Publications
Publications
- 2021
- HBS Working Paper Series
Technology Differentiation and Firm Performance
By: Sam Arts, Bruno Cassiman and Jianan Hou
Abstract
Prior work has extensively studied how investing in R&D and building a technology portfolio relate to superior firm performance. However, the value of a firm’s technology portfolio should also be driven by the degree to which it is more unique and technologically differentiated from other firms. To study this research question, we develop a new method to characterize firm technology based on the semantic content of patent portfolios that allows us to map a firm’s competitive position in the technology space relative to all other firms and to measure the differentiation of a firm’s technology portfolio. Using a large panel of U.S. public firms from 1980 to 2015, we find that technology differentiation has a strong positive and long-lasting relation with firm performance. Moreover, differentiated firm technology is particularly valuable in industries with higher R&D intensity and with stronger product market competition. We provide open access to all code and data to measure the technology similarity and the technology differentiation of U.S. public firms.
Keywords
Technology Portfolio; Differentiation; Competitiveness; Organizations; Technology; Performance; United States
Citation
Arts, Sam, Bruno Cassiman, and Jianan Hou. "Technology Differentiation and Firm Performance." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 22-040, December 2021.