Abstract
This article aims to analyze how the company’s resources related to the New Product Development (NPD) process are arranged when sustainability is present in the corporate strategy. The relationships between resources and capabilities present in the technology and product funnels are analyzed, followed by a qualitative approach. The case analyzed is a market leader and pioneer company in Brazil with a sustainable approach in its processes and strategy. Different sources of data were accessed. 26 semi-structured interviews were made with different areas involved in NPD (technology and product development, planning, purchasing, engineering, process management, biodiversity management, marketing and sustainability). The case study sought to reinforce validity and reliability through multiple sources of information and access to the research documents for the interviewees. The analysis was based on the funnels of technology and product. The results suggest that when sustainability is present in the corporate strategy, the NPD process combines the existing resources with new ones, incorporating them into the guidelines concerning sustainability requirements, bringing innovation into the company’s practice. New actors also are present in the process and consequently the complexity is increased. Keywords: resource-based view, new product development, sustainability, case study.
Highlights
New Product Development (NPD) is recognized as one of the chief processes of innovation, which accounts for a vast array of literature on the theme (Krishnan and Ulrich, 2001)
The different resources related to NPD and fundamental to the incorporation of sustainability in the corporate strategy which we found are the following: founders’ presence and profile; company’s culture, reputation, identity and brand image; relationship with the sales channel; capability to raise external financial resources for innovation
The operational capabilities related to NPD observed in the case study are embedded in the competences
Summary
New Product Development (NPD) is recognized as one of the chief processes of innovation, which accounts for a vast array of literature on the theme (Krishnan and Ulrich, 2001). There are few studies that provide a broader perspective associating NPD and sustainability, especially in an approach that considers more dynamic conditions of the competitive environment. In this context, NPD and sustainability may develop a bilateral relationship in which sustainability might be a driving force that generates innovation (Nidumolu et al, 2009). We consider the innovation process and sustainability as potential sources of competitive advantage (Angell and Klassen, 1999; Linton et al, 2007)
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