Andrew Curry
Why do organisations commit resources to new media trials and pilot projects when the results are uncertain and returns are haphazard? This article, written by a practitioner responsible for launching and managing an early interactive television project in the UK, uses his experience as a prism through which to address this wider question.
At one level, the article is a first-hand case study of a specific corporate innovation in new media in a particular location. In exploring some broader questions, the author relates the instability of such projects to the complex and unpredictable interplay of users, organisations, and economics which their development requires, and link this to notions of competition around the concept of the 'technological frame'. Finally, the author explores the role of such projects in helping organisations create the capabilities to manage innovation in turbulent conditions by building relationships outside of the organisation.