Digital Innovation Champions: Which Champions drive the Usage of Digital Innovation Management Systems and its Impact on New Product Development Performance

Managers and researchers lack an understanding of how specific new product development (NPD) software champions, i.e. digital innovation champions, function. This is particularly the case for digital innovation management systems (DIMS). Innovation, R&D, and IT managers and top management all might take distinct roles that influence the usage of such software. These distinct roles suggest the need for more detailed investigations of 1) which champions drive the usage of DIMS, 2) if they enhance distinct NPD applications, and 3) the links to NPD performance. This study addresses this need by developing and analyzing hypotheses for the role of digital innovation champions for DIMS usage. Therefore, the authors use unique survey data from managers together with objective patent and revenue data. The results reveal that executives as digital innovation champions encourage the usage and NPD performance of DIMS, whereas, IT and R&D managers can even hinder these outcomes

Evidence from the Public Sector

The general objective that guided this thesis is to identify the integrated role of information technology capabilities and innovativeness in organizational performance in the public sector. We conducted the present research study in two major stages to achieve this purpose, guided by research questions and specific objectives. We extensively reviewed the scientific literature on innovativeness and IT capabilities applied to the business area first. For this purpose, we used several technological tools to scan several units of analysis underlying each area to identify the origins, conceptual and intellectual structures, and the main active research fronts, indicating open opportunities for the evolution of knowledge. In general, the results showed that knowledge production on the themes is transversal, relating strongly to other topics, such as strategic management, organizational performance, knowledge management and market orientation (innovativeness) and organizational performance, strategic management, and value (IT capabilities). Both themes are recent in the literature, and researchers’ interest proliferates. In addition, there are numerous research opportunities available to future researchers, both about each theme taken in isolation or combined. The knowledge gathered in the first stage was the basis for the conduction of the second stage, whose approach, markedly empirical, sought to identify the nature of the relationships between the central organizational phenomena of this study (innovativeness and IT capabilities), associated with other under-explored elements in the literature, such as IT reconfiguration capacity and IT human capital. To this end, we analyzed the data provided by 258 Brazilian public institutions from the most diverse segments, collected through a survey conducted with the highest information technology managers. We performed the analyses by applying structural equation models based on covariance (CB-SEM). Overall, the results indicated that the reconfiguration IT capability must be listed among the IT capabilities of public organizations, and innovativeness and IT capabilities play an essential role in the performance of these organizations. The results also indicated that the IT human capital is an antecedent of the IT organizational capabilities. Finally, the results showed that IT capabilities, in turn, have a direct positive effect on organizational performance and are indirectly mediated by innovativeness. The study contributes to the evolution of the literature in IT and innovation to the extent that it helps fill the gap in the lack of studies that use advanced quantitative techniques of bibliometric character to analyze the high-impact scientific production available. In addition, the study presents, in detail, all the steps followed by the study, including the combined use of analysis tools, to allow replication by future researchers. The study innovates and contributes to the advancement of the literature in IT and innovation by identifying that IT capabilities are essential antecedents of organizational innovativeness and the role of IT reconfiguration capability and IT human capital on IT organizational capabilities. Finally, this thesis reveals several research opportunities available and recommended by several recently produced high-impact research. This study presents managers with recommendations on creating and developing more effective IT teams with more comprehensive skills in the practical field. In addition, the chapter highlights the need for IT managers to dedicate themselves to developing the capability of teams with the expertise to gather, integrate and implement IT resources, with a focus on meeting the needs of organizational processes. Finally, managers are presented with evidence that creating an environment favorable to innovation and supported by information technology is crucial for achieving better corporate results.O objetivo geral que balizou esta tese foi o de identificar o papel integrado das capacidades de tecnologia da informação e da capacidade para inovar no desempenho organizacional, no contexto do setor público. Para alcançar esta finalidade, o presente trabalho de investigação foi conduzido em duas grandes etapas, guiadas por questões de pesquisa e objetivos específicos. A primeira etapa buscou realizar extensas revisões da literatura científica sobre os temas capacidades para inovar e capacidades de TI, aplicadas à área de negócios. Para tanto, foram utilizadas variadas ferramentas tecnológicas para esquadrinhar diversas unidades de análise subjacentes a cada área, a fim de identificar as origens, as estruturas conceituais e intelectuais, bem como as principais frentes ativas de pesquisa, com a indicação de oportunidades abertas para evolução do conhecimento. De forma geral, os resultados indicaram que a produção do conhecimento sobre os temas é transversal, se relacionando fortemente com outros tópicos, como gestão estratégica, desempenho organizacional, gestão do conhecimento e orientação para o mercado (capacidade para inovar) e desempenho organizacional, gestão estratégica e valor (capacidades de TI). Ambos os temas são recentes na literatura e o interesse dos pesquisadores está em franco crescimento. Além disso, existem inúmeras oportunidades de pesquisa à disposição de futuros pesquisadores, tanto em relação a cada tema tomado de forma isolada, quanto combinados entre si. Os conhecimentos reunidos na primeira etapa foram a base para a condução da segunda etapa, cuja abordagem, marcantemente empírica, buscou identificar a natureza das relações existentes entre os fenômenos organizacionais centrais deste estudo (capacidade para inovar e capacidades de TI), associados a outros elementos pouco explorados na literatura, como a capacidade de reconfiguração de TI e o capital humano de TI. Para tanto, foram analisados os dados fornecidos por 258 instituições públicas brasileiras, de diversos segmentos, coletados por meio de survey conduzida com os mais altos gestores de tecnologia da informação. As análises foram realizadas por meio da aplicação de modelos de equações estruturais baseados em covariância (CB-SEM). De forma geral, os resultados indicaram que a capacidade de reconfiguração de TI deve ser elencada entre as capacidades de TI das organizações públicas, bem como que a capacidade para inovar e as capacidades de TI exercem um importante papel no desempenho dessas organizações. Os resultados indicaram ainda que o capital humano de TI é um antecedente das capacidades organizacionais de TI. Por fim, os resultados indicaram que as capacidades de TI, por sua vez, exercem efeito positivo direto sobre o desempenho organizacional, bem como indireto, mediado pela capacidade para inovar. O estudo contribui com a evolução da literatura das áreas de TI e inovação, na medida em que ajuda a preencher a lacuna da carência de estudos que se utilizem de avançadas técnicas quantitativas, de caráter bibliométrico, para analisar a produção científica de alto impacto disponível. Além disso, o estudo apresenta, de forma detalhada, todos os passos seguidos pelo trabalho, inclusive o uso combinado de ferramentas de análise, a fim de possibilitar a replicação por futuros pesquisadores. O estudo inova e contribui para o avanço da literatura das áreas de TI e inovação ao identificar que as capacidades de TI são importantes antecedentes da capacidade organizacional para inovar, bem como o papel da capacidade de reconfiguração de TI e do capital humano de TI sobre as capacidades organizacionais de TI. Por fim, esta tese revela diversas oportunidades de pesquisa disponíveis e recomendadas por diversas pesquisas de alto impacto recentemente produzidas. No campo prático, este estudo apresenta aos gestores recomendações sobre como podem criar e desenvolver equipes de TI mais efetivas e com habilidades mais abrangentes. Além disso, o capítulo ressalta a necessidade de que os gestores de TI se dediquem a desenvolver a capacidade das equipes com expertise para reunir, integrar e implementar recursos de TI, com o foco em atender as necessidades dos processos organizacionais. Finalmente, os gestores são apresentados a evidências de que a criação de um ambiente favorável à inovação, e apoiado pela tecnologia da informação, é um importante caminho para atingir melhores resultados organizacionais

