A typology of technological change: Technological paradigm theory with validation and generalization from case studies

Shifts in technological paradigms simultaneously disrupt existing industrial organization and raise opportunities for entrepreneurial companies. However, research on technological innovation centers the development of new technological solutions, while largely neglecting changes in customer problems or needs. This paper develops a typology for use as an analytical framework covering technological innovations and variations in market demand. The typology is then applied to the photographic industry, specifically the development of digital imaging technologies which disrupted existing film material and chemistry technologies in a paradigm shift from analog film to digital cameras. Taking a systematic view of product technologies, the typology identifies seven types of technological changes during the photography industry's process of digitalization. Case studies show that disruption of incumbent competencies can be attributed to the interactive effects of technological innovations and variations to market demand. Adaptive strategies corresponding to the identified types of technological changes are reported and discussed. The proposed typology is designed as a generic framework and is validated using an additional set of case studies from the media industrial sector.