Environmental Uncertainty and Product–Process Life Cycles: A Multi‐level Interpretation of Change Over Time

Product‐process life cycle models are often used to describe long‐term change in organizations. Such models generally assume a deterministic trajectory of long‐run industry evolution and production core transformation that lead to standardization over time. Typical interpretations of these models do not explain the short and intermediate term choices and competitive dynamics that lead to the longer‐term changes, or explain viable ‘off‐trajectory’ positions and post‐stabilization complications that can arise. In this paper, we use multiple theory streams to augment discussions of product‐process life cycle models in ways that allow interpretation of the role of uncertainty and management decision‐making for the typical trajectory of standardization as well as off‐trajectory and post‐standardization phases.