Notes on Emerging Technologies

This dissertation considers the impact of technology foresight in innovation within the context of a technology driven development. The main hypothesis made was that by using different methods of foresight in the industry level significant value could be created. The question was approached through a case study in portable fuel cell technology. The theoretical background of the study draws from Innovation, Product Development, Management of Technology, and Technology Foresight. The connection within the topics is made by analyzing foresight, not in a policy view as often done in Europe, but in a micro-level. Focusing mostly on how a technology driven development scenario could be analyzed. The study is based on a bibliometric, extrapolation and patent analysis within the context of a case study. In addition, a large two-year Delphi study was conducted. The study was finalized with a scenario work on the future possibilities of the case study technology. Original publications also consider several methodological issues. In the context of the case study, the study questions the practicality of establishing a portable fuel cell technology in Finland showing several impractical assumptions has been made. In a more conceptual level, the study makes notions on two underlying factors: policy-push technologies and growth of data. Policy-push questions in which level a policy effort towards a single technology is practical. The European foresight effort is more directed towards policy decisions in contrast to US foresight, which is to some extent corporate driven. Although the policy-based foresight has produced significant results in the European context, policy led efforts towards a single technology are challenging. Growth of data argues on the challenges produced by the large-scale application of quantitative measures of foresight. Bibliometric studies and trend extrapolations have been taken advantage of the increasing number of databases made available, and used these as the basis for forecasts. However, the relationship with actual development and quantitative evidence is still unproven.Siirretty Doriast

Embedding risk management within new product and service development of an innovation and risk management framework and supporting risk processes, for effective risk mitigation : an action research study within the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Sector

At first glance, innovation and risk management seem like two opposing disciplines with diverse objectives. The former seeks to be flexible and encourages enhanced solutions and new ideas, while the latter can be seen as stifling such innovative thinking. Since there is a failure rate of as many as eight out of every ten products launched, it is perhaps necessary for organisations to consider applying more structured approaches to innovation, in order to better manage risks and to increase the chances of delivering improved goods and services. A risk management approach is well suited to address the challenge of failure, as it focuses not only on the negative impact of risks but also on the opportunities they present. It aligns these with the strategic objectives of the organisation to increase the chances of its success. The research objective of this study was to establish how to embed risk management within the innovation divisions of an organisation to ensure that more efficient products and services are delivered to customers. To achieve this end, action research was conducted in a large organisation operating in a high-technology environment that launches many diverse products and services and rapidly expanding service offerings to other industries. The study took four years to complete and delivered multiple interventions that successfully embedded risk management within the organisation, leading to changed behaviours and double-loop learning. Two main knowledge contributions are offered by the study. Firstly, a generic and empirically validated integrated Innovation and Risk Management Framework (IRMF) is developed and guides new product and service development by considering both best practices and risks. Secondly, a risk dashboard is designed as a design science artefact within the action research cycles, which consolidates all the knowledge that was generated during the study. This is ultimately a visual interface to support stage-gate decision making. Since the context of the study was broad, extensive and complicated, the use of mixed-method research complemented and expanded on the findings by providing another layer of support and validation. This thesis highlights the complexity of innovation and presents the need for an organising framework that will encourage innovation but is sufficiently flexible to cater for diverse needs and risks. The study delivers several other, valuable contributions regarding what, how and why incidents occur within the real-world context of new product and service development. Several generic artefacts, such as risk processes and maturity frameworks, are also developed, which can guide risk and new product and service development practitioners to deliver more efficient product and services. This study offers several novel approaches to evaluating risks and provides practical support and recommendations, addressing shortcomings of fragmented research in similar, but smaller-scale studies that have been conducted in information systems. It is the premise of this research that a much wider number of risks need to be managed as new products and services are developed, than was noted in previous studies. Effective risk management in new product and service development could lead to competitive advantage for organisations by increasing knowledge and facilitating sustainable, informed risk decision-making

A Critical Investigation of Knowledge Management as a Determinant of New Product Development Success

