The Challenges of Adopting PLM Tools Involving Diversified Technologies in Today’s Automotive Supplier Business

In order to reduce product development (PD) costs and duration, PD cycles are being accelerated in order to reduce the time to market and satisfy the end customer needs. Another key challenge in PD today, is product diversification in the technologies used, requiring improved collaboration amongst local and dispersed multi disciple PD teams. A main stream tool that aids and support engineers in PD to collaborate and share information/knowledge is Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). This research explores the benefits and requirements of implementing a PLM system for a PD and manufacturing company within the automotive supply chain. This paper first provides a brief background of the subject area, followed by an explanation of the initial industrial investigation for the implementation of a PLM system, from which investigation the resulting conclusions and recommendations are presented as the building blocks of the implementation project

Creating trust through narrative strategy

In the rational model of trust, an actor's level of trust is a function of the expected gain and loss involved. As a consequence, if A can influence the gain and loss perceived by B, A can influence B's level of trust. In this article we study how A can do this through the strategic use of narrative. In particular, we show how actors who attempt to recruit others into network marketing employ narrative in manipulating the recruit's expectations. For example, we show how the costs involved in recruiting friends and family into network marketing are transformed into benefit through narrative strategies. Through the strategic use of narrative, recruiters change the recruit's perception of the evidence underlying the trust decision and make perfectly rational behavior that was not considered rational before. In addition, we argue that recruiters use similar narrative on themselves in reconfirming the validity of their own previous decision to trust

Virtuality, communication, and new product team creativity: A social network perspective

Creativity is essential to the performance of new product development (NPD) teams. Since the creative NPD task requires teams to combine and integrate input from multiple NPD team members, the team's communication pattern is an important determinant of NPD team creativity. In the empirical part of this study, we find that team creativity requires a moderate frequency of communication and a low level of communication centralization. Building on these results, in the second part of this paper, we present a three-factor model (member proximity, communication modality, team task structure) that addresses how creativity can be managed through the effective design and management of virtuality in NPD teams. We end with recommendations for further research. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V

Virtuality, communication, and new product team creativity:A social network perspective

Creativity is essential to the performance of new product development (NPD) teams. Since the creative NPD task requires teams to combine and integrate input from multiple NPD team members, the team's communication pattern is an important determinant of NPD team creativity. In the empirical part of this study, we find that team creativity requires a moderate frequency of communication and a low level of communication centralization. Building on these results, in the second part of this paper, we present a three-factor model (member proximity, communication modality, team task structure) that addresses how creativity can be managed through the effective design and management of virtuality in NPD teams. We end with recommendations for further research. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.</p

Informal contacts and performance in innovation teams

Purpose-The paper addresses the effect friendly and friendship relationships among members of innovation teams on the performance of the teams. Design/methodology/approach-The members of innovation teams may develop friendly and friendship relationships over time. In our study, we focus on the effect of the frequency of such non-work relationships on team performance. For this research, we collected full network data on non-work relationships in a sample of 44 innovation teams and investigate how these "friendly and friendship networks" affect the performance of innovation teams. Findings-As result turns out that the frequency of friendly ties has positive as well as negative consequences on team performance, whereas the frequency of friendship ties positively relates to the performance. Research limitations/implications-The results indicate the importance of informal relations for the performance of innovation teams. Further, it is shown that friendly and friendship relations have different theoretical and practical implications. Future research can overcome the limitations of the presented research by concentrating on larger sample sizes and longitudinal research designs. Practical implications-Building on the results of the study managers can better orchestra innovation teams focussing not only on formal but also on informal contacts. The main practical implication is to strive for friendship contacts and to avoid too strong friendly contacts. Originality/value-The study adds knowledge to the research on informal relationships and performance two-fold. First, the findings testify that friendly and friendship contacts are different and not part of the same dimension, and there is strong evidence for the importance of informal contacts

Virtuality, communication, and new product team creativity:a social network perspective

Creativity is essential to the performance of new product development (NPD) teams. Since the creative NPD task requires teams to combine and integrate input from multiple NPD team members, the team's communication pattern is an important determinant of NPD team creativity. In the empirical part of this study, we find that team creativity requires a moderate frequency of communication and a low level of communication centralization. Building on these results, in the second part of this paper, we present a three-factor model (member proximity, communication modality, team task structure) that addresses how creativity can be managed through the effective design and management of virtuality in NPD teams. We end with recommendations for further research. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V