New Product Development Teams Research Articles

The Relationship Between Unlearning and Innovation Ambidexterity with the Performance of New Product Development Teams

Previous research has suggested that unlearning is not linked to performance improvements in a team setting. Further, unlearning may have deleterious effects on performance outcomes because when it happens, teams are likely to lose the way they perform tasks and the reasons for their operational existence. In contrast, this study predicts that teams can conduct exploitative and exploratory activities in a balanced manner predicated on unlearning practices to improve new product development (NPD) performance. We hypothesized that while unlearning allows NPD teams to balance exploitative and exploratory learning activities, simultaneous yet balanced exploitation and exploration at high levels, namely innovation ambidexterity, links unlearning practices to NPD performance. This occurs by providing task-relevant knowledge for the replacement of outdated routines and beliefs during NPD processes. Data were collected from 198 NPD teams (i.e., 464 individual participants). The examination of ordinary least squares regression-based path analyses revealed that innovation ambidexterity mediates the relationship of unlearning with NPD performance, operationalized as product development speed, cost, and product success. Overall, this study shows that the unlearning-performance relationship occurs through simultaneous exploitative and exploratory learning activities in a balanced manner.

How should a team be rewarded to improve quality performance of NPD?

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the impact of team rewards (TR) on quality performance of new product development (NPD). In particular, the authors analyze whether the use of TR affects the performance of NPD team projects in not only accomplishing their work as a team and the outcomes of their performance but also considering the enhancement of the involvement of both internal functions and external actors (suppliers and customers) in the early stages of NPD.Design/methodology/approachThe association of TRs on quality performances of new products is theoretically approached. Seven research hypotheses are proposed to be tested with an international database from the high performance manufacturing project. Empirical strategy includes structural equation modeling.FindingsThe authors observed that TR does not produce a direct effect on quality performance of NPD, but does so mediated through the involvement of SC members in the early stages of NPD. This paper highlights that, without involvement of external and internal supply chain actors, it is not possible to obtain desired performance of new products.Originality/valueThis study advances the study of TR on quality performance of NPD by considering TR as a tool for in-group work involving different and distant actors in the process of NPD. The analysis considers different dimensions of quality performance of NPD, distinguishing between time to market, technical issues and cost of manufacturing, which have usually been considered in an aggregated way. Empirical evidence using an ample database including manufacturing companies from fourteen countries

The mediation effects of team information processing on new product development success: revising the role of innovation orientation and team unlearning

PurposeAlthough previous studies noted the importance for organizations in establishing an innovation strategy, few have examined innovation orientation as a multidimensional knowledge configuration. Therefore, this study draws on the valuable theoretical underpinnings of the resource-based view and information processing theory to examine the mechanism through which an organization's innovation orientation (IO) and team unlearning (TU) can impact new product development (NPD) success.Design/methodology/approachA causal model was developed in order to analyze the role of innovation orientation and team unlearning on NPD success. This proposed model and several hypotheses were gauged using data from 255 NPD team members from Taiwanese high-tech and traditional companies.FindingsThe results indicate that both IO and TU relate to outcomes. Specifically, this study demonstrates that it is insufficient that firms simply establish the configurations needed to enhance their IO and TU, firms also need to find out the correct mechanism to enhance NPD success. The relationships between IO, TU and NPD success were fully mediated by team information processing.Originality/valueThis report sheds light on the importance of innovation orientation and team unlearning in today's NPD process and uncovers the underlying mechanism through which IO and TU contribute to NPD success. It also offers precise advice for the assessment of management of team information-processing to boost the performance of new products.

Exploring the link between uncertainty and project activities in new product development

Uncertainty is central to engineering design and new product development (NPD). While there has been substantial focus on dealing with uncertainty in technical systems and design information, how engineering designers react to and manage uncertainty is also critical to performance. However, an important gap remains in understanding what activities NPD teams engage in based on the specific uncertainty types they face. This gap is investigated via a conceptual framework detailing four uncertainty types (technical, organisational, resource and market) and three project activities (information, knowledge sharing and representation). Evidence is presented from two engineering design cases with 45 interviews, observations, and secondary data. Based on this, specific links are described between uncertainty type and project activity as follows: technical uncertainty drove representation activity, organisational uncertainty drove knowledge sharing activity, resource uncertainty drove knowledge sharing activity, and market uncertainty drove information activity. These findings are developed into a number of propositional relationships between the four uncertainty types and specific project activities, which form the basis for a number of implications for engineering design research and practice.

