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Making the implicit explicit: A case study of the implementation of technology management in a group of companies
Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2019
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| _version_ | 1867613804978765824 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Visser, Jacobus Christiaan |
| author2 | Von Leipzig, Konrad |
| author_browse | Visser, Jacobus Christiaan Von Leipzig, Konrad |
| author_facet | Von Leipzig, Konrad Visser, Jacobus Christiaan |
| author_sort | Visser, Jacobus Christiaan |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2019. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/107132 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:58.332Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publishDateRange | 2019 |
| publishDateSort | 2019 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/107132 Making the implicit explicit: A case study of the implementation of technology management in a group of companies Visser, Jacobus Christiaan Von Leipzig, Konrad Grobbelaar, Sara Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering. Technology -- Management Decision making -- Case studies Strategic Alignment Technology Audits Technology -- Management -- Framework UCTD Organizational effectiveness Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2019. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Technology management is an established field of study, which is concerned with the management of the various capabilities, resources and knowledge which make up the technology portfolio of organisations. Over time technology management has proven an effective link between the technological capability of an organisation and its business strategy. Effective technology management allows an organisation to dynamically and continually realign and reorganise its technological capabilities. By dynamically managing its technology, an organisation can counter external and market pressures to ensure that it continually leverages its competitive advantage in innovative ways and markets. This research study investigates how technology management can be implemented in an existing holding company with a number of subsidiaries grouped together in a complex hierarchical structure. An inductive and qualitative research process is employed to approach the problem in stages. First, specific research questions are defined to address different aspects of the larger research problem. A structured literature review is then conducted on both established and recent literature to determine what possible solutions are already available within the scientific literature. The most relevant solutions are then reworked into a reproducible set of instruments. These instruments are then uniformly applied to each of the subsidiaries of the holding company. The results of these instruments produce a complex and connected web of interrelationships between the various subsidiaries and their vested technologies. The final stage of the method is to map this complex web into a technology management framework, which can support the analysis and decision-making of technology management within the organisation. A local South African technology group of companies is used as a case study to test the research method. The technology group’s combined technology portfolio is diverse, yet containing significant overlapping technologies vested in the different subsidiaries. With the already established technology portfolio, some technology management processes are already in place, though informal and implicit in nature. A further aim of this research is then to, through the application of this research, develop the implicit and informal technology management processes of this company into explicit and formal technology management structures. Furthermore, it aims to develop a set of tools and frameworks to assist the company to maintain its technology management structures, while also serving as a long-term strategic decision-making tool. Other than illustrating an effective process for implementing technology management uniformly between different entities of an organisation with a complex and hierarchical structure, this study also explores other elements concerning technology management. First, a structured literature review investigates various aspects of technology management in both established and recent studies. Second, the study explores how technology audits can be reliably and uniformly conducted at different entities. Finally, a conceptual technology management framework is developed, which serves as both an at-a-glance view of the current state of technology within an organisation, and as a strategic planning device. