Strategy Transformation Under Technological Convergence : Evidence from the Printed Electronics Industry

Radical technological innovations have transformed competition in high-tech markets. One result of innovation is technological convergence, whereby different technologies are integrated and businesses become more complex, thus blurring industry boundaries. We examine the evolution of firms’ strategic positions under technological convergence. Specifically, we analyse the printed electronics industry using patent-centric network indexes and reveal technological intensity using firm-based networks of patent citations. We labelled firms that own core-functional (ink) technology core functional leaders in the patent network of the printed electronics industry. Additionally, we labelled firms that own control-related (device) technology technology integrators and those involved in application-related (electronics) technology application pioneers. Furthermore, we constructed a strategic quadrant framework that categorises firms according to their strategic positioning and evolutionary patterns. We also identified the idiosyncratic patterns of firms’ strategic behaviours in each dimension in relation to industrial leadership and regime changes in technological convergence