Extrinsic Rewards, Intrinsic Motivation, and New Product Development Performance

Reward structures can have a significant impact on the performance of new product development (NPD) teams. However, there are several gaps in our understanding of how different types of extrinsic rewards influence the creative performance of NPD teams. Drawing on key theoretical objectives for advancing rewards‐creativity research in general, and NPD research in particular, this study incorporates a cognitive and behavioral view of rewards use. In so doing, we distinguish between three kinds of extrinsic rewards: financial, recognition, and social (based on their properties). We then draw upon self‐determination theory to hypothesize the differential effects of three types of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic task motivation, and subsequently the creative performance of NPD teams. The proposed framework is tested using two rounds of survey data from 238 members of 64 NPD teams in the high‐tech industry. Results of a multilevel structural equation modeling (MLSEM) analysis show that financial rewards have a negative relationship with intrinsic task motivation, while recognition and social rewards have a positive influence. Complexity of the product being developed not only helps to mitigate the negative effects of financial rewards on intrinsic task motivation, but it also reduces the positive effects of social rewards on intrinsic task motivation. Intrinsic task motivation is found to have a positive effect on NPD creative performance in terms of both the developed product’s degree of innovation and its quality. Theoretical and managerial implications are explored.

The influence of leadership styles on new product development performance: the moderating effect of product innovativeness

PurposeThis article aims to examine the impact of leadership styles on new product development (NPD) and how product innovativeness of NPD projects moderates this impact. The results reveal the implications of different product innovativeness for leaders of NPD projects in achieving successful outcomes.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through a questionnaire survey of NPD team members who were involved in NPD. Participants were employees from different departments, including research and development (R&D), quality control (QC), production and marketing. These individuals worked in innovative manufacturing industries such as automotive and auto parts and electronics.FindingsResults show that transformational leadership has a significantly positive effect on new product success and NPD speed, whereas transactional leadership has a significantly negative effect on both outcomes. Furthermore, the positive impact of transformational leadership on new product success for high innovativeness is stronger than for low innovativeness. In addition, the negative impact of transactional leadership on both new product success and speed for high innovativeness is stronger than for low innovativeness.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the sample size was fairly small because of limited access to middle-level management and low willingness to share information involving the firms' production. Second, since both transformational and transactional leaderships are multidimensional, each dimension may affect performance in different ways. Third, the respondents were mainly from a single department which could omit varying perspectives.Practical implicationsThe research findings provide recommendations on how different leadership styles support team members to effectively perform NPD tasks in either high or low innovativeness.Originality/valueThis study extends the theory of leadership by providing a holistic understanding of how leadership styles affect NPD performance. It also extends the understanding of how the impact of two different leadership styles on NPD performance is moderated by product innovativeness.

Improving new product development innovation effectiveness by using problem solving tools during the conceptual development phase: Integrating Design Thinking and TRIZ

The objective of this research is to improve innovation effectiveness during new product development (NPD) processes in industry by using problem‐solving techniques during the conceptual development phase. The concept phase of physical NPDs is widely recognized in the literature as the time when the target market is identified, alternative product concepts are created and evaluated for further development and testing, also called the “fuzzy front end” or “discovery stage”. Design Thinking (DT) and TRIZ were the chosen problem‐solving techniques to support this stage because of their complementariness. While DT is most recognized as an approach that drives project teams toward the end‐users, TRIZ has its main strength during idea generation and selection processes where it has a robust set of analytical tools to drive NPD teams to a final product concept. After conducting a literature review to understand the strengths and limitations of both techniques, a framework is proposed by integrating them into the conceptual development phase of an industrial NPD process. The proposed framework is then tested and validated after being applied successfully in an NPD process in the automotive industry. The automotive industry is a good example of an incremental type of industry when designing its components for new vehicle models, and is therefore a very appropriate laboratory for validating the proposed framework.

