn from industry practice, proposes two simple models for understanding the inter-relationships among the technology management concepts that underlie the management of a high tech organization. The “Corporate Ship” analogy illustrates the dynamic nature of strategy making, and the need to reconcile the pursuit of short-term opportunity with long-term objectives in turbulent high technology environments. The “Corporate Diamond” model uncovers the strong inter-relationships that exist between key concepts in technology management: leadership, learning, managing resources and developing successful new products and services.

Chapter 1- Managing in high tech environments

Market, technology and competitive uncertainties

Chapter 2 - The unique characteristics of high tech markets

Product development.

Chapter 3 - The challenge of developing new products and services in a high tech market

Market orientation.

Chapter 4 - Survival skills in uncharted waters: Learning and innovation

Learning teams and communities. Collaboration, innovation and adaptation. Total quality management (TQM). Information sharing and technologies. Managing knowledge.

Chapter 5 - Being prepared for the voyage: The company resources

Core competencies and technologies. Human resources and social capital. Alliances.

Chapter 6 - Getting there: Company leadership, structure and collaboration mechanisms

Evolution of structures, networks and virtual teams. Incentives, rewards and leadership development. Values, culture and vision. Value creation. Empowering leaders.

Chapter 7 - The Corporate Ship and the Corporate Diamond

Strategy. The Corporation as a ship. Ambitextrous leaders. The Corporate Diamond of asset, product and service creation.

Chapter 8 - Conclusion

Graduate students and professors in Technology Management, Technology MBA, Executive MBA, Knowledge Management, Innovation Management and Industrial Relations/Strategic Human Resources Management study programs;

- High Tech companies CTOs, Directors in Strategic Marketing, Human Resources, and Engineering departments

- Venture Capitalists

- Consultants in strategic management, technology strategy, leadership, and/or organizational learning

Denis Couillard (M.Sc.A., P.Eng.) has held various management positions in engineering and marketing in the telecommunication industry where he helped launch several new technologies and products. He is currently Director of Products Innovation with Ultra Electronics, an international group designing, manufacturing and deploying sophisticated communications systems for international defence markets.