Thomas Magnusson | Linköping University (original) (raw)

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Papers by Thomas Magnusson

Entering an era of fermentradical vs. incrementalist strategies in automotive power train develop... more Entering an era of fermentradical vs. incrementalist strategies in automotive power train development

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2012

Science and Public Policy

As the national and supranational levels of government embrace the concept of missions to solve w... more As the national and supranational levels of government embrace the concept of missions to solve wicked problems, the importance of understanding how missions move from one level of governance to another becomes essential. In this paper, we present a comparative case analysis of evolving regional biogas systems to consider how global missions on climate action are enacted in local practice. Referring to wickedness in terms of contestation, complexity, and uncertainty of both problems and solutions, we examine how such framings affect the operationalisation of the missions. Our results indicate that in the process of local translation, wickedness often increases, but additional wickedness does not always worsen the outcomes.

Several studies of sustainability transitions have used the technological innovation systems appr... more Several studies of sustainability transitions have used the technological innovation systems approach to study market introduction of renewable new energy technologies (Negro, Hekkert et al. 2007, ...

The paper presents a case study of market formation for biogas in Sweden and analyses the case wi... more The paper presents a case study of market formation for biogas in Sweden and analyses the case with concepts derived from literature on socio-technical transitions and business-to-business marketin ...

The paper reports on a case study of the interaction between Service and Product development at a... more The paper reports on a case study of the interaction between Service and Product development at a manufacturer of power generation systems. Following a recent acquisition by a large multinational group, the company has undergone a thorough organizational restructuring and a ...

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Feb 25, 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of challenges related t... more Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of challenges related to interfaces in industrial innovation processes, together with suggestions on how these interface challenges can be managed. The paper investigates similarities and differences between the interfaces and identified challenges in terms of required managerial issues.Design/methodology/approach– The result presented in this paper is based on in-depth case studies of ten product development projects from five different manufacturing firms in Sweden. The empirical results are supplemented with results from a review of relevant literature.Findings– To manage the interface challenges market uncertainty, technological uncertainty, product complexity and/or degree of change in product, production complexity and/or degree of change in production, geographical and/or organisational dispersion between technology development and product development, and between product development and production, it was found that several issues have to be considered. Most of the identified managerial issues concern transfer synchronisation, transfer management and transfer scope. The authors have shown that despite many differences between the different phases in the innovation process, a quite concordant picture emerges when it comes to how to manage interface challenges.Practical implications– The classification of managerial issues into transfer synchronisation, transfer management and transfer scope provides an overview of areas that need to be addressed to manage interface challenges during the industrial innovation process. This knowledge provides some guidance for managers aiming at a smooth transition process, from technology development to production.Originality/value– By addressing both the interface between technology development and product development, and between product development and production in the same study, the authors have been able to provide a comprehensive overview of managerial issues related to interfaces challenges in industrial innovation processes in manufacturing firms.

European Journal of Innovation Management, Aug 1, 2008

Journal of Cleaner Production, Jul 1, 2014

Strategic niche management has been outlined as a policy approach to assist development and diffu... more Strategic niche management has been outlined as a policy approach to assist development and diffusion of cleaner new technologies. Based on a case study describing the efforts of a leading actor in the heavy vehicle industry to develop and commercially introduce hybridelectric vehicles, this paper discusses strategic niche management from the perspective of the manufacturing firm. In particular, the paper analyses experiences from extensive field tests executed in London, tests which involved a number of different manufacturers, hybrid systems and vehicles. The scale of this technological niche added confidence and credibility to the technology and helped opening up an important niche market, which was supported by an extensive subsidy scheme. The analysis shows how the field tests and the subsidies jointly functioned as bridging policies that facilitated an important step in the market formation process. The analysis further points at a critical tension between niches and the volumeoriented business of a major vehicle manufacturer, showing how investments in new technology need to be warranted in market trends and projections of future sales and production volumes to become accepted within a vehicle manufacturer's organization.

Springer eBooks, 2013

ABSTRACT This chapter deals with how policy and strategic actions interact in the development of ... more ABSTRACT This chapter deals with how policy and strategic actions interact in the development of a technological field. As a company experiments with and evaluates various technological solutions, and continuously matches these with problems posed by specific market niches, the firms do this not as an isolated strategic activity, but in continuous interaction with numerous actors and processes. This implies that technology management has to be seen in a context of the working of the entire technological system and that technological innovation often needs policy interventions of various kinds. Our analysis illustrates how policy action comes into play in the emergence of a technological field, leading to implications for firms’ technology management processes. We have chosen to focus our analysis on sustainable technologies in the auto sector, being a case where firms are dominant players, on a global market, but where they need to interact with market demands as well as with policy interventions. Our focus is on Sweden, where the auto sector is a dominant part of the national industry, and where sustainability issues have been placed in the forefront of policy debates.

