摘要:

The degree of overlap (i.e., fit) between product development organizations' resources and the product development projects pursued has powerful performance implications. Drawing on organizational learning theory and the resource‐based view, this research conceptualizes and empirically tests the interrelationships between the levels of fit, innovativeness, speed to market, and financial new product performance. After reviewing the research literature relevant to resource fit and new product performance, the level of innovativeness is posited to be an important moderating and mediating factor, which is validated by analysis of data gathered from 279 product developing firms. Technological fit has a negative direct effect on both technological and market innovativeness, while the use of existing marketing resources (i.e., a high degree of marketing fit) positively impacts technological innovativeness. This suggests, consistent with findings from market orientation research, that a deep, long‐held customer understanding can promote technological innovativeness. The moderating hypotheses proposed are also well supported: First, a high degree of marketing fit has a more positive impact on performance for market innovative products (e.g., products which address a new target market or use a nontraditional channel for the firm). Drawing on a deep customer understanding is more critical to performance for market innovative products. Conversely, the benefits of marketing fit are limited where market innovativeness is lacking. Interestingly, the counterpart moderating role of technological innovativeness on technological fit's performance effect is not significant; the level of technological innovativeness does not significantly impact the performance impact of technological fit. There are also significant moderating effects across dimensions. Our results show that the financial benefit of using existing marketing resources is lessened for technologically innovative products. Technological innovations necessitate drastic adaptation of marketing resources (i.e., channel and brand); firms drawing only on existing marketing resources for a technologically innovative new product will incur reduced profit. Similarly, the positive implications of using existing technological resources are limited for products which are highly market innovative. Generally, resource fit is seen to have an (oft‐overlooked) dark side in product development, though several of our findings suggest that marketing resources are more flexible than are technological reso

ISSN:0737-6782    

DOI:10.1111/jpim.12238

年代:2015

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This paper explains how research and development (R&D) collaborations impact process innovation; given the differences in innovation mechanisms, prior insights from studies of product innovation do not necessarily apply to process innovation. Extending the knowledge‐based view of the firm, this paper classifies four types ofR&Dcollaborations—with universities, suppliers, competitors, and customers—in terms of two knowledge dimensions: position in the knowledge chain and contextual knowledge distance. Position in the knowledge chain is the position of theR&Dcollaboration partner in the knowledge chain of the industry—the input–output sequence of activities that result in the transformation of raw materials into products that are used by end customers. Based on this knowledge chain, this paper considers universities and suppliers as upstreamR&Dcollaborators, and competitors and customers as downstreamR&Dcollaborators. Contextual knowledge distance is the difference in industry‐related contexts of operation of theR&Dcollaboration partners and the firm. Based on this, this paper viewsR&Dcollaborators that are suppliers and competitors as having low contextual knowledge distance to the firm, andR&Dcollaborators that are customers and universities as having high contextual knowledge distance to the firm. Using this classification, this paper proposes a ranking ofR&Dcollaborations in terms of their impact on process innovation:R&Dcollaborations with suppliers have the highest impact, followed byR&Dcollaborations with universities, thenR&Dcollaborations with competitors, and finallyR&Dcollaborations with customers. These arguments are tested on a four‐year panel of 781 manufacturing firms. The results of the analyses indicate thatR&Dcollaborations with suppliers and universities appear to have a positive impact on process innovation,R&Dcollaborations with customers appear to have no impact, andR&Dcollaborations with competitors appear to have a negative impact. As a consequence, the main driver of the impact ofR&Dcollaborations on process innovation appears to be position in the knowledge chain rather than contextual knowledge distance. These novel ideas and findings contribute to the literature on process innovation. Even though process innovation tends to be internal and tacit to the firm, it can still benefit from externalR&Dcollaborations; this paper is the first to analyze this relationship and provide a theoretical framework for understanding why this would be the case. This study also has important managerial implications. It suggests that managers need to be careful in choosing the partners for their firms'R&Dcollaborations. Engaging inR&Dcollaborations with universities and suppliers appears to be helpful for process innovation, whereas conductingR&Dcollaborations with competitors may potentially harm proce

ISSN:0737-6782    

DOI:10.1111/jpim.12229

年代:2015

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This paper draws on theories of interorganizational learning, social networks, and transaction cost economics to investigate the formation of tie strength between first‐time alliance partners. It focuses on a strategic alliance's first new product development (NPD) project, which is characterized by a lack of prior experience and insufficient trust between partners and explores how the interaction between (1) interorganizational learning (the “degree” [amount of knowledge shared] and “type” [tacit or explicit nature of the knowledge]); (2) the required communication (“frequency level” and “degree of media‐richness”) to transfer and exchange knowledge; and (3) economic transaction considerations (reducing cost and avoiding opportunism), in highly uncertain and dynamic environments, and, in the absence of an assumption of trust, will determine the future strength of the ties between partners.We argue that the “degree” and “type” of interorganizational learning that are required to efficiently develop an alliance's firstNPDproject determine the strength of the ties between the partners. Each “degree and type” of learning has a different impact on the frequency and media richness of the partners' communication, and consequently each leads to a different level of social tie strength between the partners. This relationship is moderated by the partners' market overlap.We suggest that the required “degree and type” of interorganizational learning is contingent on the project characteristics (degree of innovation; “radical versus incremental,” and the mode of development; “modular versus integrated”). This relationship, however, is moderated by the partners' tech

ISSN:0737-6782    

DOI:10.1111/jpim.12222

年代:2015

数据来源: WILEY