Creating technology candidates for disruptive innovation: Generally applicable R&D strategies

In this paper, we first examined the importance of technology creation in technological disruptive innovations (DIs), and found both academic scholars and industrial practitioners have underestimated the challenging nature and importance of technology at least in technological DI. We then moved upstream to study empirically how technology candidates could be created purposefully for potential technological DI. Four generally applicable R&D strategies were abstracted from intensive studies on 37 technological DIs, by applying the central thoughts of principal component analysis which transforms many correlated variables into a small number of uncorrelated ones. The four R&D strategies abstracted are miniaturization, simplification, augmentation and exploitation for another application. Their creation of DI was examined, postulated and then demonstrated by means of the Delphi method. The frequencies of their utilization were also compiled and the implications discussed. This study has further advanced the knowledge at the front-end of R&D, i.e. the technology perspective of DI. It hopes to facilitate more purposeful creation of technology candidates for potential technological DI in future.

► The challenging nature and importance of technology in DI have been underestimated. ► The research question is how technology candidates could be created purposefully for potential DI. ► Four R&D Strategies are miniaturization, simplification, augmentation and exploitation. ► This study advanced the knowledge at the front-end of R&D, namely the technology perspective of DI. ► R&D strategies are increasingly valuable in mass markets like “Bottom of Pyramid” and “Silver Hair”.