Product Development Project Teams Research Articles

A process framework of shared leadership emergence in product development project teams

Shared leadership is a complex phenomenon as it is a dynamic, interactive, and cyclic process that is shared among several team members at different times. The focus of research on shared leadership is on the preconditions and consequences of shared leadership, but little is known about the process of its emergence. In our study, we take a process perspective to gain deep insights into the emergence of shared leadership. In an exploratory case study, data were collected through observation of team meetings, semi-structured interviews and internal project documents and analysed via a coding process and content analysis. Based on our findings, we develop a process framework for the emergence of shared leadership in a product development project team. We make several contributions. First, we extend the theory of shared leadership by adding a process framework for the emergence of shared leadership in product development project teams. Second, we enhance the leadership emergence theory to include additional antecedents and process mechanisms. Third, we extend the functional leadership theory by identifying the occurrence of leadership functions. The practical contributions we make are relevant for project managers/sub-project leaders and team members to promote and develop shared leadership in product development project teams.

Shared Leadership Emergence in Product Development Project Teams—A Reflective Practice Perspective

Many researchers believe that leadership is “the most critical ingredient of team success”. The paper presents a shared leadership emergence in product development project teams. We conducted two steps research, by applying reflective practice perspective approach in the semi structured interviews and workshops within the German company which represents a dynamic and changing environment, and practice shared leadership in product development project teams. Results show alignment with previous theory about the topic, but also added new viewpoints trough glasses of practitioners. They believe that complex environment is the main driver for shared leadership, where emergence as an informal process and factors in practice are hard to be influenced. The findings show that interactions between people and team dynamics play a central role in shared leadership emergence and the resulting increase in the complexity of the leadership construct. This paper contributes to shared leadership research by adding a reflective practice dimension and bridging the theory with practice.

Hybrid project management solutions with multi-geographical teams

Delivering a project has several challenges to be addressed, and to mitigate them, multiple approaches have arisen and suggested as best practices to stakeholders' satisfaction. This research presents a proposal to manage communication inside a virtual project team, adapting concepts from traditional and agile approaches into a hybrid framework, created using the action research spiral approach to evaluate the performance. It was possible to implement three action-research cycles, considering the spiral approach, starting will a diagnosis of the team, followed by action planning and implementation in a two month cycle, finishing with evaluation of the results and collection of feedbacks and potentials improvements. This paper describes all the process, tools and communication structure implemented in a product development project team of an industrial company for a period of six months. The results show that the team became project oriented, increasing trust among members and the alignment of dependencies between areas.

The Effect of Complexity and Work Motivation on The Performance of Minor Change-Scale Product Development Projects In Automotive Manufacturing Industry

The increasing market competition in the Indonesian automotive manufacturing industry requires automotive manufacturing companies to adapt to changes through product development activities. Unfortunately, failure in product development projects is still high. One of the possible key factors of a successful product development project is work motivation. Another factor that is suspected to affect is the complexity of the project. Therefore, this study aims to find the effect of work motivation and project complexity on product development project performance. The research was conducted on 94 members of product development project team in Indonesian automotive manufacturing industry with a minor change scale using purposive sampling. Data was collected through online questionnaire with a response rate of 65.7% and then analyzed using PLS - SEM. The results of the study showed that project complexity had a positive effect on work motivation and otherwise on project performance. On the other hand, it turns out that work motivation is not proven to affect the performance of product development projects in the automotive manufacturing industry in Indonesia.

Performance evaluation of automotive product development team members based on a PLM system: A case study of M Automotive Products Company.

Based on product lifecycle management (PLM) theory and social comparison theory, this paper constructs a performance ranking model of automobile product development project team members, uses an active server provider (ASP) to develop the system, realizes the online operation and real-time analysis of the performance management system, and solves the problems of the low efficiency, low morale and unfair assessment of product development team members caused by traditional performance assessment. The performance management platform for the team members of the automotive product development project uses a PLM system to realize a systematic and standardized list of project functions and provide a performance appraisal management system that can be evaluated and fairly compared for project team members. Based on the performance appraisal practice of automotive product development project team members of M Automotive Products Company, this study verified the feasibility of the ranking model's transformation to work habits based on the predetermined and result data of the mission completion rate, the punctuality rate and the degree of improvement of the management level of product development project team. Through the tracking of the team performance ranking function, it is found that the model can solve the problems of untimely assessment and insufficient incentives in the current traditional performance appraisal, enhance the overall enthusiasm of the team, and give full play to the subjective initiative of the team.

