TRIZ-based potential finding in technology-induced innovation processes

In order to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, technology-oriented companies are more than ever asked to identify potentials of technologies for future business at an early stage and to convert them into innovations. Emergent technologies in particular have a high potential for radical innovations. However, the high innovation potential is offset by high market and technology uncertainties, which are caused by incomplete knowledge of the technology potential and development as well as of potential application contexts. In connection with emergent technologies, the finding of potential - i.e. the generation of knowledge regarding the potentials - is essential, as it lays the foundation for the search for potential application contexts. At the same time, this represents a challenge, since conventional market research approaches only have a limited effect here. The question that arises is how technology potentials can be derived in a discursive way. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the TRIZ approach has great potential for this: (1) In a reversal of the TRIZ logic, we see a way of accessing the TRIZ knowledge base via an analogy; (2) In this way, contradictions within the meaning of TRIZ can be determined, which can be addressed by the technology; (3) A continuous specification of the contradictions represents a possibility to infer technology potentials. The present article presents an approach developed at the Heinz Nixdorf Institute for a TRIZ-based potential finding within the framework of technology-induced innovation processes. The approach comprises the three phases of technology analysis, technology foresight and technology potential analysis. Based on the analysis of the current performance of the technology, the future performance is anticipated using the TRIZ development pattern. By reversing the TRIZ logic, technology potentials are finally determined.