Management and Policy Concerns over Shifts in Innovation Trajectories: The Case of the Japanese Robotics Industry

Abstract

Innovation related network systems would need to be re-aligned and adapted within major technological shifts and their capability to re-align themselves determines the dynamic capabilities of a national innovation system. In this paper, we present a particular phenomenon in industrial evolution, which we call a shift in the 'innovation trajectory', taking the case of the Japanese robotics industry that now undergoes major shifts in many respects. We consider activities directly involved with innovation in the entire value chain from invention to commercialization, and identify the structural changes in the national systems due to the shifts in innovation trajectory. Having utilized the basic framework of ''Techno Economic Network'', this paper analyzes six different structural shifts, which are related to product, technology, market, actor, competitive and socio-economic structures. This paper draws attention to the fundamental management and policy level concerns over the emerging shifts at four different decision making hierarchical levels. With concrete empirical evidences and results from interviews, this paper concludes that a new set of approaches is needed to shape these emerging innovation shifts.