Mediation of scenario planning on the reflection-performance relationship in new product development teams

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to reveal the mediating role of scenario planning between reflection and task performance in new product development (NPD) teams.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional research design was used to collect data from 78 NPD teams and 194 employees. The mediation analyses were conducted through the bootstrap PROCESS macro method.FindingsThe results of this study yielded support for two of three hypotheses. The authors found that the relationship of reflection with product development speed and new product success is mediated by scenario planning. There was no mediation of scenario planning between reflection and product development cost.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings show how teams can capitalize on reflective thinking practices to increase NPD task performance through scenario planning.Practical implicationsThis study provides useful guidelines for team leaders on how to accelerate product development processes and to increase the market success of a new product. Leaders should encourage their teams to review their previous performance metrics with ongoing changes in the business environments.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the mediating role of scenario planning on the reflection–task performance relationship in NPD teams.

Interpersonal Boundary Spanning for Supplier Integration in Complex NPD

Managers often express a desire for better new-product development (NPD) through supplier integration but are just as often unsure how to bring this about and so underutilize a buy strategy or even forgo it altogether. This article argues that integrating suppliers’ design teams in complex NPD requires addressing the fundamental need in these relations for mutual transparency amongst the actors such that they may adaptively substitute knowledge exchanges for their inability to specify otherwise the finished product and subsystem designs. Reporting on a case study of a jet-aircraft development project, lower level boundary spanners are shown to enable this adaptive coordination by selectively deploying from amongst three different boundary-spanning modes to coordinate for the kind of knowledge flow necessary to the situation at hand. Formalization, colocation, and buyer cross-functionality are found to be contingencies important to one or other of these modes. This article offers implications for how better to coordinate a buy strategy for complex NPD, taking also into account the scope of supplier involvement and the level of innovation in the project.

A mathematical model at the detailed design phase in the 3DCE new product development

Recent business environment development forces companies to speed up their new product development (NPD) cycle. The three-dimensional concurrent engineering (3DCE) offers chances to accelerate the process of new product development. However, to date there has been no formal guidelines for 3DCE NPD. This study tries to relate the imperative of concurrency into the stage-gate NPD, especially at the detailed design phase, in which the NPD team is presumed to conduct the decisions on product detailed specifications and production process design simultaneously. A mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) mathematical model was developed to optimize operational manufacturing profit. The main features of the model are to select the best components from available alternative components, to take make-or-buy decision of the components, and to select its suppliers. In addition, the total quality of the components was evaluated and then compared to an expected total quality obtained from the competitors’ product or ideal expectation of the NPD team. A case from a leather bag company was used to demonstrate the model. In this case, sixteen components from 24 alternative components and seven suppliers for a new leather bag product case had to be decided and it was solved by the model. The sensitivity analysis provided evidence of model validity. Finally, a conclusion with several potential future works is provided.

Team Design Thinking, Product Innovativeness, and the Moderating Role of Problem Unfamiliarity

Team design thinking in new product development (NPD) refers to a set of design‐oriented principles that can be embedded in the everyday routines of NPD teams. We theorize that team design thinking enables NPD teams to develop more innovative products––products that are useful and novel––by reducing the routine and cognition‐based inertia that constrains the team’s innovativeness. Through a study of 247 NPD projects, we investigate the relationships between team design thinking, product utility, and product novelty. Further, we also explore whether the team’s unfamiliarity with product contexts influences these relationships. Findings show that team design thinking is positively associated with useful products in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts, but that team design thinking is associated with product novelty only in familiar contexts. Findings also suggest that team design thinking can be framed as a dynamic capability that addresses routine and cognition‐based inertia by expanding the organization’s knowledge resource base, particularly in familiar contexts. A key implication of this research is that team design thinking will influence product utility in a variety of situations, but its influence on product novelty will be evident primarily in familiar contexts.