This thesis investigates the relationship between Knowledge Management Activities (KMAs), New Product Development drivers (NPDd), and New Product Development (NPD) process success in organisations that rely on new products for competitive survival. The literature review highlights that while KMA is in 2008, a common part of the practice of NPD, it is not included in any of the lists of wellknown success factors. Given that research in the KM field claims KMAs are a significant driver of success, this omission in the NPD literature seems worthy of further investigation. This thesis details the method and results of an empirical investigation examining the claim that KMAs are an independent influence on NPD process success. Data was collected in 2006 using survey methods and a classic positivistic research philosophy. The sample was taken from 124 UK-based projects, chosen from private organisations in the Department of trade and Industry's Research Development Index. The data was analysed using multivariate techniques, notably comparing NPD drivers, KMAs and their individual contribution to success based on stepwise regression analysis. Statistics indicate that while well-known NPDd account for much of the variance in NPD process success, KMAs are also significant. The unique contribution of this thesis is two fold: first empirical evidence that some KMAs can act as independent drivers of success in the NPD environment; and second a model detailing the relationship between the test elements, updating the existing high-level research in the field with a more detailed analysis of the relationships implied. The conclusions highlight for private sector managers that some KMAs make a distinct and measurable addition to NPD process success. Public sector managers may also find the results of interest as they add a finer level of detail to understanding the "systems" view of NPD, information worth sharing within the burgeoning UK knowledge economy

