Exploring the research landscape of convergence from a TIM perspective: A review and research agenda

• Published in: Technological forecasting & social change 2022-02, Vol.175, p.121321, Article 121321
• Main Authors: Sick, Nathalie, Bröring, Stefanie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Convergence; Converging industry; Empirical analysis; Industry convergence; Industry fusion; Innovation strategy; Innovations; Knowledge recombination; Literature reviews; Science and technology; Technology convergence
• ISSN: 0040-1625; 1873-5509
• DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121321

•Review of convergence research from a technology and innovation management perspective.•Identification and analysis of four major strands in convergence literature.•Convergence research inward oriented, independent from theoretical underpinnings.•Framework to structure strands of literature, main challenges and emerging topics.•Research questions to strengthen theoretical foundations of convergence research. Convergence at the level of science, technology, market or industry can increasingly be witnessed in a number of empirical settings. It is currently seen as one of the most important influence factors on and trigger for developing innovation strategies. This empirical relevance is mirrored by a surge in publications. Therefore, motivated by a highly dynamic but at the same time rather unstructured body of literature, this review offers a systematic and critical analyses of studies related to Technology and Innovation Management (TIM) research that address convergence from a processual perspective. Four major strands can be identified: (1) drivers and patterns of convergence, (2) anticipation of convergence, (3) strategic reactions to convergence, and (4) convergent products. A key finding of this review is that most contributions have been inward oriented, i.e. understanding the dynamics of convergence. A consequence of this inner focus is that the scientific discourse on convergence has to some degree unfolded independently from its theoretical underpinnings. To this end, this review provides a comprehensive framework of convergence research, including current challenges and emerging themes to address these challenges. The resulting research agenda serves as a starting point to inspire future studies of relevance for theory and conceptual development as well as managerial practice.