Establishing a sustainable oriented technology development framework for medium-sized companies of the supply industry

Process-oriented technology development (TD) models are considered as a strategic opportunity for medium-sized enterprises (ME) to structure their TD activities systematically, as well as to give the uncertain contents of early innovation more stability and predictability. This paper takes the position that ME can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of development activities by using process models that integrate sustainable orientation during all phases of TD. An explorative research design was chosen to first establish successful process structures and suitable management tools for technology management, followed by a quantitative pilot study aimed at identifying key success factors for the TD with a particular focus on sustainable aspects. These data and the theoretical insights form the basis for the conception of a sustainable-oriented TD-framework, which points out how a TD process should be typically structured in ME within the supply industry and how management tools should be adapted in the particular process steps to enhance sustainable orientation of the TD activities.