Cheryl Nakata and S. Cem Bahadir
The purpose of this paper is to determine whether and how managing three aspects of design – the strategic role of design, outsourcing of design and organizational resistance to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine whether and how managing three aspects of design – the strategic role of design, outsourcing of design and organizational resistance to design – contribute to new product and service sales success.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted through an online survey of US-based innovation managers. Measures were developed from past literature. In total, 324 managers with at least two years of innovation experience in diverse industries completed the survey. The collected data was checked for measurement reliability and then was used to test a model through regression analyses.
Findings
The model was significant, and each of the three aspects of design management was found to influence innovation sales in unique ways. The strategic role enhances sales, organizational resistance impedes sales and outsourcing strengthens then lowers sales. It makes no difference in results if the firms are manufacturers or service providers, indicating the model is robust across industries.
Practical implications
Strategic (design role), operational (design outsourcing) and cultural (design resistance) elements of design management matter to innovation. To better ensure strong new product and service sales, firms should elevate the role of design in innovation, apply a combined approach of externalizing and internalizing the design function and reduce organizational resistance to design.
Originality/value
This paper is one of the first to empirically examine the innovation impacts of design management, specifically determining the effects of design’s strategic importance, limits when outsourced and organization resistance on new product and service sales.
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Cheryl Nakata and S. Cem Bahadir
The purpose of this study is to determine how design should be managed to develop truly innovative products and services. Three management levers were examined: design leadership…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine how design should be managed to develop truly innovative products and services. Three management levers were examined: design leadership, design inclusion and design thinking.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was carried out as a survey of innovation managers in the USA. The survey measures were developed from the design and innovation literature. Over 300 managers participated in the survey, and their responses were analyzed by using multiple regressions and other statistical tools.
Findings
All three aspects of design that were studied – leadership, team inclusion and thinking – were found to significantly and positively impact new product and service innovativeness. Of these factors, the most important contributor to innovativeness was design thinking, with having more than three times the impact of the other two. Also, firms that are large, publicly held and technology-intensive are on average more innovative.
Practical implications
To increase the innovativeness – or novelty, interest in and influential – of new products and services, managers should appoint designers as leaders on innovation project, include designers in development teams and above all integrate the design thinking process in organizations.
Originality/value
This study determines that design leadership, inclusion and thinking increases the innovativeness of new products and services.
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Cheryl Nakata and Erin Antalis
The base of the pyramid (BOP) is characterized by deep and wide poverty, which dampens market exchanges, or making/selling and buying/consuming activities. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
The base of the pyramid (BOP) is characterized by deep and wide poverty, which dampens market exchanges, or making/selling and buying/consuming activities. The purpose of this paper is to address the specific issue of how national culture distinguishes BOP markets in terms of exchange activities, and the broad issue of how market exchanges can grow and flourish by accounting for comparative differences across BOP markets.
Design/methodology/approach
The study design is a conceptual framework drawn from the extant BOP literature and several theories such as Amartya Sen’s theory on poverty, and Anthony Bebbington’s concepts of human capital. The framework specifies research propositions for future empirical examination.
Findings
The conceptual framework proposes that BOP poverty lowers or inhibits market exchanges but is countered by several factors: national culture (performance orientation), non-traditional assets (creative and social capitals), and transformative technologies (mobile telephony). Assuming these factors vary by BOP setting, greater performance orientation alongside higher social capital, creative capital, and mobile telephony directly and/or interactively increase market exchange activities.
Research limitations/implications
Among research implications are the application of other culture theories to the BOP market exchange issue, and the need to examine the role of government and other non-traditional capitals in exchanges.
Practical implications
Managerial implications include the targeting and selection of BOP markets and development of marketing tactics that leverage cultural, nontraditional, and technological assets.
Originality/value
This paper explores how to counter the negative effects of BOP poverty on market exchanges by leveraging the distinctives and variations among BOP markets.
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K. Sivakumar and Cheryl Nakata
Companies are increasingly bringing personnel together into teams from different countries, physically and/or electronically, to develop products for multiple or worldwide…
Abstract
Companies are increasingly bringing personnel together into teams from different countries, physically and/or electronically, to develop products for multiple or worldwide markets. Called global new product teams (GNPTs), these groups face significant challenges, including cultural diversity. Differing cultural values can lead to conflict, misunderstanding, and inefficient work styles on the one hand, and strong idea generation and creative problem solving on the other. A study was conducted to identify team compositions that would optimize the effects of national culture so that product development outcomes are favorable. This began by developing a theoretical framework describing the impact of national culture on product development tasks. The framework was then translated into several mathematical models using analytical derivations and comparative statics. The models identify the levels and variances of culture values that maximize product development success by simultaneously considering four relevant dimensions of GNPT performance. Next, the utility of these models was tested by means of numerical simulations for a range of team scenarios. Concludes by drawing implications of the findings for managers and researchers.
