Architectural Innovation: The Reconfiguration of Existing Product Technologies and the Failure of Established Firms

ThP tiaditinn-Tl catPgori? : ation nf innovation as tⁱthpr "inrrpnipntal " or "radical" is incomplete and fundanient al ly inisl eadi ng. "Generational" innovation - innovation that reconfigures a technical system without changing its elements -i^; qualitatively different from both incremental and radical innovation and often ha< important and unexpected organisational and competitive consequences. This paper defines generational innovation and illustrates the concept's explanatory force through an empirical study of the technical and competitive history of the semiconductor photolithographic alignment equipment industry.