Modularity, Strategic Flexibility, And Knowledge Management

by Sanchez, Ron

• ISBN13: 9780199240296
• ISBN10: 0199240299
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2016-10-31
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Modularity, Strategic Flexibility, and Knowledge Management presents a revolutionary and comprehensive view of the central role that modular architectures can play in redefining product strategies, in coordinating new kinds of flexible 'modular' organizations, and in enabling new approaches tomanaging knowledge assets, and guiding organizational learning. The discussion of modularity draws on systems theory, options theory, and technology strategy concepts, and is complemented by numerous examples from Philips, General Electric, Volkswagen, and other companies pursuing modularity-based strategies. The volume clearly defines the core concepts ofarchitecture and modularity, then builds on those concepts to explain the new product strategies, organization designs, and processes for knowledge management and organization learning that modular architectures make possible. The volume is written in a practical, non-technical style intended to make modularity concepts and methods readily understandable and useful to managers. At the same time, the discussion of modularity concepts is theoretically grounded and provides an essential introduction to architectures andmodularity for management academics.

Author Biography

Ron Sanchez is Professor of Strategy and Technology Management at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland. He has held previous appointments at the Copenhagen Business School; the Graduate School of Management, University of Western Australia; the University of Illinois; and ESSEC (Ecole Superieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales), Paris. Ron Sanchez consults with major corporations on organizational learning, knowledge management, and competence-based strategic management.

Table of Contents

Part I: Architectures and Modularity
1. The New Management Dimension: Architectures of Products, Processes, and Organizational Knowledge
2. Modularity as Strategy
Part II: Modular Product Strategies
3. Leveraging Product Variety Through 'Mix and Match' Models
4. 'Designing In' The Future
5. Cutting Costs Through Commonality and Re-Use
6. Meeting the Need for Speed: Reinventing the Product Creation Process
7. Competing in Modular Markets
Part III: Modular Organizatinon
8. Modularity in Process Design
9. Coordinating the Network Organization
Part IV: Knowledge Architectures and Organizational Learning
10. Architectures of Organizational Knowledge
11. Focusing Strategic Learning
Part V: Managing Modularity: New Strategies, New Structures, New Skills
12. Managing Modularity: New Strategies, New Structures, New Skills