Strategic switchbacks: Dynamic commercialization strategies for technology entrepreneurs
We present a synthetic framework in which a technology entrepreneur employs a dynamic commercialization strategy to overcome obstacles to the adoption of the firm’s ideal strategy. Whereas prior work portrays the choice of whether to license a new technology or to self-commercialize as a single, sta...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
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Elsevier BV
2018
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/119492 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6173-4142 |
| _version_ | 1811097831092518912 |
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| author | Hsu, David H. Marx, Matthew Talin |
| author2 | Sloan School of Management |
| author_facet | Sloan School of Management Hsu, David H. Marx, Matthew Talin |
| author_sort | Hsu, David H. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | We present a synthetic framework in which a technology entrepreneur employs a dynamic commercialization strategy to overcome obstacles to the adoption of the firm’s ideal strategy. Whereas prior work portrays the choice of whether to license a new technology or to self-commercialize as a single, static decision, we suggest that when entrepreneurs encounter obstacles to their ideal strategy they can nevertheless achieve it by temporarily adopting a non-ideal strategy. We refer to the sequential implementation of commercialization strategies, in which the first strategy enables the second, as a switchback—reminiscent of zigzag paths that enable passage up steep mountains. We analyze conditions under which switchbacks can be effective in enabling the entrepreneur’s ideal commercialization strategy given the attending costs, risks, and likely incumbent response. Keywords: Commercialization strategy; Dynamic strategies; Technology licensing |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T17:05:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/119492 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T17:05:38Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Elsevier BV |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1194922022-09-29T23:39:01Z Strategic switchbacks: Dynamic commercialization strategies for technology entrepreneurs Hsu, David H. Marx, Matthew Talin Sloan School of Management Marx, Matthew Talin We present a synthetic framework in which a technology entrepreneur employs a dynamic commercialization strategy to overcome obstacles to the adoption of the firm’s ideal strategy. Whereas prior work portrays the choice of whether to license a new technology or to self-commercialize as a single, static decision, we suggest that when entrepreneurs encounter obstacles to their ideal strategy they can nevertheless achieve it by temporarily adopting a non-ideal strategy. We refer to the sequential implementation of commercialization strategies, in which the first strategy enables the second, as a switchback—reminiscent of zigzag paths that enable passage up steep mountains. We analyze conditions under which switchbacks can be effective in enabling the entrepreneur’s ideal commercialization strategy given the attending costs, risks, and likely incumbent response. Keywords: Commercialization strategy; Dynamic strategies; Technology licensing 2018-12-10T16:00:36Z 2018-12-10T16:00:36Z 2015-08 2015-06 2018-12-04T14:24:08Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0048-7333 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/119492 Marx, Matt and David H. Hsu. “Strategic Switchbacks: Dynamic Commercialization Strategies for Technology Entrepreneurs.” Research Policy 44, 10 (December 2015): 1815–1826 © 2015 Elsevier B.V. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6173-4142 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.RESPOL.2015.06.016 Research Policy Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ application/pdf Elsevier BV MIT Web Domain |
| spellingShingle | Hsu, David H. Marx, Matthew Talin Strategic switchbacks: Dynamic commercialization strategies for technology entrepreneurs |
| title | Strategic switchbacks: Dynamic commercialization strategies for technology entrepreneurs |
| title_full | Strategic switchbacks: Dynamic commercialization strategies for technology entrepreneurs |
| title_fullStr | Strategic switchbacks: Dynamic commercialization strategies for technology entrepreneurs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Strategic switchbacks: Dynamic commercialization strategies for technology entrepreneurs |
| title_short | Strategic switchbacks: Dynamic commercialization strategies for technology entrepreneurs |
| title_sort | strategic switchbacks dynamic commercialization strategies for technology entrepreneurs |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/119492 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6173-4142 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hsudavidh strategicswitchbacksdynamiccommercializationstrategiesfortechnologyentrepreneurs AT marxmatthewtalin strategicswitchbacksdynamiccommercializationstrategiesfortechnologyentrepreneurs |