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Research Summary: Through a longitudinal study of the product development portfolios of 457 US‐based firms in the biotechnology industry, we investigate how prolific inventors shape a firm's innovative direction following product development failure. Contrary to received wisdom, we argue and demonstrate that an increase in the number of prolific inventors is associated with a decrease in firm propensity to pursue novel product innovation following such failure. We further find that the presence of prolific inventors with greater collaborative strength and longer tenure negatively moderate the positive relationship between failure and the pursuit of novel product development. We discuss the implications of our results for research on learning from failure and strategic human capital. Managerial Summary: In case of adverse events such as product development failure, managers often rely on the firm's prolific inventors to help the firm learn from failure. Our study shows that there are limits to this approach. While prolific inventors increase firm propensity for novel product development, such propensity is significantly decreased following product failure. We further establish that the presence of prolific inventors with greater collaborative strength and long tenures is especially likely to reduce firms' pursuit of novel products, while the presence of those with low collaborative strength and tenure tend to increase this propensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Summary: In platform ecosystems, the creation of new products is often based on standardized development tools. Complementors often have a choice between either using these tools or creating the functionality themselves. In this paper, we study how the use of standardized development tools is related to the type of products created. By using data on the use of middleware (e.g., game engines) in the console video game market, we show that the use of development tools is associated with products that are less novel but with higher sales on average. We exploit a policy change that affected the ability of U.S.‐based developers to hire foreign workers as an instrument for the use of development tools and find further support for these patterns. When developing new products, firms often have to decide whether they base their technology on preexisting components and standardized tools or develop that technology themselves. In general, it has not been clear how using standardized third‐party tools that may be available to all firms in an industry affects the nature of the products that are created. Using data on middleware components, such as game engines, in the console video game industry, this paper shows the use of such standardized tools is associated with the creation of products that are less novel but generate higher sales on average. This is an important strategic consideration for firms, but also for platforms that make decisions regarding whether such tools should be allowed on their platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality function deployment (QFD) is a product planning management instrument which has been used in a broad range of industries. However, the traditional QFD method has been criticised much for its deficiencies in acquiring experts' opinions, weighting customer requirements (CRs) and ranking engineering characteristics (ECs). To overcome the limitations, an integrated analytical model is presented in this study for obtaining the importance ratings of ECs in QFD by integrating decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique and Vlsekriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method under hesitant fuzzy environment. In particular, the hesitant fuzzy DEMATEL is used to analyse the interrelationships among CRs and determine their weights, and the hesitant fuzzy VIKOR is utilised to prioritise ECs. Finally, the feasibility and practicality of the proposed method are verified by an example regarding the product development of electric vehicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid changes in technology--including advances in augmented and artificial intelligence, machine learning, and mobile--are paving the way for significant changes not only in the channels through which education is delivered but in how education itself is structured. This article identifies eight ways in which education technology can change how learning is facilitated and who will facilitate that learning. Basic economic principles then provide a framework for thinking about how these changes will be embedded over time as education increasingly becomes a durable good providing increasing returns through network effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the role of capabilities in core marketing-related business processes–product development management (PDM), supply chain management (SCM) and customer relationship management (CRM)–in translating a firm’s market orientation (MO) into firm performance. The study is the first to examine the interplay of all three business process capabilities simultaneously, while investigating how environmental conditions moderate their performance effects. A moderated mediation analysis of 468 product-focused firms finds that PDM and CRM process capabilities play important mediating roles, whereas SCM process capability does not mediate the relationship between MO and performance. However, the relative importance of the capabilities as mediators varies along the degree of environmental turbulence, and under certain conditions, an increase in the level of business process capability may even turn detrimental. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Manufacturing firms employ different strategies to improve the performance of their products. In this study, we investigate the roles of environmental dynamism and competitive intensity as antecedents of product and process innovation strategy implementation. