New Trends in Technology Management Education: A View from Europe

In the nineties, postgraduate technology management education was mainly concentrated upon structuring the product development cycle and positioning technology strategy within the overall strategy of the company. Today it encompasses a much wider range of capabilities to address contemporary challenges such as globalization, open innovation, and the need for corporate renewal and venturing. To gain insight into the implications of this change, we conducted a number of exploratory interviews with leaders from both the demand and supply sides in Europe based in higher education institutes, the corporate sector, and public institutes. Our interviews highlight a dynamic field moving from traditional MBA-focused programs toward more entrepreneurial “boot camps,” from a case study-oriented teaching style toward a mentoring approach, and from an emphasis upon general business toward working across disciplines yet being sensitive to underlying technologies. We found important implications for technology management education with respect to its location within universities and identified opportunities for business schools to provide technology entrepreneurship and commercialization skills.