Technological Innovation - Evolutionary Principles. Process and Models

Author: Mao Jianqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features:
III. Path Dependence of Technological Evolution and Learning
(1) Path Dependence and Learning
People rely on knowledge and experience to transform the world. The greater the stock of knowledge and the richer the experience, the stronger the ability to transform the world. What then determines people's knowledge and experience? It depends on their cognitive level and cognitive ability. Path dependence, in addition to the constraints of knowledge, also exists in cognitive constraints, meaning it is limited by people's learning efficiency and ability. Technological innovation requires improvements and transformations in the operation of complex technical and organizational systems. This necessitates experimentation, adjustment, and learning. Learning can only be gradual. If the steps of change are too large, it will significantly increase uncertainty in many aspects, thereby reducing the ability to learn. Therefore, organizational learning also exhibits path dependence. The direction of exploration is limited by the accumulated capabilities of the organization in existing development and the limitations of existing products and processes. Jumping from one track to another for learning is very difficult, costly, and sometimes almost impossible, due to cognitive constraints.
Additionally, technological innovation cannot rely solely on individual geniuses but must depend on a group with specialized knowledge and mutual cooperation. It must rely on tacit knowledge and organizational knowledge accumulated through experience, which plays an absolutely crucial role. Therefore, most innovation activities should be completed internally within the organization rather than externally. This is because when an organization acquires partial knowledge through collaboration and purchasing, different practices and cognitive structures may incur enormous costs in absorption, and in some cases, even make the digestion process impossible.
The mechanized coal mining method called "cable-supported top coal caving" is used for mining thick coal seams. This technology was invented by Chinese coal mining technicians and is at the world's leading level, with independent intellectual property rights. The success of the cable-supported top coal caving technology is the result of continuous learning and practice. Many developed countries have introduced China's cable-supported top coal mining technology. At the time, the greatest challenge in the experimental learning process was the caving of the top coal, the problem of impurity rate, and recovery rate. Relying on mine pressure to cause the coal seam to collapse automatically made it difficult to control the recovery rate and impurity rate, and the efficiency was low. For hard coal seams, where natural caving was difficult, technicians attempted to use blasting methods to break the coal, but the operation was highly challenging and extremely unsafe. The coal mining efficiency could not be significantly improved, and the problems of impurity rate and recovery rate remained unresolved.
Finally, the technicians sought solutions in the design of the mining method. They attempted to mine the top layer first in the thick coal seams using a wire mesh to create a false roof, and then applied the cable-supported top coal caving method. This cleverly resolved the problems of impurity rate and recovery rate, leading to success. The fully mechanized cable-supported top coal mining technology involves multiple processes and complex techniques, making automated control a critical technical issue. This technology has also made remarkable progress in automated control and is now highly refined.
(2) Learning Diversity in Coal Mining Technology Evolution
The dynamic cognitive process humans use to interact with the external environment, interpret, and control it is incredibly complex and sophisticated. Through continuous summarization in practice, people...