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of these initiatives on product innovation performance and product quality performance in manufacturing firms. Based on an analysis of a sample of 207 firms in Australia, the results reveal that environmental dynamism positively relates to both product and process innovation strategy implementation while competitive intensity positively relates to only process innovation strategy implementation. Moreover, product innovation strategy implementation positively relates to product innovation performance while process innovation strategy implementation positively affects product quality performance. Both product innovation performance and product quality performance are found to positively affect business performance. The theoretical and practical implications of the study in the context of Australian manufacturing are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Firms’ performance in their new product development (NPD) is believed to be positively related with involving suppliers in the process of new product development, and also with the organisation’s capacity and capability to absorb external and internal knowledge, namely absorptive capacity (AC). Addressing a gap in the literature, this study adopts the definition and structure for AC suggested by Tu et al. (2006) to examine relationships between AC’s sub-dimensions with NPD performance, and also their moderating effects on the relationship between supplier involvement and new product development performance, on both financial and nonfinancial aspects. Data from a survey of 161 manufacturing firms are used to test the developed hypotheses using structural equation modelling and hierarchical regression. Direct and contingent effects of supplier involvement and AC on new product development performance are studied. As a result factors determining AC are found of different level of effects on financial and nonfinancial performance of new products, which will have implication for theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We develop and test an attention-based theory of search by top management teams and the influence on firm innovativeness. Using an in-depth field study of 61 publicly traded high-technology firms and their top executives, we find that the location selection and intensity of search independently and jointly influence new product introductions. We have three important findings. First, in contrast to the portrait of local managerial search, we find teams that select locations that contain novel, vivid, and salient information introduce more new products. Next, unlike information-gathering approaches that merely "satisfice," persistent search intensity may lead to increases in new product introductions. Finally, level of search intensity must fit the selected location of search to maximize new product introductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies strive to minimise supply chain related risks during new product development as any glitch while developing new products can lead to considerable delay in product launch with severe financial implications. However, many organisations face difficulty in properly assessing the vulnerabilities of their globally dispersed supply chains during the product development stage as no suitable procedure for that purpose seems to be readily available in the literature. The present research is an attempt to fulfil this requirement. A step-by-step approach for supply chain risk assessment during new product development, involving group decision making, is suggested. This approach can use both numeric and linguistic data and helps in determining vulnerability scores for various sub-systems and for each supplier of the most vulnerable sub-system. This is followed by failure mode effect analysis (FMEA) which helps prioritise failure modes of vulnerable suppliers and thus create specific control plans to mitigate supply related failures. Using this approach, organisations can devise control plans to alleviate the supplier related risks during new product development. Although, the methodology is illustrated through an application in aircraft manufacturing, it can also be used in other discrete and process manufacturing industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's consumer era, of rapidly shortened product life cycles, new product development has become essential for both growth and survival of organisations. The agility of new product development is governed by the effectiveness and efficiency of an organisation's intelligence and knowledge-management skills. In this rapidly changing dynamic and multi-layered environment, recognising, managing and preventing Knowledge Loss can be a key determinant of success of an organisation. In this paper, we argue for a collaborative network structure within the organisation to prevent knowledge loss in new product development. Based on our first-hand observations via an in-depth case study of six Indian auto-component manufacturing companies, we identify the sources of K-loss. We recommend ways to create collaboration pools that increase flow of information and communication and help mitigate knowledge loss throughout the value chain. We summarise our finding as usable rules-of-thumb for helping senior and middle-level managers develop and leverage collaborative networks for effectively managing knowledge loss for their organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Among various methodologies for demand forecasting of new products, the random-coefficient discrete-choice model using stated preference data is considered to be effective because it reflects heterogeneity in consumer preference and enables the design of experiments in the absence of revealed preference data. Based on estimates drawn from consumer preference data by structural hierarchical Bayesian logit models, this study develops the overall, strategic, demand-side management for new products by combining market share simulation and a rigorous clustering methodology, the Gaussian mixture model. It then applies the process to the empirical case of electronic payment instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most highly competitive manufacturing industries, the sample sizes of new products are usually very small in pilot runs because the production schedules are very tight. To obtain the expected quality in mass production runs using limited data is, therefore, always a challenging issue for engineers. Although machine learning algorithms are widely applied to this task, the training sample size is a key weakness when determining the manufacturing parameters. In order to extract more robust information for engineers from the small datasets, this research, based on regression analysis and fuzzy techniques, develops an effective procedure for new production pattern constructions. In addition, a case study of TFT-LCD manufacturing in 2009 is taken as an example to illustrate the presented approach. The experimental results show that it is possible to develop a robust forecasting model which can provide more precise manufacturing predictions with the limited data acquired from pilot runs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

