New Product Development: Impact of Project Characteristics and Development Practices on Performance

Concurrent product development process and integrated product development teams have emerged as the two dominant new product development (NPD) “best practices” in the literature. Yet empirical evidence of their impact on product development succes

The Relationship Among Modularity, Functional Coordination, and Mass Customization: Implications for Competitiveness

Purpose – This paper investigates how product modularity is related to mass customization capability and plant competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach – We test hypothesized relationships using structural equation modeling with an international dataset. Findings – Product modularity was not directly related to plant competitiveness. Inter-functional design coordination was found to be critical in fostering plant competitiveness. Practical implications – Managers need to put inter-functional design coordination mechanisms in place to foster mass customization capabilities and, thereby, enhance plant competitiveness. Originality/value – While the existing literature mostly argues for a direct relationship between product modularity and competitiveness, our study shows that inter-functional design coordination and mass customization capability are crucial intervening variables in this relationship