Why Getting Closer to Tech Makes Industries Both More Innovative and More Volatile
Why Getting Closer to Tech Makes Industries Both More Innovative and More Volatile
Featuring Deepa Mani and Rajib Saha
The closer your industry gets to digital technology, the faster it innovates, and the harder it becomes to stay ahead.
September 30, 2026
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Deepa Mani
Professor of Information Systems and the Deputy Dean of Academic Programmes & Digital Learning. Her research lies at the intersection of technology, organisation, and society. She brings significant thought leadership on the business and policy implications of technological innovation and investment.
Rajib Saha
Associate Professor of Information Systems. His research focuses on the economics of IT, data mining, and digital business models. He particularly examines issues related to platforms, pricing and delivery of digital goods, B2B contracts, and network analytics.
Key Takeaways
The closer a sector is to ICT, the faster it innovates. ICT-closeness increases innovation efficiency and technological creativity, while fuelling new products, services, and business models.
ICT-closeness also intensifies competition. The same forces that drive innovation can lead to sharper volatility, winner-take-all dynamics, and a more precarious race for dominance.
For leaders, success will depend on rethinking R&D—not just inventing, but recombining and reusing digital technologies to stay ahead.