This paper describes a comprehensive approach to examine how technological innovation contributes to the renewal of a firm’s competences through its dynamic and reciprocal…
Abstract
This paper describes a comprehensive approach to examine how technological innovation contributes to the renewal of a firm’s competences through its dynamic and reciprocal relationship with R&D and product commercialization. Three theories of technology and innovation (the R&D and technological knowledge concept, product‐process concept, technological interdependence concept) are used to relate technology and innovation to strategic management. Based on these theories, this paper attempts to identify the dynamic relationship between product innovation and process innovation using system dynamics by investigating that aspect of the dynamic changes in the closed feedback circulation structure in which R&D investments drive the accumulation of technological knowledge.
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Steven C. Wheelwright and Kim B. Clark
An understanding of effective problem solving is essential for everyoneinvolved in development teams. For most development projects, thedesign‐build‐test cycle is the fundamental…
Abstract
An understanding of effective problem solving is essential for everyone involved in development teams. For most development projects, the design‐build‐test cycle is the fundamental building block of effective problem solving. Examines the design‐build‐test cycle and describes alternative modes of problem solving and their implications for organizational skills and capabilities. Examines how superior capabilities at conducting the cycle can be used to make dramatic improvements in individual product development efforts. Concludes by considering how a firm can leverage the problem‐solving ability into a competitive advantage.
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There is a widespread agreement in the managerial literature that projects produce much more than what they deliver. However, most of the literature focuses on what project…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a widespread agreement in the managerial literature that projects produce much more than what they deliver. However, most of the literature focuses on what project delivers (new products, processes, services …). This can be misleading, especially for highly innovative projects for which neither the goals, nor the means to reach them, are clearly defined at the beginning. Thus, contemporary research argues for a model in which project management is, first and foremost, a way to organize the exploration process. The question becomes the definition of a framework to evaluate the project results (success or failures). The purpose of this paper is to study this question by bridging project management and design literature. Indeed research on design processes propose tools that could help managers to better understand what has been delivered and learned during the exploration journey. The paper relies on the Manhattan case to illustrate the fruitfulness of this approach.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper opted for an exploratory study using an historical case study: the Manhattan project. The author was able to draw on a large amount of historical material which has not yet been used to study the management of exploration projects. The paper focuses on a specific set of events likely to reveal the problems raised by the evaluation of exploration projects. Given the information available, it was considered that the point of “theoretical saturation”, which Glaser and Strauss proposed as the criterion to stop collecting data, had been attained.
Findings
The paper shows how recent development in design theory may provide a fruitful theoretical framework to develop a new evaluation framework to assess the results of exploratory projects in terms of both products designed and knowledge developed.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to explore this question further.
Practical implications
The paper includes implications for the development of new evaluation tools for exploratory projects.
Originality/value
The question of project evaluation is of the greatest importance to enhance the management of exploration processes. The paper's bridging of design theory and project management constitutes an original approach.
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Magda Kandil and Jeffrey G. Woods
Using unpublished time‐series data for three specific age/gender groups, we first determine the percentage of female employment to total employment for nine sectors of the U.S…
Abstract
Using unpublished time‐series data for three specific age/gender groups, we first determine the percentage of female employment to total employment for nine sectors of the U.S. economy. Second, we estimate the cyclical change in hours of employment for each age/gender group within each sector. Third, we estimate the cyclical behavior of the nominal wage for each sectoral gender group. The paper’s evidence does not support, in general, a more cyclical response of female hours worked in the service‐producing sectors that are dominated by women. We find partial evidence that hours worked by men are more cyclical compared with hours worked by women in the male‐dominated goods‐producing sectors. Given the evidence of no pronounced difference in the cyclical behavior of hours and wages for men and women, the business cycle is gender‐neutral.That is, the elastic female labor supply is washed out over the business cycle across major sectors of the U.S. Economy. Observational evidence suggests supply‐side and structural factors in the economy have attenuated the business cycle, especially in the service‐producing sectors.
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It has not been enough to include “quality dimensions” into a product or a service and expect the outcome to be world‐class. Total value signifies a set of multidimensional…
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It has not been enough to include “quality dimensions” into a product or a service and expect the outcome to be world‐class. Total value signifies a set of multidimensional measures towards realizing a competitive product (goods or services) that the customers would like and are willing to pay a premium price for. A “quality dimensions” set is one of its (total value) multidimensional measures. Such multidimensional value considerations would be vital for a company in maintaining a competitive edge in today’s global and rapidly changing marketplace. The first question is why a “quality dimensions” set has not been enough? The second question is what are those multidimensional sets of measures that make‐up this total value content? The last question is how to determine a cumulative total value‐index that accounts for these sets of measures so that an organization could use this total value‐index to optimize its product realization process and thereby control its (an organization’s) degree of competitiveness. The paper attempts to answer these questions.
