Market orientation in uncertain environments: The enabling role of effectuation orientation in new product development

While uncertainty is generally recognized as an aversive contextual condition, several research studies confirm that market-oriented firms deliver a better new product performance in uncertain environments. However, we still know little about organizational factors that enable firms to reap benefits out of uncertainty through marketing activities. The present study introduces effectuation and its corporate-level notion of effectuation orientation (EffO) as a moderator of the relationship between market orientation (MO) and new product performance in uncertain markets. The theoretically derived research model is empirically validated using survey data from 190 SMEs. Our empirical findings show that dimensions of EffO (except for affordable loss orientation) strengthen the MO–new product performance relationship in uncertain markets.     

Interactions in new product development: How the nature of the NPD process influences interaction between teams and management

Effective interaction across organisational boundaries is a critical success factor in new product development (NPD). However, few studies have investigated how different mechanisms enable effective interaction across organisational and particularly hierarchical boundaries.This study explores how the formality of the NPD process influences the nature of interactions across different organisational boundaries and specifically identifies interaction mechanisms used across hierarchical boundaries. Cross-sectional interviews were conducted in nine firms. Findings highlight that in firms with a formalised NPD process, interactions tend to have a transactional/managerial bias. In contrast, in firms where the NPD process is flexible, interactions have a more social objective.     

The joint effects of customer participation in various new product development stages

The notion that customers provide distinct inputs that help tackle unique tasks in each new product development (NPD) phase leads firms to engage customers concurrently in various NPD stages rather than involving them only in one NPD stage. Involving customers in diverse NPD stages is based on the belief that the constructive effects of customer participation in each NPD phase could be supplementary. However, little is known about the joint effects of embracing customers in multiple NPD stages such as whether customer participation in a certain NPD stage enlarges or undermines the returns of customer participation in another NPD stage, and whether customer participation throughout the entire NPD process is really beneficial. Drawing upon the knowledge management perspective, this research investigates in which combination of NPD stages (ideation, development, and launch) engaging customers creates a synergistic or destructive impact on new product market performance. The results reveal that involving customers in both ideation and development stages and in both development and launch stages yields synergistic returns, whereas customer participation in both ideation and launch stages does not create any additional gains. Furthermore, customer participation across all three NPD stages does not improve new product market performance beyond the sole and joint effects of customer participation in two NPD stages. These noteworthy findings imply that the joint effects of customer participation do not always lead to synergistic impacts and depend on the value of customer knowledge and the difficulty of knowledge management of transferring and integrating customer knowledge gathered in various NPD stages. In a certain combination of NPD stages, where the difficulty of knowledge management becomes higher, customer participation cannot generate supplementary returns, and thus, firms can achieve a similar level of new product market performance with customer participation in limited NPD stages.     

Pro-innovation culture,ambidexterity and new product development performance: Polynomial regression and response surface analysis

This study examines the intervening role of organizational ambidexterity in the relationship between pro-innovation culture and new product development (NPD) performance. The results indicate that organizational ambidexterity positively mediates the relationship between pro-innovation culture and NPD performance. The results show that when both exploration and exploitation are increased simultaneously, after an initial decline, NPD performance shows a rising trend. NPD performance tends to decline generally when there is an imbalance between the two though the plateau is at a point where exploitation is slightly higher than exploration. Additionally, pro-innovation culture can increase the gap between exploration and exploitation for exploration-oriented firms, which can lower their NPD performance. Overall, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms that explain why firms with pro-innovation culture have higher NPD performance. Further, it enhances our understanding of the role of pro-innovation culture as an organizational context for building organizational ambidexterity, and provides new insights that can help reconcile the combined and balanced views of ambidexterity in enhancing NPD performance.     

Collaborative practices in new product development projects involving suppliers

Abstract

Collaboration with suppliers in New Product Development (NPD) is essential for business competitiveness. However, the management of such collaborative project needs to focus on interactions between team members from different companies since they performed inter-organizational activities. While the impact of collaboration with suppliers on NPD project performance has been widely studied, the investigation of practices to support daily collaborative activities between both teams has received limited attention. This paper aims at developing a framework of operational practices for successful inter-organizational collaboration in NPD. The practices enacted by both project teams in six case studies were examined according to the stages of the collaboration and a knowing perspective. The results revealed some peculiarities linked to the inter-organizational context. Practices interact with each other across stages with a specific dynamic. More particularly, early in the project, practices to justify the collaboration with the suppliers are determinant for practices related to the creation of social interactions between project members and project commitment. The results also show that boundary objects are useful formal socialization mechanisms for supporting the undertaking of collaborative work.     

Task partitioning in new product development teams: A knowledge and learning perspective

R&D alliances and outsourcing elements of the new product development process are now commonplace practices among many firms. However, little previous work has examined how these organizational choices influence project knowledge and learning. Based on a comparison of three new product development projects in the software industry, this paper examines how task partitioning in the project influences learning and knowledge development within the firm. The paper suggests that internal development projects encourage synthetic learning and development of architectural and tacit knowledge; in contrast, outsourcing and joint ventures encourage analytic learning and development of component and explicit knowledge.     