Customer co-creation in innovations : a protocol for innovating with end users

The transition into the information revolution or age has made it possible for consumers and users to interfere in the conceptualization, design, production and sales processes of firms. Consumers and users can express their needs in more direct way to producing firms, they have access to the way products and services are made, and last but not least, have access to information on competing products and services that even producers don’t know about. Consumers have become more knowledgeable and are therefore capable of designing and producing their own products and services. The success of innovations or new product and service development is highly dependent on whether they take in consideration the needs and demands of potential users and consumers. In other words, a market orientation is essential for the success of an innovation. Firms would therefore welcome the idea of consumers and users expressing their demands and probably appreciate consumers who want to participate in the new product or service development, because they would have immediate feedback on the potential success of the innovation. Question is, however, how to achieve this and how to successfully co-create with customers in the innovation process. This design research addresses customer co-creation in innovations for product and service industries. It addresses how firms should successfully activate customers or users and what process they should follow, i.e. the kind of customers or users to involve, the tools and techniques to apply, and procedures to be followed. It develops the appropriate interventions for this in a Customer Co-Creation in Innovations (3CI) - Protocol. The nature of this research is prescriptive, based on the Design Science principles, aiming to design a solution for firms that are interested in the co-creation role that customers can play in their organizations regarding innovations. The research results in a protocol which organizations that want to co-create with customers in their innovation process, can use or apply, to effectively co-create with these customers. Effectively in this sense means that the customer input will be of added value to the innovation, resulting in the outcome that the organization succeeds in bringing the innovation into the market or in use. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the innovation will be a commercial success, because this success depends on more and other factors than just customer co-creation. But, in this context customer co-creation gives the organization the necessary confirmation that the innovation fits needs and demands in the market, and thus leads to a higher adaptation than one should expect when not co-creating with customers. There is an abundance of literature that argue the benefits of involving customers in the innovation process, while other address the issue of which customers to involve, so, the research focuses itself on best practices, experiments, and such to develop this protocol. This has been accomplished by studying the diverse modes or appearances of customer involvement in product or service development, such as market research, empathic design, user-centered design, co-design, mass customization, user innovation, open source software development, user generated content, crowdsourcing, and customer co-creation. Although there is a lot of overlap and similarities among these modes of involvement, there are also many differences, indicating that customer co-creation in innovations is contingent on many factors and aspects. To reduce the confusion, a construct of customer co-creation in innovations has been developed, which has been defined as the process where product manufacturers and/or service providers actively engage with their end users or customers in (parts or phases of) innovation projects to jointly perform innovation activities and co-create value, with the aim of increasing effectiveness and efficiency of the innovation process. Effectiveness refers to (1) the result of meeting users’ and customers’ needs and demands in a better way; and (2) increasing customer loyalty. Efficiency refers to (1) the reduction of research and development costs; and (2) the reduction of development time. And to analyze differences and similarities so that the appropriate design propositions can stated, a 3CI framework was developed, covering the following topics: (1) how to determine whether a firm can co-create with its customers in innovations, which are the so called context conditions; (2) how to identify, select, and motivate potential customers to participate in customer-open innovations; (3) how to engage and involve these customers in the innovation process in an effective and efficient way, the process, procedures and methods one can follow, the tools one can use to accomplish this. With this framework the practice of customer co-creation was analyzed by means of five case studies, in which two of them, the author was an actor in designing and executing the process of co-creation. The cases, selected for their diversity, reveal the opportunities and challenges of customer-inclusive innovation. Customer involvement was at least a partial success in all cases. At the same time, it was never a ‘silver bullet’ to permanently transform the way the company worked. 