Exploring the use of biological metaphor upon technology management research within the new paradigm of ongoing change

A new paradigm characterized by ongoing changes at all levels is currently emerging; adaptation is the key here, rather than contingency preparation. Technology Management is not foreign to such trends and thus its assimilation and rapid response ability must become potentialized to ensure its evolution and strengthening with adaptation-orientated tools and trends of thought. This paper deals with the concept of biological metaphor which has been present in Organizational Management for many decades; it is analyzed as a Technology Management development option, taking into account its high level of interaction with other disciplines. The results show that this impact is relevant, going beyond academic and theoretical fields since its application is seen in real contexts, especially regarding Manufacturing Management. This paper concludes that industrialized countries have made important advances in learning and using biological concepts in Technology Management; however, emerging economies (such as those in Latin-American countries) have also established an appropriate framework regarding topics such as complexity, evolutionary theory and intelligence for analyzing and implementing Technology Management and adopting technological strategies according to their own particular settings.