New product development (NPD) is a managerial process, performed by many activities. The purpose of this paper is to present the application of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritise activities of NPD for manufacturing companies of electronic products. Mathematical modelling was the research method adopted. An electronics cluster located in the southeast region of Brazil was studied. Therefore, 10 of the 42 activities from an NPD model were suggested to be excluded for the electronics companies. These activities have less than 0.5% overall priority. The results from the AHP application were welcomed by the companies’ NPD experts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Front-end activities largely influence the outcomes of new product development processes, because it is here that firms create new ideas, give them direction, and set them in motion. We show that the front end can be understood as comprising three core activities: idea/concept development, idea/concept alignment, and idea/ concept legitimization, which allow firms to create corroborated product definitions. This article provides important implications for managers interested in front-end management. It devotes specific attention to the differences between incremental and radical front-end development and to the front end in the light of increasingly open innovation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning production processes for product families have been well recognised as an effective means of achieving successful product family development. However, most existing approaches do not lend themselves to planning production processes with focus on the optimality of the cohort of a product family. This paper addresses process family planning for product families. In view of the advantages of Petri nets (PNs) for modelling large systems, the potential of knowledge-based systems (KBSs) for solving complex problems and the analogy in between, we develop a methodology by integrating PNs and KBSs to support process family planning. An integrated product–process family structure, called IP2S, is proposed to organise all data pertaining to a product family and the corresponding process family, thereby anchoring planning to one platform. With the IP2S, a formal PN model of process family planning is further developed by integrating the principles of several well-defined PN extensions. Thus, this paper also contributes to visualising the dynamic behaviours and reasoning behind process family planning. The methodology is applied to process family planning for a truck family. The preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility and potential of using the methodology to support process family planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The only way to achieve real growth is to develop offerings so innovative that they create new categories or subcategories making competitors irrelevant because they lack a "must have" feature or benefit-to win the brand relevance competition. The alternative, engaging in "my brand is better than your brand" brand preference competition, virtually never works because of market inertia. This article, based in part on hundreds of case studies, shows how to identify the "must haves" and discusses barriers to competitors such as going beyond functional benefits, finding shared interests with customers, ongoing innovation, superior execution, scaling the concept, becoming an exemplar, and branding the innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selecting the favourable product scheme is the first step to successful new product development (NPD). There are usually large numbers of uncertainties in product scheme evaluation and screening process of NPD due to lack of or incomplete reliable information. Considering fully the uncertainties and then conducting correct reasoning could guarantee reliability and rationality of scheme-screening results. As an extension of analytic hierarchy process (AHP), fuzzy AHP inherits multi-merits of the AHP approach and is capable of dealing with fuzzy information effectively, but it still has two weaknesses. One is the well-known ranking reversal problem. Although several researchers have analysed the reasons, we think the root cause for ranking reversal problem is due to the fact that AHP treats weights of attribute criteria and performance scores of alternatives in the same way. Therefore, we intend to deal with attribute weights and performance scores of alternatives separately and introduce evidential reasoning (ER) theory, which is good at uncertain reasoning, into fuzzy AHP to calculate the performance scores of alternatives. On the other hand, in view of the difficulty in resolution for fuzzy weights from fuzzy comparison matrix, a linear goal-programming model is proposed to calculate fuzzy weights, whose objective is to minimise the inconsistency degree of comparison matrix. By combining fuzzy AHP with ER, a group-based hybrid decision model FAHP-ER is developed. The hybrid model not only gets a great improvement in the capability of dealing with uncertainty, but also reflects the most real decision scenario and thinking process of the decision maker. Finally, a case study for schemes screening of the rotor and bearing system in the turbine generator is presented to demonstrate the application of the hybrid decision method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological innovation and satisfaction of customer needs are the keys to survival and success for firms, especially in global competitive high-tech industries. Since new products are usually a source of new sales and profits, the success of new product development (NPD) is essential to maintain a competitive edge and to make a decent profit in a longer term. Therefore, how to develop products that deliver the quality and functionality customers