Why technology development fails: Bringing technology from concept to implementation.

Abstract

Technology development efforts in large organizations can be difficult, expensive, complex and risky. This study examines the question What are the critical characteristics that enable or disable a Technology Development Process? It discusses the internal and external factors that impact technology development success for a global automotive OEM. Here, a deep and rich understanding of technology development success and failure causes is attempted. When conventional process metrics and interview results failed to offer a satisfactory answer to this question, it became apparent that deeper insight was required to link qualitative and quantitative data to the core reasons for technology development success or failure. To do this, a new framework was developed that organizes these 2 data forms into a structure that would relate to development success, allowing a cause-effect relationship between the organizational condition and technology development outcome to be anticipated. The model as developed and verified shows that there are 9 broad, critical characteristics that can impact the success or failure of a technology development project operating within the limits of the system studied. Two theoretical constructs underpin this work. First, the concept of retrospective sensemaking emerged as an important factor in obtaining deeper insight when evaluating and understanding the results of this research. Interviewee explanations regarding success or failure factors are colored by participant's need to advocate certain positions after the project is completed. Retrospective sensemaking can be particularity important in situations where large amounts of money, power and personal prestige are at stake, as in the large-scale technology development studied here. Secondly, deeper understanding through the theories-of-action model comes into play here, as the gap between participant thought and reality widens. The question regarding the needed alignment between theory-in-use and espoused theory by process participants is key to understanding the core issues in technology development processes.