A Comparative Study on R&D Organizations in Specialized Manufacturer and Generalized Manufacturer:

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  • 専業メーカーと総合メーカーにおける技術開発体制：蛍光表示管業界の事例研究
  • センギョウ メーカー ト ソウゴウ メーカー ニ オケル ギジュツ カイハツ タイセイ : ケイコウ ヒョウジカンギョウカイ ノ ジレイ ケンキュウ
  • A Case Analysis in the Vacuum Fluorescent　Display Industry

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It is often pointed out that a specialized manufacturer (“specialist”) is more competitive than a generalized manufacturer (“generalist”). This paper examines how a specialist could maintain long-term competitive advantages, especially in the technological development. An explanatory case study was conducted by comparing a small specialist Futaba and a big generalist NEC in the vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) industry.<BR>Based on the analysis of patent data at the firm level and the individual level, two types of R&D organizations were identified: a successive, crosssectoral and closely cooperated R&D organization in Futaba and an R&D organization in which personnel can be flexibly reallocated in NEC. NEC’s composition of four technological fields of VFD radically changed, while Futaba’s remained stable. This finding is different from the common understanding that typical Japanese big firms have succeeded in incremental innovations by a close-knit group of engineers. Instead, this paper demonstrates that the technological capability that is characteristic of Japanese firms has been maintained in a small specialist.

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  • Organizational Science

    Organizational Science 48 (1), 78-91, 2014-09-20

    The Academic Association for Organizational Science

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