Open creative workspaces impacts for new product development team creativity and effectiveness

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to further explore the relationship between new product development project teams and their workspace regarding the impact of the physical (space variety, indoor environmental quality, large meeting room, workstation) and sociotechnical environments (project commitment, IT environment) on their creativity and effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach The authors gathered data on an enterprise’s ten multidisciplinary teams operating in diverse workspaces by four means: over 40 interviews and four months of observation, secondary data and a survey with 645 responses. Findings For teams co-located on site and abroad, employees express that proximity in open space is paramount even considering the augmented density. The relationship between team effectiveness and team creativity is strong and bidirectional (correlationβ = 0.40****), but the patterns of relationship between these two variables and certain dimensions of the physical and sociotechnical environment are different. There is a positive and direct impact on team effectiveness, but to a lesser degree on creativity which, in turn, positively influences team effectiveness. Moreover, creativity intervenes (mediator variable) between project commitment, satisfaction with large meeting rooms and the IT environment on their relationship with team effectiveness. When the authors added a direct link between the variables and team effectiveness, the model explains 47.1 per cent of the variance. Research limitations/implications The scope of the data is somewhat limited by the time that the company and its teams could allocate to this paper. Practical implications The arrangement of space reinforces employees’ sense of belonging to their team as measured by project commitment which along with satisfaction with the large meeting rooms and IT environment influence both team effectiveness and creativity. Managers could consider these three elements as levers for action. Space variety (or balanced layout) is also a way to support team creativity. Originality/value Even if open spaces are frequently used, the literature on creative spaces is dedicated mainly to an individual. This paper delivers some results and evidence on the concrete and simultaneous impacts of the workspaces on creativity and effectiveness of multidisciplinary new product development (NPD) team.

Transforming collective knowledge into team intelligence: the role of collective teaching

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the pivotal role that collective teaching plays in knowledge transfer between new product development teams. This study develops a theoretical model of collective teaching, where team intelligence is its consequence and learning orientation cognitive skills are moderators.Design/methodology/approachBased on a questionnaire survey of 156 pairs of new product development project teams of information technology firms, the authors used partial least squares to test the study’s hypotheses.FindingsThe findings reveal that the use of collective teaching is positively related to team intelligence of recipient teams. In addition, T-shaped skills of source teams exert positive moderating influence on this relationship and so does a learning orientation of recipient teams.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the sample firms used in the study are from the IT industry, which is characterized by extremely short product life cycles, thereby limiting the generalizability of the study’s findings. Second, the authors did not examine whether the effect of T-shaped skills is different at various NPD stages; the contributions of each functional expertise may vary depending on the NPD stage (e.g. the idea generation or pre-launch stage). Third, the use of cross-sectional design precludes a causal inference. The role of focal constructs and moderators and their consequent effects would benefit from more stringent, longitudinal research. Finally, the authors controlled for only a limited set of factors of team intelligence because other potential antecedents of this variable still await identification by future studies.Practical implicationsThis study suggests that the implementation of collective teaching can enhance the capacity of a project team as a whole to manage and innovate information, namely, team intelligence. The study’s findings also suggest that the management must recognize the significance of teams’ learning orientation and thereby proactively develop teams’ learning culture by redesigning work, reward systems or performance evaluation to promote learning. Additionally, it is prudent for managers to reconsider their recruitment criteria to incorporate T-shaped skills.Originality/valueThis study represents the first step in developing an empirically grounded framework linking collective teaching with team intelligence. Additionally, the authors confirm that team intelligence is a four-dimensional construct.