Workplace flexibility and new product development performance: The role of telework and flexible work schedules

This paper investigates the effects of telework and flexible work schedules on the performance of teams in new product development projects. Organizations increasingly introduce workplace flexibility practices that provide flexibility with regard to where or when the employee works. The findings of NPD teams in five cases, situated in two telecommunication firms, show that telework has a positive effect on NPD performance through enabling knowledge sharing, cross-functional cooperation and inter-organizational involvement. This improves the speed and quality of product development, provided that face-to-face contact is not completely replaced by virtual contact. A basic level of face-to face contact is necessary to offset the negative effects of telework on the quality of the shared knowledge, which are larger when the knowledge is sticky. Flexible work schedules and unexpectedly hot-desking were found to increase telework usage. This implies for managers that workplace flexibility needs enablers and cannot do without a sufficient level of face-to-face contact.     

International diversification and the market value of new product introduction

Although previous studies on international diversification are plentiful, they mainly focus on the effect of international diversification on overall firm performance, and the results are mixed. This study extends this line of research and explores the impact of international diversification on new product performance. Specifically, we ask if international diversification explains the stock market reactions to new product introduction (NPI) announcements. We find an inverted-U-shaped relationship between international diversification and the announcement returns of NPIs, revealing that the market value of NPIs initially improves and then declines with increasing international diversification. The results also show that intangible assets, such as technological and marketing capabilities, positively moderate the relationship between international diversification and the market value of NPIs. Our study not only highlights the importance of considering both sides of international diversification in affecting investors' assessments of corporate new product strategies, but also shows the possibility of internal capabilities in changing the fixed relationship between international diversification and the market value of new products.     

The moderating effect of product complexity on new product development and supply chain management integration

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether product complexity moderates the impact of integration programs in both new product development (NPD) and supply chain (SC) management on operational performance. Results are based on statistical analyses of data collected from an international sample of manufacturing firms through the fifth edition of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS 5). The main findings are that NPD and SC integration do have an impact on performance, while product complexity alone has not. When considering the moderating effect, complexity has no impact on NPD integration, while there is a negative moderating impact on SC integration. This study bridges together different streams of research, showing how both NPD and SC integration allow managing product complexity while improving performance.     

基于信息处理的复杂产品制造敏捷性研究:以沈飞公司为案例

本研究从信息处理理论视角,探讨复杂产品制造企业如何运用信息技术提升复杂产品制造敏捷性的课题.信息技术能否推动制造敏捷性在理论界存在两种截然不同的研究结论.本研究认为企业通过识别复杂产品制造的信息处理需求,构建网络层级与网络中心度高低不同的信息处理网络结构,并引入相应的管控方式,从而实现信息技术促进复杂产品敏捷制造的目标.信息处理网络与管控方式的相互适配可发展企业信息处理能力,它包含信息分解,信息加速与信息共享三类能力.信息处理能力是信息技术能否推动企业制造敏捷性的核心因素.本研究从动态的视角打开信息技术与复杂产品制造敏捷性的过程"黑箱",对发展信息处理理论与推动中国企业复杂产品的敏捷制造具有深远的指导意义.     

New product development and the effect of supplier involvement

This study investigates the problem of new product development (NPD) under supplier involvement (SI) program in a supply chain comprising a single supplier and a single buyer. The buyer, the Stackelberg leader in the supply chain, configures the design quality of the product and determines the extent of SI – the degree to which the supplier is involved in the NPD project – in order to utilize the complementary capability of the supplier. The supplier in charge of production determines the level of conformance quality to design specifications. Using the principal-agent paradigm, we propose an analytical framework that investigates the role of the SI program in the NPD project, incorporating essential factors such as the R&D cost, the transactional inefficiency, the production cost, and the transfer payment. We provide rich managerial insights into the decentralized NPD practice by analyzing the equilibrium behaviors of major decision variables (design quality, conformance quality and SI extent) with respect to internal and external environmental conditions.     

The effect of supply chain integration, modular production, and cultural distance on new product development: A dynamic capabilities approach

Little research has examined how international firms' operations strategies affect dynamic capability creation or how cultural distance affects operations management. This study addresses these gaps by bridging the work on dynamic capabilities, two operations management techniques (product modularization and supplier integration) and cultural distance. Using a sample of 111 Brazilian automobile suppliers, the study finds that new product development is marginally increased by product modularization but decreased by supplier integration. Cultural distance negatively moderated these relationships. This research extends the dynamic capabilities literature and indicates that operations management strategy is an important part of the dynamic capability formation process.     

Trust,partner selection and innovation outcome in collaborative new product development

A key feature of collaboration in general and collaboration for innovation in particular is the existence of trust. Trust is important because it reduces the costs and risks involved in collaboration, while also increasing the overall performance. This article explores the role that trust plays during the selection of suppliers in new product development (NPD), and the outcome that reliance on trust has on the innovation effort. The research involves a case study of two organisations following contrasting approaches to NPD sourcing, but both relying on collaborative, long-term relationships. In both cases, we find goodwill trust as the key variable explaining the reliance on collaboration. We also find that over-reliance on goodwill trust and geographical proximity in selecting NPD suppliers leads to an emphasis on incremental innovation which hampers the ability of both organisations to engage in radical NPD.     

