The power of modularity today: 20 years of “Design Rules”

Stefano Brusoni, Joachim Henkel, Michael G. Jacobides, Samina Karim, Alan MacCormack, Phanish Puranam, Melissa Schilling

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

In 2000, Carliss Baldwin and Kim Clark published “Design Rules: The Power of Modularity,” a book that introduced new ways of understanding and explaining the architecture of complex systems This Special Issue of Industrial and Corporate Change celebrates this seminal work, the research it has inspired, and the insights that these collective efforts have generated. In this introductory essay, we review the impact of “Design Rules” across numerous fields, including organization theory, competitive strategy, industry structure, and innovation management. We offer perspectives on key themes that emerge from contributions in this issue, including the alignment between organizational and technical designs (“mirroring”), the dynamics of industry evolution, and the role that individuals play in shaping and responding to system designs. We close by highlighting opportunities to apply the theory in Design Rules to new phenomena and puzzles that have emerged in the past 20 years.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-10
Number of pages10
JournalIndustrial and Corporate Change
Volume32
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Feb 2023

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