An integrative model for knowledge transfer between new product development project teams

Knowledge transfer (KT) between new product development (NPD) project teams is considered by many authors as a process. A variety of works in literature have proposed models to elucidate such a KT process and its stages. However, the nomenclature used to describe these models and the proposed KT stages present large heterogeneity. Researchers from different fields have studied the KT processes; hence, there have been different interpretations or approaches for the same problem. This study presents a comparison of 14 KT models organized in two main research approaches: the emergent approach (which considers the dynamics and integration of the team) and the engineering approach (which considers the organization and management of knowledge). The comparison is based on content analysis. The main contribution of this paper is the proposition of a new model for KT between NPD project teams, integrating the previous models so as to provide a more complete and consistent KT framework.

The Effects of Incentive Mechanism on Knowledge Management Performance in China: The Moderating Role of Knowledge Attributes

Knowledge management of a new product development project team is critical for a firm's competitive advantage, and incentive mechanism is one of the most effective knowledge management drives. In this paper, we examined the effects of non-financial incentive and team-based financial incentive on knowledge management performance in China and identified the moderating effects of knowledge attributes (codifiability and teachability). Our findings indicate that non-financial incentive and team-based financial incentive have positive effects on knowledge management performance. Codifiability and teachability enhance the team-based financial incentive–knowledge management performance relationship. Finally, implications for research and practice are discussed.

Utilização da ti para transferência de conhecimentos entre equipes de desenvolvimento de produto: comparação entre equipes virtuais e co-localizadas

A utilização das tecnologias da informação (TI) para a transferência de conhecimentos (TC) entre equipes de desenvolvimento de produto depende da estratégia de trabalho adotada, podendo ser trabalho em equipes virtuais ou co-localizadas. Assim sendo, este artigo tem por objetivo analisar as características da TI utilizada para a TC nestes dois tipos de estratégias, comparando as diferenças entre as mesmas. Para tanto, foi realizado um estudo de caso em duas empresas multinacionais do setor de máquinas agrícolas, cada uma destas com um tipo diferente de estratégia de trabalho de equipes de projeto. Observou-se que a empresa com equipes co-localizadas utiliza TI principalmente para a retenção de conhecimento em fontes explícitas, uma vez que a TC acontece principalmente por canais informais que levam ao risco de perda do conhecimento. Por outro lado, a empresa com equipes virtuais investe em tipos de TI que ajudem a superar as distâncias físicas e culturais entre os participantes de diferentes países. Os resultados também apresentam uma análise comparativa das características da TI em cada estratégia, utilizando-se para isto uma abordagem sociotécnica que considera quatro áreas de análises na utilização da TI: Pessoas, Tecnologias, Organização do Trabalho e Meio Ambiente.

Organizing for innovation in a product development project: Combining innovative and result oriented ways of working – A case study

This case study investigates how leadership and management support creativity and innovation in the operative work of a product development project team. The aim of the study was to investigate factors that support the generation of new and innovative ideas as well as the efficient evaluation and implementation of ideas into a product. The aim was also to enhance the understanding of innovation when a project is characterized by pressure in terms of tight schedules, the need for progress, and a shortage of competencies. The investigated project provides an example of how innovation in a PD project benefits from pressure. The result shows how the following support a project team’s performance and enhance innovation: a clear vision – accompanied by freedom in the realization of that vision, transparency in the product architecture, enhanced communication and problem ownership. The results show also the interplay between leadership skills, individual characteristics (such as competence, attitude and motivation) and project characteristics (such as sense of urgency and a unique product).

