Managing the Information Technology Resource Instructor’s Manual
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CHAPTER 7 – MANAGING EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES__
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
Study of this chapter will enable the student to:
1. Appreciate why it is important to understand emerging technologies
3. Recognize the best time to adopt a new technology
4. Understand how to introduce and appropriately apply a new technology
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
This chapter presents an overview of emerging technologies and discusses the key management issues
faced by the CIO and the IT management team. One of the key aspects on managing Emerging
Technology is the implementation of the new technology. The impact that technologies can have on an
organization can be fairly dramatic. This chapter presents ways in which an organization can assess its
own strategy with regard to emerging technologies, and determine if this strategy is most appropriate for
the organization over the long term.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. An Introduction to Emerging Technology
A. The Technology Life Cycle
B. Adoption of Technology
II. Why Not Just Wait?
III. Organizational Aspects of Technology Development
IV. The S-Curve of Cumulative Adoption
A. Change Along the Curve
B. Learning Along the Curve
C. Strategy and the S-Curve
V. Innovation Diffusion (Reprise)
VI. Identifying Emerging Technologies
VII. Inhibitors to Embracing Emerging Technologies
A. Delayed Participation
B. Sticking with the Familiar
VIII. Human Resource Considerations
A. Availability of Talent
B. Resource Allocation
C. Motivation
D. Knowledge Management
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IX. Technology Scanning
X. Factors Affecting Successful Introduction of Emerging Technologies
XI. The ET Function
XII. The Technology Assessment Process
XIII. Managing Emerging Technology Checklists
A. How to Sell New Technology to Senior Executives
B. How to Prioritize and Focus on the Right Emerging Technology
XIV. Lessons from the Past
XV. “Rules” and “Laws” of Technology
XVI. The Benefits of Technology?
EXAMPLES IN ACTION
• The Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) – pp.179-180
• Experts? – p. 181
• Encyclopedia Britannica – p. 192
• Factors that Slow Adoption of New Technologies? – p.194
• Visionaries? – p.195
• Technology Convergence: McGraw-Hill’s Primis – pp. 196-197
ANSWERS TO END-OF-CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Why is emerging technology important to organizations?
2. What do you consider the major differentiator(s) between incremental technology changes and
discontinuous technology changes?
Discontinuous technology changes are much more likely to be disruptive to the status quo of the
3. Describe some of the major stumbling blocks to introducing a new technology into an
organization.
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4. Why is the management of emerging technology of greater importance today than it was 50
years ago?
The pace of technological development continues to increase. The technology landscape is very
ANSWERS TO END-OF-CHAPTER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What would you consider some of the key emerging technologies of today?
2. What are some of the emerging technologies of five years ago? Ten years? Which were
successful, and which unsuccessful?
3. How is emerging technology managed in your organization?
4. What are some organizations that were affected in major positive or negative ways by disruptive
technology changes?
5. Describe some other technologies that have had unintended consequences or resulted in the
development of other new technologies.
6. Relate the concepts discussed in the chapter about the value of IT to concepts you might need in
managing ET.
Senior IT management should dedicate resources to focus on emerging technologies to help