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Pang‐Lo Liu and Chih‐Hung Tsai
High‐tech industries in Taiwan exist in an environment with diverse product requirements and intense cost reduction and information integration stress. They must develop new…
Abstract
High‐tech industries in Taiwan exist in an environment with diverse product requirements and intense cost reduction and information integration stress. They must develop new operational directions to increase industry competitiveness. Therefore, Taiwan’s high‐tech industries must continue R&D and creativity, establish knowledge sharing mechanisms and improve new product development (NPD) performance. This research analyzed and explored the influences of knowledge management (KM) and knowledge sharing mechanisms introduced by Taiwan’s high‐tech industries on new product development performance. The relationship between knowledge management capabilities and NPD performance is studied. This research considers the intervening industry and corporate position variables. Taiwan’s high‐tech industries have gradually entered the era of IT region integration and application with competitive advantage creation based upon core techniques. The in‐depth study of knowledge management and knowledge sharing introduced by the high‐tech industry revealed double meanings in academic and practical applications. The research results showed the following: (1) the stronger the knowledge management capabilities of Taiwan’s high‐tech industries, the more significant the NPD performance. (2) The better the knowledge sharing mechanism in Taiwan’s high‐tech industries, the more significant the NPD performance. (3) Corporate scale is not necessarily the critical factor in NPD success and the influence of corporate scale on NPD performance did not show significant differences. (4) The stronger the degree of leading corporate techniques, the more significant the NPD performance.
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Gregory H. Watson and Camille F. DeYong
The purpose of this paper is to describe the historical approach to concurrent engineering (CE) which has resulted in product line management (PLM) and then evaluates the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the historical approach to concurrent engineering (CE) which has resulted in product line management (PLM) and then evaluates the theoretical models that have been proposed for design for Six Sigma (DFSS) in order to determine which model is able to provide the most consistent approach with historical development of PLM.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach begins with an overview of the approach taken by the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) in the development of a coherent quality methodology for structured analysis and problem solving – the Deming Wheel of plan‐do‐check‐act (PDCA) which has become the standard model in Japanese total quality management to define a logical decomposition in process management. In Japan, PDCA is the single logical model which has been broadly accepted as the construct for understanding how to develop both strategic and operational quality methods. The second step in the approach is to examine a similar American development of the model for statistical problem solving that is applied in the Six Sigma method for statistical problem solving: define‐measure‐analyze‐improve‐control (DMAIC). Next, the paper examines the historical sequence in the way the product development process has developed over the past forty years, with emphasis on its military origins (especially CE) and which resulted in the generic model for PLM. The final part of this paper examines the models that have been proposed to implement DFSS over the past ten years and evaluate their logical congruence with the engineering community's design process.
Findings
Problems in alignment with the engineering design process were identified with all of the DFSS models and with the non‐structured or “heuristic” approach to developing a coherent body of knowledge related to DFSS.
Originality/value
This paper provides a challenge to the quality community as well as to the academic community. The paper points out the need for rigorous examination of logical models that are proposed for guiding the thinking of practitioners in the use of quality methods for both the engineering of products and business systems. An expose of lack of rationality in the way an approach to DFSS has been investigated calls for more responsibility in the management of the development of this body of knowledge.
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Qingyu Zhang and William J. Doll
While managers and researchers agree that the fuzzy front end of new product development (NPD) is critical for project success, the meaning of the term “front‐end fuzziness”…
Abstract
While managers and researchers agree that the fuzzy front end of new product development (NPD) is critical for project success, the meaning of the term “front‐end fuzziness” remains vague. It is often used broadly to refer to both the exogenous causes and the internal consequences of fuzziness. This imprecise language makes it difficult for managers to separate cause and effect and thus identify specific prescriptive remedies for “fuzziness” problems. The vagueness of the concept and the lack of a framework for defining “front‐end fuzziness” also impede empirical research efforts. Building upon uncertainty theory, we define front‐end fuzziness in terms of environmental uncertainties. Front‐end fuzziness has consequences for a project’s team vision. It reduces the team’s sense of shared purpose and causes unclear project targets and priorities. Describes how foundation elements of a firm’s overall product development program can help project teams cope with front‐end fuzziness.
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Marilyn M. Helms and Lawrence P. Ettkin
Time is the top priority. We now live in real time. It's no longer life in the fast lane because every lane is fast. The computer has changed the way we view time. We expect…
Abstract
Time is the top priority. We now live in real time. It's no longer life in the fast lane because every lane is fast. The computer has changed the way we view time. We expect everything to occur at Pentium speed! A time lag causes stress since it is viewed as an unnecessary waste. This is not a matter of immediate gratification; rather delays—such as standing in line—are viewed as something being wrong with the system, and the company that allows it to happen is perceived as not being up to speed! (Graham, 1996, p. 4).
Cork stoppers may taint as many as one in 33 bottles of all domestic US wines. Yet, because tradition is thought to play such an important role in shaping expectations regarding…
Abstract
Cork stoppers may taint as many as one in 33 bottles of all domestic US wines. Yet, because tradition is thought to play such an important role in shaping expectations regarding acceptable premium wine packaging, marketers have felt little need to test whether cork closures are indeed a critical consumer expectation. This paper serves as a guide toward understanding the obstacles which must first be overcome by those producers who wish to adopt cork substitutes for fine wines. This paper also offers insight into grappling with the implementation of problem solutions; shows why desirable solutions may not always be practical; and provides insight into why conflicting intrafirm departmental viewpoints, consumer expectations, and the competitive environment in which the firm or industry operates, can combine to lead the marketer to reject money‐saving superior product innovations. Preliminary work indicates that consumers reject label message conditions as a means of achieving acceptance of cork alternatives. The main objective of future research should therefore be to provide specific findings on how much positive and negative impact is likely to occur by changing the product design.