An outsourcing model for lead users: an empirical investigation

Product development costs have been increasing constantly over the past few decades. Outsourcing some or all of the new product development (NPD) activities to external parties is increasingly becoming a popular option in the quest to reduce costs. Lead users (LUs), a special group of users that experience needs earlier than the public, have been identified as an important source of innovative ideas. In this article, we explore and compare the cost impact of outsourcing activities to LUs relative to in-house NPD. Using survey data from 376 European manufacturers, we show that LUs’ impact on cost reduction is higher than that achieved through higher performing in-house NPD teams. The unique attributes of LUs make them a favourable outsourcing partner of NPD activity that can help reduce costs whilst increasing an organisation's innovative ability. The reduction in costs is a combination of the information sharing benefits achieved through in-house NPD and the outsourcing of NPD activities to LUs.     

信息技术战略价值及实现机制的实证研究

为研究信息技术战略价值及其实现机制,基于企业资源观、竞争战略理论和核心能力理论,构建了信息技术资源、信息技术应用能力、战略层面的信息系统能力、环境动态性和企业绩效之间关系的研究模型,应用结构方程模型对233家中国企业的调查问卷进行数据分析和模型拟合.研究结果表明信息技术资源和信息技术应用能力都无法直接影响企业绩效,其战...     

合作新产品开发资金及知识投入决策研究

针对现有对合作新产品开发投入的研究常常忽略投入资源的多样性,考虑同时投入知识和资金的情况下,合作参与者的最优投入决策问题． 通过构建 Stackelberg 博弈模型,分别讨论了只有资金投入和同时含有资金与知识投入时,领导者和跟随者的投入情况,并对比研究了两种情况下合作双方投入决策的异同． 研究表明: 不同资源投入时,合作形成条件亦不相同,即只有在领导者收益比例更大时,领导者才可能考虑资金和知识的同时投入; 通过改变资金投入量、知识投入量和研发努力程度,可调整知识溢出水平以促使合作开发成功．     

Supplier involvement in product development in the electronics industry: A case study

The movement of activities earlier in the product development process requires a re-examination of the total supply network. The objective of this paper is to determine the degree of early supplier involvement (ESI) that exists between a multinational electronics company and its key suppliers, in terms of depth of integration, information exchange and buyer–supplier relationships. The paper provides insights into the strategic factors that affect the dynamics of the ESI process. The research indicates that there are considerable impediments for those participants responsible for establishing and managing the implementation of ESI. A number of strategic insights are identified that explain the existence of the impediments to the ESI process. Finally, based upon the findings a number of lessons are highlighted for organisations considering the adoption of the ESI process.     

中国股市隔天收益波动率的实证研究

对上证综合指数5分钟高频数据计算得到的隔天收益率的行为进行了实证研究.在与前人研究结果比较的基础上得出结论,开盘交易机制主要改变的是隔天收益波动的高峰出现的位置.发现隔天收益波动率出现一个"驼峰"形状,认为这主要是由于开盘采用连续竞价所致.并从各区间收益相关性的角度对隔天收益方差给予了解释.此外还观察到隔天收益率的方差和一阶自协方差有着近似线性的反向变动关系,并利用一个价格变动模型对此现象进行了解释.     

Modelling collaborative product development using axiomatic design principles: application to software industry

Even though collaborative product development (CPD) is considered as a strategic business plan to maintain competitive advantage, the literature lacks a systematic and detailed model of CPD from a strategic point of view. This article aims to develop a CPD model based on an axiomatic design technique by offering a system perspective in the context of software development (SD). Software industry is characterised by a dynamic and innovative nature and it gives a suitable application area in order to detail the proposed model in industry. Three main dimensions of CPD derived from the literature are defined in strategic level: partnership process, collaboration process and PD/SD. These three dimensions are detailed into hierarchy through business feedback and by experts from software industry. The model is evaluated and verified through two interviews. A case study is then conducted to observe the performance of the model. The conceptual model offers a guideline for CPD practitioners to increase effectiveness in collaborative efforts in the development process. The proposed model incorporates the main success factors of CPD in general, collaborative SD in specific, and it can be used as a performance evaluator in collaborative projects.     

Global product development projects: measuring performance and monitoring the risks

Abstract

This article investigates the development and application of key performance indicators for global product development. Two in-depth, longitudinal case studies with multinational Danish manufacturing companies were conducted, and highlight how key performance indicators, typically used for collocated, cross-functional product development, do not provide the predictive insight required to avoid the additional risks encountered in the global product development environment. Grounded in the case study results and building on established methodologies in performance measurement literature, a framework was developed and validated in two additional Danish companies to support project managers to develop: preventive indicators, which support the avoidance of identified risks, and outcome indicators, which support the measurement towards the attainment of project objectives. The study is unique as it is one of the very few longitudinal studies of engineering design activities in a global context, providing the in-depth contextual understanding towards key risks and their influence on performance; an important step to support researchers and practitioners with the development of preventive measures.