MTEI Seminar by Prof. Fernando Suarez, Boston University
Event details
| Date | 16.01.2015 |
| Hour | 12:00 › 13:30 |
| Speaker | Prof. Fernando Suarez, Boston University |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
“The Co-Evolution of Technologies and Categories During Industry Emergence.”
Abstract
Despite recent research on categories, little is known about what drives the adoption of category labels in emerging industries. Using data from the smartphone industry we track firms’ adoption of category labels from 2000 to 2010. We argue and find support for a trade-off between the degree of familiarity and originality in labels, and show that these are not two ends of a spectrum, but represent distinct dimensions. The labels that diffuse most widely are, therefore, the ones that balance both familiarity and originality simultaneously. In other words, successful category labels are familiar, but not too familiar to be uninteresting, and original, but not too original that stakeholders cannot relate to them. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory building and firm strategies.
Abstract
Despite recent research on categories, little is known about what drives the adoption of category labels in emerging industries. Using data from the smartphone industry we track firms’ adoption of category labels from 2000 to 2010. We argue and find support for a trade-off between the degree of familiarity and originality in labels, and show that these are not two ends of a spectrum, but represent distinct dimensions. The labels that diffuse most widely are, therefore, the ones that balance both familiarity and originality simultaneously. In other words, successful category labels are familiar, but not too familiar to be uninteresting, and original, but not too original that stakeholders cannot relate to them. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory building and firm strategies.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Organizer
- Management of Technology & Entrepreneurship Institute