TEchNOLOGy TRaNSFER MODEL - Javna agencija

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Technology Management
nology portfolio allows for an assessment of a certain technology by means of two dimensions (or main criteria), where one is aimed
at assessing a technologies’ potential in the market and the other at evaluating company-internal preconditions.
Referring to the technology portfolio according to Pfeiffer, the dimensions considered are TECHNOLOGY ATTRACTIVENESS and RELA-
TIVE TECHNOLOGICAL STRENGTH, both of which are again composed of several sub-criteria (see fig. 8). These sub-criteria have to be
assessed first in order to be able to evaluate both the technological attractiveness and the relative technological strength of the
respective technologies. Dependent on its assessment, each technology is positioned afterwards within the portfolio, indicating a
proposed generic strategy for the future (see fig. 8). For instance, a technology with low technological attractiveness as well as low
relative technological strength is usually positioned in the dark blue zone of the portfolio which proposes a disinvestment in this
certain technology. In contrast, investment seems to be the most appropriate strategy if a technology is positioned somewhere in
the top right zones of the portfolio, which means that both technological attractiveness and relative technological strengths must be
quite high.
It should be kept in mind that a transformation from the present situation to a prospective moment seems to be necessary in order
to foresee future technological paths and thus allow for long-term technology strategies.
Figure 8: Technology Portfolio according to Pfeiffer (According to: Pfeiffer, 1987)
Although the technology portfolio is a quite transparent, systematic and theoretically based method used to assess different technologies,
two-dimensional portfolios often hold the disadvantage of leading to simplified information only. Nevertheless, it grants a
well-structured overview of the potential of companies’ technologies, thus supporting strategic decision-making.
5.6 Technology Foresight Activities
One of the main elements of technological competitive advantage is the knowledge of the relevant technological developments
and trends. For this, it is an essential task in technology management to closely monitor developments in the core technologies and
to scan for new technologies that have disruptive potential. Methods for collecting, analyzing and disseminating such technological
information have become known as ‘technology foresight’. Thus, carrying out technology foresight activities basically means to look
ahead in order to enable an active design of future corporate fields of action and to prepare a company to meet the technological
needs and opportunities of the future.
Technology foresight basically covers two main tasks which is technology scouting and technology forecasting. Their activities will
be presented briefly as follows.
TECHNOLOGY SCOUTING: Technology scouting deals with the early identification of (already observable) future developments of
existing technologies that can be of importance for the respective company. In doing so, identification strongly relies on weak signals
and aims at the detection of technological discontinuities. The basic activities of technology scouting comprise technology monitoring,
which means the directed search for technological trends in a specific technological field (e.g. for core technologies), and
technology scanning, which deals with undirected search for new technological opportunities in white spaces not yet covered by the
technological scope of the respective company (e.g. disruptive technologies).
TECHNOLOGY FORECASTING: Technology forecasting deals with predictions about presumable emergences of new technologies in
the distant future (minimum 5-10 years). It shall be deemed to be a kind of technological futurology as different options for alternative
future developments are considered.
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