Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • 12 Aug 2018 - 14 Aug 2018
  • Conference Presentation

Abstraction, Knowledge Flows, and the Rapid Dissemination of Emerging Technologies

By: Willy C. Shih
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
ShareBar

Abstract

Many emerging technologies are remarkably complex and embody high levels of technological sophistication, and they often are key enablers for new products and services. Yet the speed of dispersal of the know-how required to employ these technologies and foster widespread adoption is faster than ever. In this paper we propose abstraction and increasing levels of abstraction as lenses for understanding the packaging of technological knowledge, and the evolution and propagation of the innovations that they embody. Abstractions structure and package complexity in ways that makes it easier to understand and remix, and they decrease the resources needed by firms to deploy sophisticated technical knowledge. When design and production tools embody abstractions of know-how, they provide an important conduit for the transmission of knowledge.

Keywords

Emerging Technologies; Technological Innovation; Knowledge Dissemination

Citation

Shih, Willy C. "Abstraction, Knowledge Flows, and the Rapid Dissemination of Emerging Technologies." In Strategic Management of Emerging Technologies. Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 12–14, 2018.

About The Author

Willy C. Shih

Technology and Operations Management
→More Publications

More from the Author

    • January 2025
    • Faculty Research

    Knowledge Transfer: Toyota, NUMMI, and GM

    By: Willy Shih
    • January 2025 (Revised February 2025)
    • Faculty Research

    Vanguard Retail Operations

    By: Antonio Moreno, Willy C. Shih and Margaret Underwood
    • January 2025
    • Faculty Research

    U.S. Steel: Proposed Acquisition by Nippon Steel

    By: Willy C. Shih
More from the Author
  • Knowledge Transfer: Toyota, NUMMI, and GM By: Willy Shih
  • Vanguard Retail Operations By: Antonio Moreno, Willy C. Shih and Margaret Underwood
  • U.S. Steel: Proposed Acquisition by Nippon Steel By: Willy C. Shih
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College.