Social Science Research Network, Feb 1, 2005

This article presents a case study of small, distributed electrical power generators, representin... more This article presents a case study of small, distributed electrical power generators, representing a potential substitute for large power plants, and raises questions regarding the ability of established manufacturers to manage this kind of technological transition. The analysis demonstrates that the step from experimental R&D to commercial production is particularly difficult for the incumbents. This observation is explained by showing that whereas manufacturing of large power plants rests upon extensive systems integration capabilities, distributed generators are based on a 'plug-and-play' logic. 2 T. Magnusson, F. Tell and J. Watson We ask questions about the nature and dynamics of organizational capabilities (cf.

Paving the Road to Sustainable Transport, 2012

Environmental innovation and societal transitions, Sep 1, 2020

By merging findings from transition studies with recent literature on market-shaping, this paper ... more By merging findings from transition studies with recent literature on market-shaping, this paper outlines a conceptual framework that describes the shaping of sustainable markets. The framework comprises three critical processes: enabling exchange practices, proving the system and constructing the narrative. Individually, these processes generate different kinds of value-traded, demonstrated and expected value-and the value output from each process serves as input to the other two processes. Hence the value streams link the processes together. We illustrate the framework by analyzing market-shaping processes for biogas in Sweden. The case analysis shows how public and private actors have engaged in a multitude of activities in the market-shaping processes. The analysis highlights the recursive nature of sustainable market-shaping, showing how key actors must repeatedly respond to tensions resulting from growth and aspirations of growth.

Business Strategy and the Environment

Entering an era of fermentradical vs. incrementalist strategies in automotive power train develop... more Entering an era of fermentradical vs. incrementalist strategies in automotive power train development

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2012

Science and Public Policy

As the national and supranational levels of government embrace the concept of missions to solve w... more As the national and supranational levels of government embrace the concept of missions to solve wicked problems, the importance of understanding how missions move from one level of governance to another becomes essential. In this paper, we present a comparative case analysis of evolving regional biogas systems to consider how global missions on climate action are enacted in local practice. Referring to wickedness in terms of contestation, complexity, and uncertainty of both problems and solutions, we examine how such framings affect the operationalisation of the missions. Our results indicate that in the process of local translation, wickedness often increases, but additional wickedness does not always worsen the outcomes.

Several studies of sustainability transitions have used the technological innovation systems appr... more Several studies of sustainability transitions have used the technological innovation systems approach to study market introduction of renewable new energy technologies (Negro, Hekkert et al. 2007, ...

The paper presents a case study of market formation for biogas in Sweden and analyses the case wi... more The paper presents a case study of market formation for biogas in Sweden and analyses the case with concepts derived from literature on socio-technical transitions and business-to-business marketin ...

The paper reports on a case study of the interaction between Service and Product development at a... more The paper reports on a case study of the interaction between Service and Product development at a manufacturer of power generation systems. Following a recent acquisition by a large multinational group, the company has undergone a thorough organizational restructuring and a ...

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Feb 25, 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of challenges related t... more Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of challenges related to interfaces in industrial innovation processes, together with suggestions on how these interface challenges can be managed. The paper investigates similarities and differences between the interfaces and identified challenges in terms of required managerial issues.Design/methodology/approach– The result presented in this paper is based on in-depth case studies of ten product development projects from five different manufacturing firms in Sweden. The empirical results are supplemented with results from a review of relevant literature.Findings– To manage the interface challenges market uncertainty, technological uncertainty, product complexity and/or degree of change in product, production complexity and/or degree of change in production, geographical and/or organisational dispersion between technology development and product development, and between product development and production, it was found that several issues have to be considered. Most of the identified managerial issues concern transfer synchronisation, transfer management and transfer scope. The authors have shown that despite many differences between the different phases in the innovation process, a quite concordant picture emerges when it comes to how to manage interface challenges.Practical implications– The classification of managerial issues into transfer synchronisation, transfer management and transfer scope provides an overview of areas that need to be addressed to manage interface challenges during the industrial innovation process. This knowledge provides some guidance for managers aiming at a smooth transition process, from technology development to production.Originality/value– By addressing both the interface between technology development and product development, and between product development and production in the same study, the authors have been able to provide a comprehensive overview of managerial issues related to interfaces challenges in industrial innovation processes in manufacturing firms.

European Journal of Innovation Management, Aug 1, 2008

Journal of Cleaner Production, Jul 1, 2014

Strategic niche management has been outlined as a policy approach to assist development and diffu... more Strategic niche management has been outlined as a policy approach to assist development and diffusion of cleaner new technologies. Based on a case study describing the efforts of a leading actor in the heavy vehicle industry to develop and commercially introduce hybridelectric vehicles, this paper discusses strategic niche management from the perspective of the manufacturing firm. In particular, the paper analyses experiences from extensive field tests executed in London, tests which involved a number of different manufacturers, hybrid systems and vehicles. The scale of this technological niche added confidence and credibility to the technology and helped opening up an important niche market, which was supported by an extensive subsidy scheme. The analysis shows how the field tests and the subsidies jointly functioned as bridging policies that facilitated an important step in the market formation process. The analysis further points at a critical tension between niches and the volumeoriented business of a major vehicle manufacturer, showing how investments in new technology need to be warranted in market trends and projections of future sales and production volumes to become accepted within a vehicle manufacturer's organization.

