Inspiration
In 1996 Sanchez and Mahoney published a famous journal praising the many advantages the adoption of a modular product architecture could have for organisations. The author has used this journal as a starting point for his literature review, as its publication triggered a widespread interest in modularity, but more importantly because many of the author's predictions were incorrect. Their failures to understand the consequences of modularity illustrate its complexity and the difficulties firms have with understanding the consequences its implementation.
Research Strategy
The author has split his research in two parts:
Part 1:
An investigation of the ideas that led to the modern day understanding of modularity. This looks at work including:
- Simon (1962) "The architecture of complexity"
- Ulrich (1995) "The role of product architecture in the manufacturing firm"
Part 2:
An investigation into more recent work, in an attempt to identify and investigate the limitations that result from adopting modular product architectures. This evaluates work such as:
- Ethiraj et al (2008) "The Dual Role of Modularity: Innovation and Imitation"
- Brusoni & Prencipe (2005) "Making Design Rules: A Multi-Domain Perspective"
Part 1:
An investigation of the ideas that led to the modern day understanding of modularity. This looks at work including:
- Simon (1962) "The architecture of complexity"
- Ulrich (1995) "The role of product architecture in the manufacturing firm"
Part 2:
An investigation into more recent work, in an attempt to identify and investigate the limitations that result from adopting modular product architectures. This evaluates work such as:
- Ethiraj et al (2008) "The Dual Role of Modularity: Innovation and Imitation"
- Brusoni & Prencipe (2005) "Making Design Rules: A Multi-Domain Perspective"
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