demand while generating the desired profits becomes an important task for the manufacturers. In this paper, a framework with two phases is constructed for facilitating the selection of engineering characteristics (ECs) for product design. In the first phase, quality function deployment (QFD) is incorporated with the supermatrix approach of analytic network process (ANP) and the fuzzy set theory to calculate the priorities of ECs with the consideration of the interrelationship among factors and the impreciseness and vagueness in human judgments and information. In the second phase, multi-choice goal programming model is constructed by considering the outcome from the first phase and other additional goals, such as NPD cost and manufacturability, in the attempt to select the most suitable ECs. A case study of the product design process of backlight unit (BLU) in thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) industry in Taiwan is carried out to verify the practicality of the proposed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are persistent marketing effects most likely to appear right after the introduction of a product? The authors give an affirmative answer to this question by developing a model that explicitly reports how persistent and transient marketing effects evolve over time. The proposed model provides managers with a valuable tool to evaluate their allocation of marketing expenditures over time. An application of the model to many pharmaceutical products, estimated through (exact initial) Kalman filtering, indicates that both persistent and transient effects occur predominantly immediately after a brand's introduction. Subsequently, the size of the effects declines. The authors theoretically and empirically compare their methodology with methodology based on unit root testing and demonstrate that the need for unit root tests creates difficulties in applying conventional persistence modeling. The authors recommend that marketing models should either accommodate persistent effects that change over time or be applied to mature brands or limited time windows only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Involving customers in the development of new products and services helps firms understand customer needs, increasing the likelihood of meeting those needs and expectations. Although a large body of literature addresses the implications of customer involvement for project performance, the results of previous research are somewhat inconsistent. This paper explores this issue by examining the differing impact of customer involvement on the development of new products and new services. We propose that the role of customer involvement differs for these two types of innovations, with involvement in the early stages more important for products and involvement in the launch stage more important for services. Our results, based on a comprehensive dataset on customer involvement in innovation, are consistent with such a pattern, suggesting that more attention should be paid to the conditional benefits of customer involvement in different types of solution development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies in the literature have addressed the issue of outsourcing in relation to New Product Development (NPD) or R&D processes. However, the issue of how the outsourcing decisions in the NPD process are best undertaken by the firms has not been fully addressed. Understanding factors influencing the decision of innovation outsourcing more likely remains a need within the current research stream. As it stands, the existing literature takes account of neither a complete set of decision making dimensions, nor the specificity of the NPD process, especially when a disruptive technology fosters product innovation. Although these studies have analysed the antecedents of the innovation outsourcing, the decision-making dimensions are not considered in an integrated multidimensional decision-making model, that considers the inter-related effects of their contemporaneous consideration. There are, therefore, significant gaps in the literature, which this article intends to fill. Our study aims to understand how organisations approach outsourcing decisions relating to NPD activities in technology intensive industries, and the performance implications of these decisions. The context of the study is that of aircraft industry. Therefore, this article discusses the findings of an empirical research that explores an embedded and in-depth longitudinal case study, namely, the Boeing 787-8 programme (the first model of the B787 Dreamliner programme). This new aircraft is a disruptive technology product innovation within the industry because it adopts new material technologies that make it possible to meet future customer needs. The programme has radically changed the partnership model adopted in the industry's supply chain. The aim of the empirical research is to verify how the proposed model works to investigate outsourcing strategies related to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner programme. The research question that we aim to answer is: which strategic dimensions in a decision-making model are able to extensively and thoroughly address the outsourcing decisions relating to NPD activities given the hypothesis that a disruptive technology fosters product innovation? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although NPD collaboration with external partners has become the next generation in NPD practice, the discussion concerning how to organize collaboration so as to obtain better results is far from over. Since communication is the most important element in successful interfirm exchange, this study focuses on the impact of collaborative communication and its facets—frequency, formality, reciprocal feedback, and rationality—on NPD collaboration results. In order to explain how collaborative communication can best be managed to enhance NPD collaboration results, this research combines the relational and resource‐based views, proposing the existence of two routes of influence: the direct resource‐based route and the indirect relational route mediated by trust. Using a sample of 207 NPD collaboration projects of innovative firms, empirical findings indicate that reciprocal feedback–rationality and frequency play an important role in product quality and adherence