Springer eBooks, 2013

ABSTRACT This chapter deals with how policy and strategic actions interact in the development of ... more ABSTRACT This chapter deals with how policy and strategic actions interact in the development of a technological field. As a company experiments with and evaluates various technological solutions, and continuously matches these with problems posed by specific market niches, the firms do this not as an isolated strategic activity, but in continuous interaction with numerous actors and processes. This implies that technology management has to be seen in a context of the working of the entire technological system and that technological innovation often needs policy interventions of various kinds. Our analysis illustrates how policy action comes into play in the emergence of a technological field, leading to implications for firms’ technology management processes. We have chosen to focus our analysis on sustainable technologies in the auto sector, being a case where firms are dominant players, on a global market, but where they need to interact with market demands as well as with policy interventions. Our focus is on Sweden, where the auto sector is a dominant part of the national industry, and where sustainability issues have been placed in the forefront of policy debates.

Social Science Research Network, Feb 1, 2005

This article presents a case study of small, distributed electrical power generators, representin... more This article presents a case study of small, distributed electrical power generators, representing a potential substitute for large power plants, and raises questions regarding the ability of established manufacturers to manage this kind of technological transition. The analysis demonstrates that the step from experimental R&D to commercial production is particularly difficult for the incumbents. This observation is explained by showing that whereas manufacturing of large power plants rests upon extensive systems integration capabilities, distributed generators are based on a 'plug-and-play' logic. 2 T. Magnusson, F. Tell and J. Watson We ask questions about the nature and dynamics of organizational capabilities (cf.

Paving the Road to Sustainable Transport, 2012

Environmental innovation and societal transitions, Sep 1, 2020

By merging findings from transition studies with recent literature on market-shaping, this paper ... more By merging findings from transition studies with recent literature on market-shaping, this paper outlines a conceptual framework that describes the shaping of sustainable markets. The framework comprises three critical processes: enabling exchange practices, proving the system and constructing the narrative. Individually, these processes generate different kinds of value-traded, demonstrated and expected value-and the value output from each process serves as input to the other two processes. Hence the value streams link the processes together. We illustrate the framework by analyzing market-shaping processes for biogas in Sweden. The case analysis shows how public and private actors have engaged in a multitude of activities in the market-shaping processes. The analysis highlights the recursive nature of sustainable market-shaping, showing how key actors must repeatedly respond to tensions resulting from growth and aspirations of growth.

Business Strategy and the Environment

How is it possible to stimulate innovation in clean and energy efficient vehicle technologies? Th... more How is it possible to stimulate innovation in clean and energy efficient vehicle technologies? This paper analyses the conditions for the diffusion of stepwise-electrified heavy vehicles (hybrid-electric, plug-in hybrid and fully electric), using the technological innovation systems framework and data from recent developments in Sweden. The analysis shows how coordinated national and regional/local policies are required to reach ambitious targets on market development and industrial competitiveness. The paper concludes that effective policies need to consider a proper balance between variety and focus in an innovation system.

Elektromobilitet är ett vittfamnande begrepp. Det kan täcka in ett stort antal fordonstyper och t... more Elektromobilitet är ett vittfamnande begrepp. Det kan täcka in ett stort antal fordonstyper och tillverkare, en diversifierad tjänstesektor, liksom nya principer för stads- och trafikplanering. Denna rapport är avgränsad till elektrifiering av tunga fordon: bussar och lastbilar. Den inkluderar därmed inte elektrifiering av personbilar (eller elcyklar/elskotrar). Elektrifierade personbilar betra ktas istället som ett angränsande och ibland delvis överlappande system, som framför allt kan användas för jämförelser. Elbilar är förvisso ett dynamiskt område men drivs nästan helt av ett antal stora batteri- och biltillverkare utanför Sverige: både nyaföretag som Tesla Motors och volymtillverkare som GM, Nissan-Renault och BMW. Svenskbaserade biltillverkare deltar med viss framgång – försäljningen av Volvo Cars laddbara premiumhybrid som utvecklades tillsammans med Vattenfallhar överträffat förväntningarna – men svenska företag har små möjligheter att påverka den övergripande teknik- och marknadsutvecklingen. Genom den internationella teknikutvecklingen har kostnaderna för elektrifierade personbilar kraftigt sänkts under senare år, och det finns nu ett stort antal serietillverkade modeller på marknaden. Räckvidd och laddtider är nackdelar för de flesta elbilar, men förbättras kontinuerligt. Standarder har etablerats för infrastruktur, t.ex. snabbladdare, och även här sänks kostnaden fortlöpande.