Influence of knowledge management on product innovation by intrapreneurial firms

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 38-57
Author(s):  
Broto Rauth Bhardwaj

Purpose This paper aims to provide a study on knowledge management, facilitating new product innovation by intrapreneurial companies. Design/methodology/approach The methodology includes the empirical study which was conducted based on detailed questionnaire and data collection of 319 respondents from heavy engineering auto companies, such as Maruti, Honda and others. The data were analyzed to find the influence of knowledge management on new product development. Structural equation modeling method, critical path analysis and reliability were checked by Cronbach’s alpha. Findings The findings suggest that the innovation of a new product is critical for the companies. Also, it is very important for the companies to have knowledge management systems such as intelligence generation and dissemination process to facilitate information sharing among the various departments. Responsiveness to the market needs would be based on how authentic the customer data are and to what extent the company is able to share these data with research and product development departments to motivate new products for fulfilling these needs of the customers. This kind of process would enable the company to drive the next level of innovation within the company. Research limitations/implications The present study has several implications for managers and researchers. The model proposed in the study suggests the adoption and implementation of knowledge management for product innovation. The study findings also suggest that developing better methods to share knowledge and intelligence among the employees about the customers’ data would be a very critical success factor for new product innovation. Practical implications This paper also suggests that the researchers can study this model with respect to inter-disciplinary and inter-country study to become competitive using new product innovation. Originality/value The study contributes toward development of theory on creating innovation facilitated by knowledge management for enhancing innovation.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilert Puriwat ◽  
Danupol Hoonsopon

PurposeThis study is to compare the impact of organizational agility and flexibility on performance of each type of product innovation (radical vs incremental innovation). Additionally, the moderating effect of technological turbulence on the relationship between the two types of organization is examined.Design/methodology/approachBased on gaps in the existing literature, the survey data are collected from managers who are in charge of developing new products in three industries: food and beverage, chemical and machinery (N = 431). Confirmatory factory analysis is used to verify measurement items and regression analysis is used to test hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that organizational agility increases performance in radical innovation both in a certain situation and an environment with technological turbulence. In contrast, the impact of organizational flexibility is limited to increasing performance in both radical and incremental innovation performance in a certain situation.Originality/valueOur study extends the knowledge of organizational agility and flexibility in the domain of product innovation. Adaptation of organization to respond the technological turbulence will stimulate creativity of new product development teams to produce new useful ideas and transform these ideas to product innovation. The different types of organizing a new product development team to handle technological turbulence will provide different results in product innovation performance. In addition, the findings provide a recommendation on how the organization of a new product development team can improve performance in each type of product innovation under technological turbulence.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanderson César Macêdo Barbalho ◽  
Gladston Luiz Silva

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how new product development (NPD)-based project management offices (PMOs) work, their drivers to deliver performance and their project success impact.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a survey of 35 Brazilian and multi-national companies that identified the effort to perform a list of PMO functions, some PMO drivers in the company and five project performance perception indicators. The authors apply a specific set of statistics to uncover the relations between these dimensions of interest.FindingsThe factorial analysis allows us to find the main functions influencing each other. The project teams’ perception of project management (PM) performance is suggested as a success factor that drives PMOs when working on portfolio management issues, managing project files and promoting PM over the company.Practical implicationsThis paper contributes to a contingency approach for designing a project machine involving PMOs to support NPD projects. Managers can set the most suitable PMO functions avoiding mimicry when structuring their NPD efforts.Originality/valuePMOs have impacted team satisfaction and control of project data but not indicators related to triple constraints.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Shen ◽  
Yu Gao ◽  
Chuan Liu ◽  
Xiangru Chen

Purpose Integrating the coopetition perspective with institutional theory, this study aims to determine how balanced patterns (BPs) and combinative patterns (CPs) of coopetition impact firms’ new product development (NPD) and how these effects are contingent on the various types of interactions between firms and the institutional environments in which they are embedded. Design/methodology/approach To test the hypotheses, 303 firms in China were surveyed. Based on the responses, the proposed model was estimated using structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression analysis. Findings The findings indicate that CP of coopetition enhances NPD but a BP of coopetition impedes NPD. Further, the results suggest that obtaining government support positively moderates the effect of the CP on NPD but negatively moderates the effect of the BP. Conversely, influencing government policy negatively moderates the effect of the CP but positively moderates that of the BP on NPD. Research limitations/implications The findings indicate that different patterns of inter-firm coopetition may have different effects on NPD, thus, providing a holistic and dynamic understanding of the contingent value of coopetition for NPD. The findings also suggest that the complex effects of coopetition on NPD are influenced by institutional interactions, introducing further contingencies to the process of coopetition-based innovation. Practical implications This study provides guidelines for managers seeking to fully understand and capitalize on the dual nature of coopetition: they should be cautious about the different patterns of competition – cooperation interaction and manage their interactions with institutional environments to increase the benefits and avoid the potential damage that different types of coopetition may bring. Originality/value This study offers direct insights into the balanced nature of coopetition and opens up an avenue for further exploration of the specific effects of cooperation dominance and competition dominance on firm performance in the business-to-business context. Moreover, the proposed contingency model offers a potential interface between institutional and coopetition research on NPD in marketing and strategic fields.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-280
Author(s):  
Wassim J. Aloulou