3CI seems to be capable to support both incidental and repeating innovation initiatives of a firm. Another observation is that, whether a B2B or B2C type of firm, a manufacturer or service provider, small or large firms, all seem to be capable of and suited for 3CI. Common in all cases, however, is that the organization’s offerings and markets should be heterogeneous, thereby containing opportunities to either develop line extensions or really novel (radical) offerings. The technology base of the organization, however, does not seem to be a prerequisite. Another theme cutting across the cases is the nature of an ‘innovation community’, where users test, experiment with and modify or enhance existing prototypes and products, paving the roadway to innovation. As for the relationship between innovation type and type of customer, the cases undoubtedly demonstrate that ‘ordinary’ users can provide useful input to develop radical or novel innovations. The cases also demonstrate that nearly all innovation activities can be conducted by co-creating with customers, including needs assessment, ideation, the screening of ideas or concepts, concept testing, design and development, the commercialization of the innovation and even the re-innovation or use stage. So, although one could get the idea of 3CI being of particular interest in the front end of an innovation stage, we see that in all later stages 3CI can be beneficial as well. Typical across all cases is also the contingency of the channel of involvement (online versus face-to-face) with the amount of customers involved, which we have typed as the degree of openness. The more people are involved, the more open (no secrecy) the co-creation is and the more the involvement is obtained through the online channel, either with communities or on an open call. Conversely, the less participants, the more secrecy is needed and the sooner the physical presence or offline participation seems to be imminent in participation. Finally, regarding the use of tools it can be concluded that sophisticated methods for customer co-creation are a complement rather than the sole source of user information. More important seems to be the occurrence of a dialogue between firm and participating customers, implying that the quality of the interaction depends on mutual trust, appreciation, commitment and equality. Tools that support this dialogue, such as the ZMET¿, OBR, or similar techniques, seem to be important to assure effective and efficient contribution from customers. Subsequently, the design process was conducted, first by defining 16 design requirements for the protocol – subdivided in functional and use requirements, and design restrictions and boundary conditions – followed by the development of the design propositions. A grand total of 28 design propositions have been identified, regarding the context of 3CI (10 propositions), the customer requirements (10 propositions) and process (8 propositions). The context propositions reflected the context decisions to be made, i.e. the appropriate strategy, the suitability of the firm’s market, the initiator for the co-creation (firm or customer), and the type of innovation (incremental vs. radical, open vs. closed mode). Wherever appropriate we have also reviewed the appropriate methods, tools and techniques for the best implementation of the interventions. These are the first decisions the firm has to make when undertaking the 3CI Journey. Only when these decisions are made a next step, i.e. determining which customer requirements are appropriate, can be made. It has been argued that any organization can co-create with its customers in innovations, provided that they adopt and maintain a market oriented strategy, along with the necessary tools, space, freedom and transparency for customers to participate. Customer co-creation leads to at least effective incremental innovations, but when the organization applies Customer Knowledge Methods it increases the chance for an effective radical innovation. If secrecy is required, a closed mode approach of co-creation can be followed, entailing that a minimum amount and diversity of external participants are involved, provided that there is a clear scope of innovation objectives and the market it is intended for. Finally, organizations can either rely on customer-initiated ideas or initiate an innovation itself. In the first approach the organization is recommended to create and maintain a customer community, which can be observed and interacted with to elicit the customers’ ideas. The 10 customer design propositions deal with the type of customers to co-create with in innovations and the available interventions to engage with and maintain involvement from the selected participants. We have argued that all (potential) customers are eligible to participate, as long as they have a certain use experience with the product, service or category of innovation. Only in the case of a radical innovation, the company can choose to add some lead users in order to increase the chance of generating really novel ideas or concepts. To find these lead users, the company can make an appeal on the customer community, since lead users are usually known in communities. In order to benefit in the best way from the participating ordinary and lead users, the company should select them on the basis of their willingness to participate. On top of that, participants should be trained or educated in the tools, techniques and methods that are applied during their involvement. To prevent a decrease of intrinsic motivation with participants, companies have to be very prudent with the promise and administering of financial rewards. Rewards can be given, but preferably unexpected and contingent on task complexity and performance demonstrated by the participant. Depending on the channel of involvement, a minimum of 15 to an undetermined maximum of participants is possible, provided that the company reserves sufficient resources to handle the amount of participants. To our initial 20 design propositions we have added an additional 8 design propositions regarding the process of co-creation. We have seen that all innovation stages are suited to co-create with customers. For the appropriate activities in which these customers can contribute we have developed a table depicting activities and contributions per innovation stage. Co-creation can take place in one, more or all stages; to receive the most benefit, customers should be involved as early as possible in the innovation process. To prevent loss of attention, de-motivation and premature abandonment, we have proposed to change participants with ongoing activities; relying on the same customers in all stages can result in ‘myopic’ results. Both online and offline co-creation are possible, depending on openness, amount of participants and available resources. If participation is online, we recommend applying crowdsourcing methods and techniques, preferably within