to budget and schedule, respectively, even without trust. Moreover, the trust between partners substantially reinforces the positive influence of reciprocal feedback–rationality on NPD collaboration results and makes the effect of formality significant. Therefore, the two alternative routes are confirmed as important paths to new product success, which provides relevant managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Fatores de sucesso no processo de desenvolvimento de produtos (PDP) em empresas de pequeno e médio porte (PMEs) do setor de equipamentos médico-hospitalares, do Estado de São Paulo, são identificados e analisados. Um modelo conceitual para explicar o relacionamento entre práticas de gestão do PDP e o desempenho dos novos produtos foi elaborado e testado. O modelo considera oito fatores: vantagem (ou diferenciação) do produto, habilidades de marketing, fontes de tecnologia, habilidades da empresa, habilidades do líder de projeto, integração funcional, organização da equipe de projeto e qualidade de execução do PDP. Uma pesquisa de levantamento (survey) foi realizada em 30 empresas desse setor, obtendo-se dados de 49 projetos de novos produtos. Os resultados apontam que a gestão do PDP, nessas empresas, deve atentar para ações que promovam as habilidades de marketing e a integração funcional durante o PDP e a qualidade na execução das atividades de pré-desenvolvimento, pois esses fatores, em relação aos demais, têm um impacto positivo relativamente maior no sucesso do novo produto.Critical success factors in new product development (NPD) in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the medical device industry are identified and analyzed. A conceptual model to explain the relationship between management practices and NPD performance was developed and tested. The model considers eight factors: product advantage, marketing skills, sources of technology, company skills, project leader skills, cross-functional integration, project teams' organization, and NPD proficiency. A survey was carried out in 30 companies in this industry collecting data from 49 new product projects. The results highlight the importance for this industry to emphasize activities related to marketing skills, cross-functional integration, and NPD proficiency since these factors have a positive influence on the new product success. Theoretical and managerial implications of the article are presented.

Since the 20th century, 90 years, the number of patent applications for intelligent industrial robots worldwide continues to grow rapidly,new technical items are emerging, related technology more and more attention by the world, related research and development is rapidly developing. Patent literature is a very important source of scientific and technological information, whether it is to apply for patents, declare the subject, or the development of new products, dealing with patent infringement disputes, are inseparable from the patent literature search. With the continuous development of network technology, patent search system after another. Ordinary users want to accurately select the database, fast, comprehensive and accurate access to the required patent information, need to master the scope of the respective database included and understand the advantages and disadvantages of each database. Intelligent industrial robots patent search platform in the field of patent data in the screening, cleaning, finishing, processing, to form a database of thematic patents. The patent database includes basic data, enhanced data and technical field data, and with the software platform to install the service to the local. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formal new product development (NPD) processes have become an important tool in NPD management. However, our understanding of what makes formal NPD process implementation successful in terms of acceptance and performance is still limited. This paper contributes to an improved understanding of factors affecting the acceptance and use of formal NPD processes. Our results show that acceptance of formal NPD processes is determined by several factors, such as ease of use, transparency of discourse, continuous improvement, involvement of NPD actors, and the ability to bridge differences in thinking. Furthermore, that acceptance of formal NPD processes affects NPD performance positively. These results draw on data from a survey posted to employees working for nine large manufacturers of commercial vehicles worldwide. The results should encourage managers to consider and enhance the factors affecting acceptance. This could be done through using new media for publication to increase transparency and perceived ease of use of the NPD process. Further acceptance of the formal NPD process is increased if it mirrors an operative reality and if organisational structures for improvement of the process are implemented and inclusive to employees involved in NPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the help of new design tools, manufacturing-integrated solutions can be generated that concurrently consider function and process. Based on the design pattern matrix, solution elements can be developed that realize the product function by systematically utilizing manufacturing-induced properties. The developed manufacturing-integrated product solutions are refined using computer-aided methods (feature-based modeling and information modeling). A product embodiment is generated that is specifically tailored to the chosen manufacturing technology. An integrated information model allows the introduced tools to be used throughout the entire development process. The example of a linear flow split snap-fit fastening illustrates how the tools beneficially interact and realize manufacturing potential, resulting in an innovative product design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several new product development (NPD) scholars have argued that formal processes should be used when selecting incremental new product ideas for advancement at the very beginning of the fuzzy front end (FFE), but that such formal processes may be less beneficial when selecting radical new product ideas. However, arguments also exist for using formal idea selection processes for both types of new product ideas. In practice, informal processes are used for selecting both idea types