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die bestuur van tegnologie is ’n gevestigde studieveld wat handel oor die bestuur van die verskeie vaardighede, hulpbronne en kennis wat die tegnologie portefeulje van organisasies uitmaak. Met tyd is tegnologiebestuur bewys om ’n effektiewe skakel tussen die tegnologiese vaardighede van ’n organisasie en sy besigheidstrategie te wees. Effektiewe bestuur van tegnologie laat ’n organisasie toe om op ’n dinamiese en voortdurende wyse sy tegnologiese vaardighede te herbelyn en te herorganiseer. Deur op ’n dinamiese wyse sy tegnologie te bestuur, kan ’n organisasie eksterne en markverwante druk teenstaan om te verseker dat dit voortdurend sy kompeterende voordeel uitoefen op innoverende wyses en markte. Hierdie navorsingstudie ondersoek hoe tegnologiebestuur ingestel kan word in ’n bestaande beheermaatskappy met filiale wat saam gegroepeer is in ’n komplekse hiërargiese struktuur. ’n Induktiewe en kwalitatiewe navorsingsproses is gebruik om die probleem in fases te benader. Eerstens word spesifieke navorsingsvrae gedefinieer om verskillende aspekte van ’n groter navorsingsprobleem aan te spreek. ’n Gestruktureerde literatuuroorsig word dan gedoen op beide gevestigde, sowel as onlangse literatuur om te bepaal watter moontlike oplossings daar reeds bestaan in die huidige, beskikbare wetenskaplike literatuur. Die relevantste oplossings word dan verwerk in ’n herproduseerbare stel instrumente. Hierdie instrumente word dan eenvormig toegepas op al die filiale van die beheermaatskappy. Die resultate van hierdie instrumente ontbloot ’n komplekse en verbinde web van interverwantskappe tussen die verskeie filiale en hul gevestigde tegnologieë. Die finale fase van dié metode is dan om hierdie komplekse web in ’n tegnologiebestuursraamwerk te omskep wat die analise en besluitneming van tegnologiebestuur binne die organisasie kan ondersteun. ’n Plaaslike Suid-Afrikaanse tegnologie groep van maatskappye word as gevallestudie gebruik om hierdie navorsingsmetode te toets. Die tegnologie groep se gekombineerde tegnologie portefeulje is baie divers, maar bestaan wel uit ’n beduidende aantal oorvleuelende tegnologieë wat gevestig is in die verskillende filiale. Met die reeds gevestigde tegnologie portefeulje is sommige tegnologiebestuurprosesse reeds in plek, hoewel dit slegs informeel en implisiet van aard is. ’n Verdere doelwit van hierdie navorsing is om, deur die toepassing van hierdie navorsing, die informele en implisiete tegnologiebestuursproses van hierdie maatskappy in eksplisiete en formele tegnologiebestuurstrukture te omskep. Verder beoog dit om ’n stel gereedskap en raamwerke te ontwikkel om die maatskappy te help om sy tegnologiebestuurstruktuur te onderhou, en om as langtermyn strategiese besluitnemings hulpmiddel te dien. Afgesien daarvan dat die studie ’n effektiewe proses vir die eenvormige implementering van tegnologiebestuur tussen verskillende entiteite van ’n organisasie met ’n komplekse en hiërargiese struktuur daarstel, verken hierdie studie ook ander elemente rakende tegnologiebestuur. Eerstens ondersoek ’n gestruktureerde literatuuroorsig verskeie aspekte van tegnologiebestuur in beide gevestigde sowel as onlangse studie materiale. Tweedens verken die studie hoe tegnologie oudits op ’n betroubare en eenvormige manier vir verskillende entiteite uitgevoer kan word. Laastens word ’n konseptuele tegnologiese bestuursraamwerk ontwikkel wat dien as beide ’n op-die-oog-af oorsig van die huidige toestand van tegnologie binne die organisasie sowel as ’n strategiese beplanningshulpmiddel. Masters 2019-11-22T09:33:23Z 2019-12-11T06:49:02Z 2019-11-22T09:33:23Z 2019-12-11T06:49:02Z 2019-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107132 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 216 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Technology -- Management Decision making -- Case studies Strategic Alignment Technology Audits Technology -- Management -- Framework UCTD Organizational effectiveness Visser, Jacobus Christiaan Making the implicit explicit: A case study of the implementation of technology management in a group of companies |
| title | Making the implicit explicit: A case study of the implementation of technology management in a group of companies |
| title_full | Making the implicit explicit: A case study of the implementation of technology management in a group of companies |
| title_fullStr | Making the implicit explicit: A case study of the implementation of technology management in a group of companies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Making the implicit explicit: A case study of the implementation of technology management in a group of companies |
| title_short | Making the implicit explicit: A case study of the implementation of technology management in a group of companies |
| title_sort | making the implicit explicit a case study of the implementation of technology management in a group of companies |
| topic | Technology -- Management Decision making -- Case studies Strategic Alignment Technology Audits Technology -- Management -- Framework UCTD Organizational effectiveness |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107132 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT visserjacobuschristiaan makingtheimplicitexplicitacasestudyoftheimplementationoftechnologymanagementinagroupofcompanies |