the customer community. To support an effective communication, we finally proposed to use metaphor or analogy based ‘language’ and to treat the participants as if they were team members. Through scrutinizing and analyzing the 28 design propositions in relation to one another and some pre-defined design requirements, we have identified four main routes – metaphorically named the dreamcatcher, contest, touchstone and employment route – that a company can follow when aiming to co-create with customers in the innovation process. The dreamcatcher route appeals on a user community – existing or yet to be created, preferably online, but with a physical possibility – where existing products, services or platforms are used, reviewed and discussed by customers. The company observes and participates in this discussion through a dialogue, possibly also moderating the community. Opportunities are identified by the company and translated into innovation projects by the company, in which customers again can participate. In the contest route the company can pose users with a specific question or request, a challenge, for which they are expected to think of a solution, of which typically one, or a limited amount of solutions are eligible. The intention is to specifically involve the customer in the front end of the innovation, because the company does not know or is not aware yet of customer needs and wants, or the intended product or service requirements. Customer input is then required in the first stage (Conception), but is not necessary excluded in later stages, where customers can test prototypes, assist in the commercialization and the re-innovation. In the touchstone route the company can decide to co-create with customers in any, arbitrary stage or activity of the innovation process, a sort of a one off. In such a case, the company usually has already identified the opportunities, the innovation project and its goals. Customer co-creation is opportune to verify assumptions, fill in details, and provide additional, not thought of product or service requirements. Of course it is possible to co-create with the customer in more than one activity, but this approach is seen as discrete co-creation activities to support just that particular and specific stage, in which the co-creation is required, usually in the implementation stage and thereafter. Finally, in the employment route the company can integrate one or more (limited amount of) customers in the innovation project, e.g. by temporarily employing them. This approach is of particular interest in idea generation, design and development activities, i.e. the Conception and Implementation stage, but later stages aren’t excluded. We can see this approach applied in customized projects, where it is the intention to create something for a specific set of customers or segment. This can be on request by the customer or because the company has discovered an unfulfilled or unattended set of needs with these customers, e.g. through dreamcatching. To decide which route(s) is or are appropriate we have discussed some premises and considerations – objectives for co-creation, stages and contributions for co-creation, type and openness of innovation – that a company has to assess systematically. Each route was elaborated on, providing preparation steps and do’s and don’ts for an effective and efficient contribution from customers. The four routes are also interrelated and do not exclude one another, but nevertheless provide a company with the optimal approach for 3CI. The 3CI-protocol is therefore a robust, handy guideline for companies to co-create with their customers in innovations. Because of the systematic and rigorous analysis and synthesis of theory and practice, the protocol can be applied in most situations. To test and prove the correctness of this last assertion we validated the design by having it reviewed by some potential users, some experts and some scholars, and to base the conclusion of its validity on the opinions of these reviewers. A total of 25 potential reviewers, both national and international, consisting of product/service developers, co-creation intermediaries, consultants and scholars were approached independently from and ‘blind’ to each other to conduct this review. Ten of them consented in participation; three abandoned the review process prematurely for personal reasons, leaving a total of 7 reviewers that have submitted comments. It was agreed on to enhance the review with a Delphi if responses were very divergent. All reviewers found the protocol useful and helpful for guiding the process of customer co-creation. Comments or critique referred mainly to the readability of the protocol, with the remark that users might lose attention because of the academic reasoning. Some of them provided useful additions to the protocol in order to enhance the readability. Also, suggestions were made to promote the protocol to practice, for instance by publishing it via a community and a management book. The comments did not contain divergent viewpoints on the subject, the design and its content, so the Delphi was left out. Based on these comments and suggestions by the reviewers, we have redesigned the protocol into the 3CI Protocol version 1.0, which can be published as a separate document, detached from this thesis, which all potential users can get hold of and apply without having to acquire a copy of the thesis. We propose to use this protocol to further validate it in practice and giving us feedback on its effectiveness. Our main contribution to research in management and organization has been to develop a comprehensive how-to guideline for practitioners, based on and grounded in a diversity of theory. Therefore, we believe that we have contributed with a design that is applicable in all kind of business and organizational contexts where the interaction with end users is aimed at developing new offerings. However, modesty is also in place, when we observe that this has to be proven, yet. Further research can be aimed at obtaining this proof, while other research could focus on the underlying assumptions, which we named generative mechanisms, of the design