and more formal processes are used for selecting radical ideas. Unequivocal empirical evidence for either of the opposing views or practices is lacking. This study sheds light on this matter using data from 161 of the firms that participated in the Product Development and Management Association's latest (2012) Comparative Performance Assessment Study. The results reveal that the highest idea success rate (i.e., the proportion of selected ideas that are eventually launched as new products and are successful in the marketplace) is associated with firms' use of formal processes to select the vast majority of both incremental and radical new product ideas for advancement. This finding supports earlier claims that even for (raw) idea selection processes that take place at the very beginning of the FFE, managers need to adopt a portfolio perspective and consistently use formal idea advancement selection processes to ensure attaining the right balance between radical and incremental projects in later stages of the NPD pipeline to enhance overall NPD success. Notably, this finding shows that common managerial practices of using inconsistent approaches for selecting radical and incremental ideas for advancement need to be reconsidered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, based on the Comparative Performance Assessment Study survey conducted by the Product Development Management Association, the authors develop and test a model which considers the antecedents and performance outcomes of social cohesion, a seemingly critical organizational factor in new product development (NPD). Using a sample of over 450 innovation and product development professionals from North America, Europe, and Asia, social cohesion is conceptualized and tested across three levels-within team cohesion, between team cohesion, and between firm cohesion. The results of a structural equation model indicate several differences between the antecedents of the varying forms of social cohesion. A post hoc exploration of the difference between goods- versus service-dominant firms provides a clearer picture of cohesion's influence on innovation outcomes. Specifically, within team and between team cohesion are positively associated with new services performance, while for traditional goods-based NPD, within team, between team, and between firm cohesion all appear to be positively related to performance. The findings suggest that high social cohesion is not always optimal and that managers should focus on specific types or levels of social cohesion as opposed to thinking about social cohesion as a one-dimensional construct. The findings also suggest that goods- and service-centric firms can use different tactics or strategies to drive social cohesion and, ultimately, new product performance, and that innovation managers may need to allocate resources differently depending on the nature of the market offering being developed. The paper also presents several implications for theory and practice, as well as future research directions related to the various levels of social cohesion and their influence on new product and new service performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambidexterity, defined as the capability to develop both incremental and radical innovations, is an important driver of firm success. Idea generation is an essential starting point for both types of innovation. Therefore, this study investigates whether ambidextrous idea generation, defined as the capability to actively generate both incremental and radical ideas, affects new product development (NPD) success. Analyses on the Comparative Performance Assessment Study (CPAS) data, which includes data from 453 companies distributed over 24 countries, demonstrate that ambidextrous idea generation does indeed affect NPD program success. Consequently, this study also investigates which antecedents foster ambidextrous idea generation. The innovation paradox concept predicts that achieving ambidexterity requires overcoming paradoxical antecedents. Therefore, we tested whether combinations of financial and breakthrough orientations (the paradox of strategic emphasis), a formal innovation process and an innovation culture (the paradox of innovation drivers), tight and loose customer coupling (the paradox of customer orientation), and internal development and external collaboration (the paradox of openness) affects ambidextrous idea generation. The results show that only customer orientation and openness have the expected inverted u-shaped effect. These finding are in line with construal level theory, which predicts that the organizational characteristics that influence idea-generation activity must be at the same construal level to have the desired effect. The contribution of this study is twofold. First, the analyses indicate that ambidextrous idea generation has significant repercussions for the entire NPD program. Second, the results show that resolving innovation paradoxes only has an effect if the construal level of the paradox and the activity match. This finding indicates an important boundary condition for the innovation paradox concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, the understanding among scholars and practitioners has been that a portfolio of NPD projects is the expression of a firm's strategy and thus it must support the strategy. In keeping with this view, the current study focuses on new product development (NPD) portfolio planning, which is defined as a firm's effort to formulate portfolio decisions using a defined innovation strategy. Connecting portfolio decisions to a defined innovation strategy has been associated with higher innovation success. Surprisingly, empirical research indicates that portfolio decisions do not always support the company's innovation strategy. Furthermore, during recent years, an increasing number of authors underscore the importance of responsiveness and adaptability in portfolio decision-making. The current study addresses these two issues by examining a direct effect of decentralization in strategy-making on NPD portfolio planning, and a moderating effect of decentralization in strategy-making on the relationship between NPD portfolio planning and NPD program success. The study also examines the influence of national culture on the proposed relationships. The theoretical model was tested using