Management innovation scholars over the last decade and quality management authorities over several past decades have indicated that companies need effective management practices in order to utilize complex automated systems. However, empirical evidence for a relationship between companies’ management and technological capabilities has been lacking. This study plugs an important gap in empirical evidence of the relationship between companies’ management capabilities and application of complex automated systems. A pilot study was conducted in Estonian companies, which apply robot welding. Evidence of a strong correlation (correlation coefficient of 0.74) between companies’ management capabilities and effectiveness in utilizing this complex technology was shown. The study also revealed a novel survey instrument for studying companies’ management and technological capabilities.
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