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between strategic orientations as well as the role played by them to impact the performance of industrial firms.Design/methodology/approachThe paper formulates some hypotheses from the literature review. These hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling with data collected from 292 randomly selected firms operating in several industrial sectors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.FindingsThe findings of this study showed the importance of these strategic orientations in enhancing the performance of Saudi industrial firms and emphasized the mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation in the relationships of market orientation and technology orientation to new product development performance and firm performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe study discusses the findings and advances certain limitations and research and managerial implications for future research avenues. It proposes some recommendations to help Saudi firms to choose more than one orientation simultaneously and adopt an appropriate configuration of orientations. Future research has to consider the interplay between these strategic orientations and the impacts of environmental turbulence in terms of market and technology turbulence on strategic orientations – performance relationship.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that managers of Saudi industrial firms should utilize a mix of aspects from several strategic orientations such as market and technology through entrepreneurial capabilities and resources that enhance higher levels of performance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship and strategic management by showing the reliability of scales used and the confirmatory of the factor structure. It also contributes to business practices by showing the importance for Saudi firms to combine different strategic orientations and provide more attention to the interplay of these orientations in order to perform better in such a transitional context.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 3271-3293
Author(s):  
Mesbahuddin Chowdhury ◽  
Girish Prayag ◽  
Vidya Patwardhan ◽  
Nischal Kumar

Purpose Using social capital theory, this study aims to investigate internal social capital (ISC) and external social capital (ESC) as determinants of knowledge sharing intention (KSI) and new product development (NPD) in high-end restaurants. Design/methodology/approach A theoretical model is developed and tested using data collected from 523 respondents (owners/proprietors, partners and managers) from high-end restaurants in Karnataka, India. Partial least square structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data. Findings The results suggest that ISC has a significant and positive influence on ESC. This highlights the important role of ISC in building ESC. While ISC has a positive relationship with KSI, ESC has no influence on KSI. KSI has a positive effect on NPD. Practical implications Restaurant managers and owners should invest time and resources in building ISC by nurturing relationships with employees and partners. Encouraging and rewarding collaborative behaviors internally will facilitate the development of external relationships. Results also suggest the existence of an optimum level of knowledge sharing with external partners in restaurants. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between ISC and ESC, and test the effects of both KSI and NPD in high-end restaurants.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shashishekar M.S. ◽  
Sandip Anand ◽  
Arun Kumar Paul

Purpose Smart connected products (SCP) are the new archetype of products evolving. SCP are subtly changing the product-centric business to system-centric. Development and monetization of new SCP is an uphill task, it necessitates unique market orientation and business models. The purpose of this study is to establish a framework of variables influencing new smart connected products performance (NSCPP) at the market place, suggest methods to operationalize the framework. Design/methodology/approach The study identified key variables influencing NSCPP from existing literature. Conceptualized unique theoretical frameworks of these variables and empirically validated structural relationships. The study performed structural equation modeling using the data collected from 163 respondents having managed the development and monetization of 138 new SCP launches. Findings The study established structural relationships among selected variables proactive market orientation (ProMO), new product development proficiency (NPDPro) and business model innovation (BMoI). It revealed that the effect of ProMO is manifested through NPDPro. BMoI and NPDPro significantly influence NSCPP. Practical implications The study presented “ProMO Canvas” to plan and operationalize ProMO integrated with new product development (NPD) stage-gate activities. The study suggested the practitioners to execute ProMO activities preceding NPD activities and execute NPD, business model development activities in parallel to attain superior NSCPP. Originality/value This study is a novel effort to derive a unique empirical framework of variables ProMO, NPDPro and BMoI to attain superior NSCPP.


Author(s):  
Filippo Emanuele Ciarapica ◽  
Maurizio Bevilacqua ◽  
Giovanni Mazzuto

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of technical and management practices of a new product development (NPD) project on the project success in terms of observed value-added time. The authors address the research questions: “How do the product innovation aspects, information process, suppliers integration and project team aspects influence the success of NPD projects in terms of observed value-added time?” Design/methodology/approach – Specific hypotheses are posed based on literature research and semi-structured interviews with project managers used for the pilot study. In total, 40 projects carried out by multinational corporation, concerning NPD, are analysed, comparing product and project features with results obtained in terms of performance indexes usually used in “Lean Production” sector: “waste time”; and “type of wastes”. Findings – This research highlighted that “over-processing” is the most important waste made in the projects when the product concept is Completely New. Great support has been found for the hypothesis that a clear definition of products’ concept can reduce waste time. Unexpected result has been obtained analysing “Information process aspects” category where the more frequent use of support systems (i.e. quality function deployment, computer-integrated manufacturing, computer-aided design, etc.) tended to increase waste time. Important connections have also been found between project team aspects and low waste time. Practical implications – The identification of sources of waste can help managers to assess their current innovation practices, identify gaps between their current practice and best practice, and define action plans to close those gaps. Originality/value – In literature, researches exploring the effects that both organizational and managerial factors have on value-added has received only scant attention. This study attempts to bridge this gap, and takes a first step to investigate the role of product innovation aspects, information process, supplier integration and project team aspects in “value-added time” in a NPD project.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 1061-1081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Keszey