The Effect of Transactive Memory Systems on Job Stress of New Product Development Teams: Moderating Effects of Project Complexity and Technological Turbulence

Despite significant evidence that new product development (NPD) project teams self-destruct in stressful situations, empirical research on stress interventions is notable sparse. The current article extends research on stress reduction strategies in the context of NPD teams by considering the role of Transactive Memory Systems (TMS) in lowering job stress. Drawing on the job demand-control-support theory, we argue that NPD teams with a strong TMS regulate and address job demands more effectively, have greater control over critical team tasks, and enjoy a supportive team's environment and thus, experience less stress. The article also investigates the moderating effects of project complexity and technological turbulence on the relationship between TMS and job stress. The results, based on data from 140 NPD projects, reveal that a TMS can lower job stress which, in turn, decreases team learning and job satisfaction. Also, TMS appears more effective to reduce stress in situations of high and moderate project complexity and low and medium technological turbulence.

The effect of channel innovation knowledge management on competitive advantage: a dual-path model

ABSTRACTDrawing on organizational learning theory, we integrate channels and NPD perspectives to address whether NPD teams can acquire innovation knowledge from channel partners and apply it to gain competitive advantage. Structural equation modeling using a sample of 205 product managers in U.S. high-technology manufacturing firms illustrates organizational ambidexterity that yields competitive advantage through an exploratory route from product novelty and new market accessibility to market pioneering and an exploitative route from product meaningfulness and channel operation efficiency to product quality superiority. We further develop new measures of channel innovation knowledge acquisition capabilities, channel innovation knowledge application capabilities, and market pioneering.

Improving the new product development using big data: a case study of a food company

Purpose Recently, the concept of big data (BD) has evolved and started to play an essential role in the advancement of new product development (NPD) in various sectors contributing to value creation, idea generation and competitive advantage. However, limited research has been done on how the food industry can exploit BD to improve the processes involved in NPD. The purpose of this paper is to understand the use of BD in new food product development. It helps to find relevant information and integrate sustainability to the early stages of the NPD process in the food industry. Design/methodology/approach This research illustrates a case study of a beverage company wherein they used BD analytics to support their NPD team to launch a two-litre lemonade drink in the market for their retailer with less than 5 g sugar per 100 ml in the shortest possible time. Findings The use of BD helps to reduce NPD costs and time without affecting the taste and on par with competitor’s products. Originality/value The research can support NPD professionals through the application of BD analytics to bring products at lower costs to the market as quickly as possible.

Honor the old, welcome the new: an account of unlearning and forgetting in NPD teams

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the antecedents, levers of control and outcomes of organizational unlearning and forgetting in new product development (NPD) teams. Design/methodology/approach This paper employs a holistic multiple-case study design. This paper gathered data from 30 individual semi-structured interviews in 10 different NPD teams as well as additional data to triangulate the findings. Findings The authors propose a model of unlearning and forgetting elements occurring in NPD teams. The two most prominent factors that hamper innovation are the inability to unlearn and involuntary forgetting. Failure to manage these antecedents results in the loss of crucial resources, missing innovations or intra-team tensions. Managing knowledge loss by promoting unlearning and reducing forgetting leads to enhanced creativity and flexibility, a higher chance of exceeding innovation goals, increased conversion efficiency and augmentation of existing knowledge. Research limitations/implications This paper contributes empirical evidence to the field of unlearning and forgetting. The model illustrates the NPD process from the perspective of organizational unlearning and forgetting. The authors examined the NPD process from an unlearning and forgetting perspective and proposed new categories of antecedents, consequences and managing unlearning and forgetting. This generates a more profound theoretical understanding of underlying knowledge loss processes in NPD teams. Practical implications Companies should promote unlearning and specify spatial and temporal freedom. In doing so, team members can identify outdated and obsolete knowledge. Being attentive to unlearning and forgetting processes allows teams to achieve increased creativity and flexibility. Originality/value This paper provides empirical evidence to generate a more profound understanding of the underlying mechanisms of knowledge loss in NPD teams. First, the authors propose a holistic model of antecedents, levers of control and consequences of both unlearning and forgetting. Second, the authors suggest that organizations can use these levers of control to successfully manage unlearning and forgetting in NPD teams.

