Guiding technology-based economic growth

To guide technological progress aimed at  economic growth, we have to identify a  “hotlist” of technologies with superior FPMs.  These technologies  serve as candidates for innovation. Superior FPMs mean greater physical economies in each of the nine sectors.

There are different approaches to compiling such a hotlist; ranging from a pragmatic and informal approach to a systematized and formal one. Here we deal with the latter.

Three steps are involved

  • Explore the possible
  • Evaluate the probable
  • Envision the preferable

The first step involves an overview of the technological landscape, and the compilation of a profile of potential innovations – a profile based on a review of  techno-trends that describe the major anticipated changes in the technological landscape. The second step involves an evaluation of these innovation possibilities and the compilation of a profile of feasible innovations. This step uses a technology relevance matrix to compare potential innovations with corporate competencies. The third step involves the selection of a hotlist from the list of feasible innovations.

We discuss these three steps in the following two posts.

Copyright: Rias J. van Wyk , 2009.

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