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Cheryl Nakata and K. Sivakumar
Reports that, with sluggish growth in the developed markets of the world and increasing globalization, companies are turning to newly emerging markets for business expansion…
Abstract
Reports that, with sluggish growth in the developed markets of the world and increasing globalization, companies are turning to newly emerging markets for business expansion. Therefore, understanding entry strategies in emerging markets is likely to become an increasingly important issue for academic researchers and marketing practitioners. First movers are generally thought to garner fairly robust advantages over later entrants; however, the degree to which these advantages prevail in emerging markets is not known. Examines, by means of a literature review, the effects of emerging market conditions on first mover advantages. Advances several research propositions, based on the findings, presents a conceptual model, and identifies directions for further research.
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There is limited understanding of how businesses, particularly in a global context, activate the marketing concept in order to become market‐driven. A study was conducted to…
Abstract
There is limited understanding of how businesses, particularly in a global context, activate the marketing concept in order to become market‐driven. A study was conducted to delineate the activation process in an international setting, and some of the facilitating and impeding factors. In‐depth interviews were conducted with executives of 22 subsidiaries of a multinational firm. Activation appeared to consist of interpreting, adopting and implementing the marketing concept. Implementation is itself a sequence of market intelligence activities. Greater adoption and implementation, as well as higher quality intelligence work, are tied to stronger organizational performance. Facilitators (e.g. top management commitment) and inhibitors (e.g. over‐emphasis on profits) were identified. Other dimensions also surfaced including the slow, top‐down path of adoption, national culture, and market competitiveness. Recommendations were made on enhancing activation success.
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Successful new product and service development increasingly relies on the ability to adopt an international perspective, throughout the development process itself, and by…
Abstract
Successful new product and service development increasingly relies on the ability to adopt an international perspective, throughout the development process itself, and by targeting international or global markets, rather than simply serving domestic customers. Yet, although there exists an impressive body of research concerning the management of new product development, the evidence base with respect to international (or global) new product development practices and management is largely in its infancy, and is, at best, fragmented. This guest editorial provides a synopsis of the main research streams in the broad field of international new product development, highlighting major gaps in current knowledge and understanding. The special issue is a modest attempt at tapping current thoughts and research investigations in this critical area, seeking, also, to stimulate much‐needed debate and further research. One article examines whether international diversity is positively associated with new product development performance. Two articles tackle the role that national culture plays in influencing consumer acceptance of new products (technology) on the one hand, and firms’ global new product development approach on the other. A final article investigates technology transfer as a special case of new technology adoption in developing markets.
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Fabian Bartsch, Mark Cleveland, Eunju Ko and John W. Cadogan
The importance of socially just leadership has been increasingly acknowledged in recent years as integral for tackling issues of disadvantage and inequality across education and…
Abstract
The importance of socially just leadership has been increasingly acknowledged in recent years as integral for tackling issues of disadvantage and inequality across education and schooling systems. However, there are still remaining questions about what these leadership practices look like in the everyday work of school leaders. This chapter draws on a research project to embed Indigenous perspectives in schools as an example of socially just leadership. The links between Indigenous communities and schools are a key focus area for improving educational outcomes for Indigenous students. This project sought to bring Indigenous community members into classrooms in six schools in New South Wales, Australia. Community members were recruited to work with teachers as co-constructors of learning activities that explicitly value and work with Indigenous perspectives. This chapter outlines the positive outcomes from this project as well as challenges faced by schools, teachers, principals, and community members as part of this culturally responsive work. The practices of community members, teachers, and principals are theorized using the notion of culturally responsive leadership. The chapter argues for an approach to leadership that is grounded in culturally responsive understandings to improve the educational outcomes and opportunities for Indigenous students and the cultural understanding and awareness of non-Indigenous students, to better promote reconciliation. This chapter provides a concrete example of powerful leadership practices that are working towards equity and social justice for their schools and communities. While the cases are specifically from the Australian context, they are relevant for a variety of schooling contexts and leadership practices.