Kai Ellermann has successfully completed his PhD on the topic ‘Early-stage technology assessment in the age of digitalisation and artificial intelligence: a systematic approach to performance enhancement based on maturity models’ under the supervision of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Roman Dumitrescu. We offer our warmest congratulations!
Summary of the thesis:
Companies operate in an increasingly dynamic environment in which the emergence of new technologies is a significant driver of change. Understanding and monitoring the forces behind these rapid and often discontinuous technological changes constitute the core task of technology foresight. Companies are therefore confronted with the question of how technology foresight can be implemented successfully within the organization.
Against this background, this dissertation proposes a systematic maturity model-based approach to improving the performance of corporate technology foresight. The maturity model comprehensively captures the key dimensions and action fields of technology foresight and provides the analytical foundation for identifying targeted improvement measures. In addition, to explore the potential of artificial intelligence in the context of
technology analysis, a structured catalogue of use cases is developed. Building on the maturity model, a procedural framework comprising the phases of performance assessment, target definition, and implementation planning is applied, with each phase supported by dedicated methods and tools. The result is a prioritized action plan for the implementation of effective technology foresight in the era of digitalization and artificial intelligence. The proposed approach is empirically validated through its application with six technology-oriented companies across different industries, demonstrating its practical relevance and robustness.