data from the 2012 PDMA Comparative Performance Assessment Study. Findings indicate that NPD portfolio planning positively influences NPD program success. Also, results revealed inverted U-shaped direct and moderating effects, respectively, of decentralization in strategy-making on NPD portfolio planning, and of decentralization in strategy-making on the relationship between NPD portfolio planning and NPD program success. With regard to the moderating effect of national culture, results indicate that uncertainty avoidance does not moderate the relationship between NPD portfolio planning and NPD program success. Nonetheless, we found significant moderating effects of individualism and power distance on the curvilinear relationship between decentralization in strategy-making and NPD portfolio planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the application of multi-agent system to support decision-making process in design for recycling is presented. The design for recycling term is highlighted either as the design problem or from the point of view of regulations. The structure of agent system supporting the designer during the design process is showed. The basis of special kind of product model, that is the extension of standard 3D product model, called recycling-oriented product model, is described. The example results of analysis, based on real household appliance model, are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When confronted with new product development (NPD), managers generally adopt quick fixes such as benchmarking with competing products and then attempting incremental changes over the competitors' product features. There are several approaches propounded in the past. Some focus on manufacturing, some on marketing and perception, and some on idea generation and stage-gating these concepts. However, a comprehensive approach seems to be missing. This paper attempts to suggest a comprehensive framework that could be used for products as well as services, by start-ups and conglomerates alike, for processes as well as organization design. This study includes an analysis of existing literature on NPD and an exploratory activity to identify all possible attributes of a product or service. The exploratory study was conducted with multiple groups of participants. Each group was given a different product or a service for analysis. They were asked to brainstorm in a systematic manner and list down everything that they liked/disliked or had suggestions about the product or service that they were analyzing. A comprehensive master-list of these attributes was then created to form the framework. An exhaustive list of forty-five attributes was compiled. These attributes are representatives of the latent needs and aspirations of consumers and can be used as a starting point of any new product or service development/upgradation process. This framework is equally applicable for processes and organizational design as it is for products and services. It can be used by managers in large as well as small organizations. It can also be used by faculty in management schools who teach Innovation and NPD as also faculty in a design school. The proposed framework can be used while designing systems for community-building too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main focus of this paper is how the concept design phase of the product development process can be improved by using an objective data-driven approach in selecting a final concept design to progress further. A quantitative new test-bed ‘Product Optimisation Value Engineering’ (PROVEN) is presented to critically assess new and evolving powertrain technologies at the concept design phase. The new test-bed has the ability to define a technology value map to assess multiple technical options as a function of its attributes, whose precise values can be determined at a given cost. A mathematical model that incorporates a highly adaptable, data-driven and multi-attribute value approach to product specification and conceptual design is developed, novel to the concept design process. This creates a substantially optimised product offering to the market, reducing overall development costs while achieving customer satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a method for selection of the new product development (NPD) project team members, in such a way to maximize the expertise level of team members and at the same time, optimize knowledge sharing in the organization. Design/methodology/approach – According to the motivation-opportunity-ability framework, knowledge sharing antecedents were determined. Then, the problem of selecting appropriate members of the project team was formulated as a bi-objective integer non-linear programming model. Due to the uncertainty conditions in the evaluation of candidates, the fuzzy sets approach was used for modeling. To solve the problem, first, the non-linear programming model was converted to a linear model. Subsequently, the fuzzy bi-objective linear programming problem was solved by using an approximate algorithm. Findings – Results of applying the proposed method to an Iranian ship-building company showed its effectiveness in selecting appropriate members of the project team. Practical implications – With the aid of the proposed approach, project managers will be able to form effective project teams that while increasing the success probability of the project, facilitate the maintenance of knowledge acquired during the project lifecycle. Originality/value – This paper, for the first time, has tried to provide a method for selecting the NPD project team members, in a way that while selecting candidates with highest expertise, maximizes the sharing of knowledge among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.Findings When it comes to innovation, the common perception of the kinds of innovation that are effective are often way out of line with what actually creates value for firms. Take the service sector – despite its huge size and domination of mature economies such as the UK, innovation will not be regarded as important outside of web design or digital development. However, there are so many ways in which true innovation can disrupt, revolutionize or create an entire new market in ways that does not involve tech teams at all.Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]