PurposeThis paper aims to enrich knowledge management theory and practice by investigating how boundary spanners’ willingness to share their knowledge contributes to innovation success and by examining the contingent role of market turbulence.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional survey data were collected from 296 top income Hungarian firms. Structural equation modelling with bootstrap procedures was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsBoundary spanners’ willingness to share their knowledge has a dual effect on innovation success, which is captured by new product development innovativeness and performance. It has a direct effect on both new product development innovativeness and performance, and it has a mediated effect on new product development performance, where new product development innovativeness serves as a mediator. The study’s results indicate that these effects are robust and not contingent on the turbulence of the firm’s marketplace.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s respondents were managers in boundary-spanning positions charged with the task of linking the organisation with its external environment. Owing to their proximity to the external environment, their evaluation of market turbulence may be distorted.Practical implicationsMaintaining the willingness of managers in boundary-spanning positions to share what they know is essential to the continuous creation of superior new product development performance. Hence, firms should develop organisational cultures where employees’ knowledge-sharing willingness is presented as an important asset. While turbulent markets may be unpredictable and hostile, firms should not adjust their knowledge management practices.Originality/valueBuilding on the research on knowledge sharing, boundary spanning theory and contingency theory, this paper increases the understanding of the salient factors that are often implicitly assumed in mechanisms involved in transforming knowledge into new product performance. This is the first empirical study to focus on boundary spanners’ knowledge behaviour and to consider the contingent role of market turbulence in knowledge management.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Li ◽  
Yue Yu

Purpose Although collaborative research is believed to be an important means of accessing external knowledge, research on whether taking a strategic network position benefits new product development (NPD) is inconclusive. This study aims to unravel the conditions under which taking a strategic position within a collaborative research network is conducive for a firm’s NPD. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on social network theory, absorptive capacity theory and knowledge recombinant studies, this study examines how strategic network positions (i.e. degree centrality and structural holes) and knowledge base cohesion (i.e. local and global cohesion) in tandem affect a firm’s NPD. A panel data set of 366 firms in the Chinese automobile sector (2002–2010) is empirically analyzed, using the panel negative binomial approach with random effects and several alternate estimation approaches. Findings This study reveals that, rather than the volume of a firm’s knowledge base, its cohesion determines how it absorbs and uses knowledge accrued from collaborative research for NPD. Specifically, this paper finds that centrally positioned firms have greater NPD when their knowledge bases are locally cohesive, while firms spanning structural holes have more NPD when their knowledge bases are globally cohesive. Originality/value Successfully transferring collaborative research outcomes into product innovation is difficult. This study contributes to the literature on strategic network positions and NPD. The findings advance the understanding of knowledge base cohesion’s moderating role in explaining how firms absorb and exploit external knowledge for internal innovation. The findings also have important implications for managers who wish to promote product innovation by engaging in collaborative research with external partners.


2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 1717-1735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana M. Ortega ◽  
M. Teresa García ◽  
M. Valle Santos

Purpose The literature provides contradictory findings on planning contradictory findings on planning as a success factor in projects which entail high innovation. Nevertheless, new product development (NPD) research has mainly adopted the causation lens, in which planning plays an important role. By embracing the logic of effectuation, the purpose of this paper is to secure a wider perspective concerning how the various NPD options develop, taking into account the role played by uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach By adopting an inductive approach, the authors attempt to advance existing knowledge on the topic. The qualitative methodology (documentary analysis, content analysis and alternate templates) is adopted for the analysis of four NPD projects in the food industry in Spain. Findings Results reflect the relevance of the two perspectives considered when explaining the NPD process, with the presence of hybrid behaviour in all the projects and effectuation emerging as the dominant logic in the project linked to a greater degree of innovation and uncertainty. Research limitations/implications Projects involving varying degrees of innovation would seem to require different NPD approaches. This paper provides an initial approach to the subject, and it analyses a small number of firms. It is necessary to better understand to what extent the two logics are present in different types of projects. Practical implications By incorporating the logic of effectuation, firms might consider using NPD as a means of engaging in projects that entail a higher degree of innovation, since it offers ways of dealing with the uncertainty linked to such projects. Originality/value The paper contributes to the still early efforts to apply the perspective of effectuation to the area of NPD, by linking the logics of effectuation and causation to the various NPD processes taking account of their varying degrees of innovation and uncertainty (exploitation, exploration and leverage options).


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