Technology Learning, Technology Strategy and Competitive Pressures

SUMMARY This paper develops some hypotheses concerning technological learning in firms. The hypotheses are examined using a detailed study of Europe's leading dedicated biotechnology firm, Celltech Ltd. It relates how the competitive pressures facing the company, and similar US companies, have changed over the past decade, and how Celltech's technology strategy has placed considerable emphasis on technological learning in order to maintain its competitive position compared with large, multinational pharmaceutical companies. Some of the features of technological learning are examined, including: its purposive character; its differential and complex nature; its internal and external components; the complementary nature of the company's technology and human resource development strategy; and the importance of organizational considerations.