Transactive memory system in new product development teams

With the increasing popularity of collective memory in the group behavior literature, the transactive memory system (TMS) attracts many researchers and practitioners from different fields, in particular, small group research. Nevertheless, the application of the theory of TMS on new product development teams is surprisingly scant. We argue that the TMS leverages the notion of project-team memory, which is mostly equated with mechanistic memory or electronic documents and databases, by facilitating an interpersonal awareness of who knows what and who has appropriate and adequate skills and expertise, and then receiving information from that person. We then empirically test the effects of TMS on new product development outcomes including mediating and moderating factors, i.e., the collective mind and environmental turbulence, respectively. By investigating 79 Turkish new product development project teams, we found that: 1) the TMS has a positive impact on team learning and speed-to-market; 2) the collective mind (i.e., team members' attention to interrelating actions) mediates relations between the TMS, team learning, and speed-to-market; and 3) team learning and speed-to-market mediates relations between the TMS and new product success. Further, the moderating effect of environmental turbulence is investigated between the TMS, and team learning and speed-to-market. We found that the impact of the TMS on: 1) speed-to-market is negative when market and technology turbulence associated with the environment is high and 2) team learning changes quadratically with respect to the market and technology turbulence. Theoretical and managerial implications of the study findings are discussed.

Trade-offs between knowledge exploitation and exploration activities

This paper explores trade-offs between knowledge exploitation and exploration activities. The study of exploitation and exploration activities is not new; however, rarely has past research perceived exploitation and exploration activities as two edges of one continuum. Furthermore, little evidence has been reported as to the actual trade-offs that firms face when launching either exploration or exploitation activities. This paper sets about filling this gap by addressing the following question: To what extent does an investment in one exploitation activity hinder the development of an exploration activity within the firm? A new process innovation targeting the exploitation of the firm's internal capabilities through an extensive component reuse and reconfiguration program is studied and the implications for inter-related exploration activities, such as the development of engineers' expertise is examined. To reveal the trade-offs between exploration and exploitation activities, both changes within and between these exploitation and exploration activities, over time, are studied. Based on data drawn from an in-depth study of several product development project teams in one high-tech company, we conclude that by investing in exploitation activities, a firm may limit some specific exploration activities.

Distributed new product development project based on internet and world-wide web: A case study

The deluge of hype about the wonders of the Internet, Intranets, and the World Wide Web continues unabated. At the same time, we hear numerous tales about endless streams of busy signals, broken connections, and painfully slow response times. Surveying the apparent gap between the promise and the often-painful reality, a skeptical manager might reasonably question whether this technology can satisfy the rigorous demands of business users such as product development project teams. In a case study of a large, geographically distributed product development project, Ari-Pekka Hameri and Jukka Nihtilä find that Web-based applications can play an important role in new-product development (NPD) efforts. Particularly when projects involve numerous teams from various locations, such tools can provide effective media for communicating and disseminating information. The case study also suggests that these networked information technology (IT) applications can offer important benefits in terms of project and process management. The project described in this study involves a major NPD collaboration, with several independent subprojects and hundreds of team members from various research institutes and companies. The Internet and the World Wide Web provide the media for managing and disseminating project data. Using hypertext links, the Web-based system gives team members easy access to engineering drawings, 3D models, parameter lists, prototype test results, and other engineering information. The point-and-click interface also allows team members to access information about the project structure and schedules, as well as meeting notes, newsgroups, and electronic bulletin boards. Analysis of the file-transfer activities between the Web server and the project groups highlights several important points regarding networked IT applications, information sharing, and project management. First, the system used in this project serves primarily for disseminating information, rather than for fostering collaboration between different groups. Increased collaboration among networked team members probably requires more sophisticated version- and configuration-management capabilities. Second, file-transfer activities typically come in bursts around project milestones; this highlights the essential role that project milestones play in coordinating the work of distributed team members. The electronic media enhance not only the work leading up to milestones, but also the dissemination of decisions made at each milestone.

Book Reviews

We have reviews of five books that deserve practitioners' attention. The first review discusses the sixth book about accelerating new product development that we have recently reviewed. The McGrath et al. book will be of particular value to those readers who work in large firms on large new product development projects. The second and third reviews cover second editions of significant books. Randy Englund's review of Russ Archibald's book on project management emphasizes how this discipline has value to all new product development project teams. James Scheu reports that George Gruenwald's useful book is of special value to those working in the package goods industry.The last two reviews stress aspects of teamwork. George Castellion notes that the book by Katzenbach and Smith helpfully illuminates the difference between teamwork and teams. Randy Englund's review of the book by Jeffrey Pfeffer draws our attention to the role and potential abuse of a manager's power in product development.