This chapter has provided a summary of a research programme at BTexact Technologies which is aimed at helping a technology innovation company to ground its innovations, to see opportunities for the exploitation of its technologies, and to create socio-technical visions which can help to drive technological innovation itself. As a by-product, the programme has also created strategic knowledge that is of critical importance to public and private policy/decision makers alike. Perhaps most importantly of all, this research is a key part of BTexact's approach to the creation of and response to disruptive technologies, because, through thinking about changes in modes of provision, it provides exactly the kinds of insights that are required to answer such questions as: “... does (the technology) enable a broader population of less skilled or less wealthy customers to do things for themselves that previously only experts or wealthy individuals could do?” and “... does this product or service help customers get done more easily and effectively what they are already trying to get done?”. As Cosier and Hughes note: “... it is the usage by people that creates social, economic and business disruption.” It is therefore self-evident that understanding 'usage by people' is absolutely critical to figuring out what is disruptive about technologies, why this is so and therefore how to make money out of them. Since this is critical to several of BTexact's core competencies (and to those of its customers), the value of the research reported here to BTexact and its customers is also self-evident. Without it, they will only ever make money by accident and as we noted at the start, such a strategy is not likely to amuse their shareholders.

Chapter Contents:

• 10.1 Introduction
• 10.2 The Social Science Foundations
• 10.3 Other Studies
• 10.4 A Brief Tour of the Results
• 10.5 Synergies and Reviews
• 10.6 Summary

Inspec keywords: social aspects of automation; innovation management

Other keywords: BTexact technology; technology innovation company; decision maker; strategic knowledge; disruptive technology; public policy; socio-technical vision; technological innovation; digital living; by-product; private policy; people centred innovation

Subjects: Economic, social and political aspects of computing