Marketing and Design in Organisational New Product Development: Early Evidence From New Zealand Manufacturing Firms

The multidisciplinary nature of organisational new product development (NPD) suggests that the development of successful new products is dependent upon the individual and combined efforts of various functions. Despite being recognised as two highly important disciplines in NPD, marketing and design have received little empirical examination of their roles in the NPD process and their effects on NPD outcome. In order to address this gap within the literature, the objectives of this thesis were to assess the presence of marketing and design in NPD, explore the nature of the marketing-design relationship, and examine the effects of marketing influence, design influence, and the level of marketing-design connectedness on NPD outcome. The study was set within the New Zealand context and data was collected via a web-based survey from 91 manufacturing firms that adopted both marketing and design in their NPD programmes. The results showed marketing and design to be two highly influential functions in NPD. Both functions were also found to be strongly involved in the NPD process. A positive relationship was found between marketing and design’s functional influence, which suggested the possibility of an interdependent relationship between the two disciplines. Finally, marketing and design were found to affect different aspects of NPD outcome, with marketing positively affecting product innovativeness, and design positively affecting process proficiency and financial performance. The research has implications for the future development of marketing, design, and NPD theories, as well as for managers seeking to improve their NPD activities through the alignment of their marketing and design functions

The Use of Prototypes to Engage Stakeholders in Low- and Middle-Income Countries During the Early Phases of Design

