Architectural innovation and design evolution: strategic and organizational dynamics of industry platforms
Author(s)
Tee, Richard Liong Gie
Type
Thesis or dissertation
Abstract
The importance of understanding changes in the underlying architecture of complex systems
has been well established, both in the academic and practitioner literature. Though existing
research has made significant advances, important issues remain. Generally, existing research
on architectural change has tended to overlook the interplay between environmental and firm-level
drivers. In particular, relatively few studies have looked at the challenges firms face in
making architectural design choices, and contingencies arising out of architectural change. As
such, empirical evidence on this relationship is under-represented, even though its importance
has been well established, for instance in the literature on organization design and
contingency theory. Overall, this thesis emphasizes the interplay between environmental
drivers and firm-level actions. In particular, it highlights the challenges firms face in dealing
with environmental changes (e.g. new entrants, regulatory changes, standards setting), how
this affects architectural design choices, and the underlying motivations driving these
decisions.
The dissertation is built up as follows. Following an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 develops
a conceptual framework to understand changes in industry modularity. It suggests that
industry architectures become more modular based on dissemination of product interfaces
and organizational practices, and highlights several moderating factors influencing this
process. Chapter 3 analyzes changes in product and organizational architecture, highlighting
the combined role of environmental and firm-level drivers in affecting this relationship.
Tensions between collaboration and competition in particular complicate a firm‘s decision
making process regarding product and organization architecture design choices. Chapter 4
examines the product and industry level, focusing on which factors drive value appropriation
and value creation in interdependent industry ecosystems. The chapter explores this through a
study comparing the contrasting deployment of the i-mode mobile internet service,
highlighting the importance of industry architectures to explain these differences.
has been well established, both in the academic and practitioner literature. Though existing
research has made significant advances, important issues remain. Generally, existing research
on architectural change has tended to overlook the interplay between environmental and firm-level
drivers. In particular, relatively few studies have looked at the challenges firms face in
making architectural design choices, and contingencies arising out of architectural change. As
such, empirical evidence on this relationship is under-represented, even though its importance
has been well established, for instance in the literature on organization design and
contingency theory. Overall, this thesis emphasizes the interplay between environmental
drivers and firm-level actions. In particular, it highlights the challenges firms face in dealing
with environmental changes (e.g. new entrants, regulatory changes, standards setting), how
this affects architectural design choices, and the underlying motivations driving these
decisions.
The dissertation is built up as follows. Following an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 develops
a conceptual framework to understand changes in industry modularity. It suggests that
industry architectures become more modular based on dissemination of product interfaces
and organizational practices, and highlights several moderating factors influencing this
process. Chapter 3 analyzes changes in product and organizational architecture, highlighting
the combined role of environmental and firm-level drivers in affecting this relationship.
Tensions between collaboration and competition in particular complicate a firm‘s decision
making process regarding product and organization architecture design choices. Chapter 4
examines the product and industry level, focusing on which factors drive value appropriation
and value creation in interdependent industry ecosystems. The chapter explores this through a
study comparing the contrasting deployment of the i-mode mobile internet service,
highlighting the importance of industry architectures to explain these differences.
Date Issued
2011-11
Date Awarded
2012-05
Advisor
Gawer, Annabelle
Davies, Andrew
Publisher Department
Imperial College Business School
Publisher Institution
Imperial College London
Qualification Level
Doctoral
Qualification Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)