When less is more: the downside of customer knowledge sharing in new product development teams

Despite the common belief that knowledge sharing in new product development (NPD) teams is beneficial, empirical findings are mixed. We adopt a microfoundations perspective and draw from the socio-cognitive theory to propose a model that theorizes a nonlinear effect of customer knowledge sharing behaviors on NPD performance. In particular, we identify the underlying mechanism through which shared common customer knowledge and perceived diagnostic value shape the nonlinear returns to customer knowledge sharing behaviors. In Study 1, data from the biotechnology industry provide support for the hypothesis that customer knowledge sharing behaviors in NPD teams have an inverted U-shaped relationship with NPD performance. In Study 2, data from business-to-business (B2B) industries demonstrate that customer knowledge sharing behaviors are positively related to shared common customer knowledge in NPD teams, and the latter has an inverted U-shaped effect on NPD performance. Finally, this nonlinear effect is moderated by the team’s perceived diagnostic value of customer knowledge, such that the inflection point of the inverted U-shaped curve is shifted upward in teams with high levels of perceived diagnostic value of customer knowledge, strengthening the impact of shared common knowledge on NPD performance.

THE EFFECTS OF INNOVATION IMPLEMENTATION AND SPEED TO MARKET ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEAM SENSE-MAKING, TRUST, AND NPD SUCCESS

New product development (NPD) has long been regarded as an important issue for the success of business operations. One of the key determinants of NPD is innovation, which is highly related to innovation implementation. Both innovation implementation and NPD success require team sensemaking and trust. The purpose of this study is to examine the antecedents of innovation implementation and its mediating role through which it influences NPD success. A causal model was developed to examine relevant variables for innovation implementation on NPD success. A survey was conducted using the responses from 286 NPD team leaders in the Taiwanese high-tech industry. The results indicated that team sensemaking and trust can influence innovation implementation, which further promotes NPD success. The influences of team sensemaking capability and trust on NPD success can be mediated through the mediating role that innovation implementation plays. This report sheds light on the relevance of innovation implementation in a NPD context.

Goal orientations, absorptive capacity, and NPD team performance: evidence from China

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between different types of team goal orientations (team learning orientation, team prove orientation and team avoid orientation) and team performance in new product development (NPD) and how these relationships are mediated by team absorptive capacity.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through two surveys from 71 NPD teams and analyzed by the confirmatory factor analysis, correlation and hierarchical regression analysis methods.FindingsThe authors find that both teams’ learning and prove orientations are positively related to their absorptive capacity, which leads to increasing team performance in NPD. Further, the authors find support for the mediating role of team absorptive capacity in connecting team learning orientation and team prove orientation with team performance in NPD.Practical implicationsFor practitioners, this paper suggests that to benefit from their NPD team efforts, firms with innovative aspirations should consider their existing and desired access to external knowledge sources and particularly the extent to which they can successfully integrate external knowledge with their internal knowledge structure.Originality/valueThe explication of team absorptive capacity is as a key mechanism through which different goal orientations of NPD teams inform the ability to successfully develop new products. By integrating the concepts of team goal orientations, team absorptive capacity and team performance in NPD, the authors seek to gain a better understanding of why some firms are more likely to do better than others in NPD. Findings of this paper extend concept of the nomological network on how absorptive capacity may serve as a direct outcome of different goal orientations. This paper responds to how Chinese firms can increase their innovative performance by infusing their current knowledge bases with external knowledge and extends the literature on knowledge management and managerial ties on innovation.

Knowledge sharing in collaborative new product development: a study of grey box supplier involvement configuration

Abstract Paper aims To shed light on how knowledge is shared between companies during a collaborative new product development (NPD) process. Originality It is the first study of different knowledge sharing levels for each stage of the NPD process in an inter-organizational context. Research method A research framework was created based on the literature. Guided by this framework, an in-depth case study was performed in a multinational company analyzing the knowledge sharing with the company’s supplier during a collaborative NPD process. Main findings Different levels of knowledge sharing were found at each stage of the NPD process. Implications for theory and practice The results complement previous works demonstrating that this phenomenon should not be considered as a binary state. By clearly presenting how knowledge sharing occurs at each phase of the NPD process, managers can be prepared and correctly implement tools to support NPD teams from both buyer and supplier companies.

A relationship model for factors influencing knowledge transfer between NPD teams

A relationship model for factors influencing knowledge transfer between NPD teams