Human-centered design processes have been leveraged to help advance solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Early and frequent engagement with stakeholders is a key activity of early-stage human-centered design processes that leads to better alignment of product requirements with the needs of stakeholders and the context of the artifact. There are many tools to support early stakeholder engagement. A subset of methods includes the use of prototypes – tangible manifestations of design ideas. However, prototypes are underutilized in early design activities to engage stakeholders, notably during cross-cultural design in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). In such contexts, prototypes have the potential to bridge contextual and cultural differences, which is especially critical when designing for LMICs where many proposed solutions have failed to meet people’s needs. To investigate the roles of prototypes to engage stakeholders in LMICs, I used both qualitative and quantitative research methods emphasizing both engineering design and economics theory and methods. Specifically, I conducted an interview-based study with industry practitioners and investigated two prototype-based stakeholder engagement methods in practice in LMICs. I conducted semi-structured interviews focused on the use of prototypes to engage stakeholders in early design stages with 24 medical device design practitioners from multinational and global health companies. Practitioners described the types of stakeholders, prototypes, and settings leveraged during front-end design and the associations of engagement strategies, stakeholders, prototypes, and/or settings. I further studied the practices of global health design practitioners working on medical devices for use in LMICs and described their approaches to tackle stakeholder remoteness, explore the environment of use, bridge cultural gaps, adjust the engagement activities to stakeholders, and work with limited resources. My analysis of requirements elicitation interviews with 36 healthcare practitioners from two hospitals in Ghana revealed participant preferences when viewing three, one, or no prototypes. The findings indicate that stakeholders preferred interviews with prototypes and in the absence of a prototype, stakeholders referenced existing or imaginative devices as a frame of reference. I investigated the preferences for, willingness to pay for, and usage of a novel tool for electronic-waste recycling with 105 workers in North-Eastern Thailand. Workers were assigned to one of two conjoint experiments that leveraged different prototype forms. Workers further completed baseline and endline surveys and participated in a Becker-Degroot-Marschak auction experiment. The results showed that the prototype form used in the conjoint experiment affected the valuation of product features. One-month evaluation of usage revealed that participants who received the new tool decreased their injury rates and increased productivity. This research provides new insights into the practices and teachings of prototype usage for stakeholder engagement during early design stages, contributes to the developing body of literature that recognizes the unique design constraints associated with designing for LMICs, and advances approaches for promoting more inclusive design practices. The description of the types of stakeholders, prototypes, settings, and strategies leveraged by industry practitioners when engaging stakeholders in LMICs are potentially transferable to, and can have a broader impact on, other contexts in which prototypes are used to engage stakeholders. Furthermore, both applied studies illustrate the effect of using different numbers of prototypes and different prototype forms on the outcomes of the two commonly used stakeholder engagement methods – interviewing and conjoint analysis. The applied studies provide examples of stakeholder engagement methods with prototypes in LMIC settings in practice.PHDDesign ScienceUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/162996/1/mjcoul_1.pd

A holistic model for measuring continuous innovation capability of manufacturing industry: a case study

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive continuous innovation capability (CIC) measurement model in manufacturing sectors Design/methodology/approach The development of this CIC model was conducted through three stages of research, i.e. identification of manufacturing continuous innovation measures (MCIMs), development of measurement model, followed by model evaluation and validation. MCIMs were identified using systematic literature review and focus group discussion. Selection process for MCIMs employed the fuzzy Delphi method. To develop measurement model, contextual relationships between MCIMs were assessed using total interpretive structural modeling, followed by measurements of MCIMs weight with the analytical network process method. Then, assessment indicators for each MCIM and criteria were determined as well as mathematical model to measure CIC scores. Model evaluation and validation were performed in two case studies: in an automotive company and an electronics company. Findings This research produced 50 criteria and 103 assessment indicators, as well as mathematical model to measure CIC scores. The validation process showed that currently developed model was deemed valid. Practical implications The results of this research are expected to provide a practical input for manufacturing company managers in managing their innovation activities systematically and comprehensively. Originality/value The CIC model is a new comprehensive measurement model; it integrates three fundamental elements of CI capability measurement, considering all important dimensions in a company and also able to explain contextual relationships between measured factors