STRATEGIC AND OPERATIVE LEVEL FRONT-END INNOVATION ACTIVITIES — INTEGRATION PERSPECTIVE

2007 ◽  
Vol 04 (04) ◽  
pp. 433-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
JARNO POSKELA
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Front End ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
Critical Phase ◽  
Strategy Making ◽  
Target Markets

The front-end phase is in the literature generally regarded as the most critical phase of the innovation process. Front-end management has a strategic nature since important decisions related e.g. to target markets and the main functionalities of products are done in the front-end phase. This article examines how the integration of strategic and operative level front-end activities is perceived by top managers in the product innovation context. The findings indicate that companies exploit different strategy-making processes, and that each strategy-making mode is prone to particular integration challenges. The results show that the effectiveness of integration of strategic and operative level front-end activities is dependent on the level of concreteness of the defined business strategies, the amount of business-minded decision making, and the balance between control and creativity.

Significance of operational capabilities of suppliers on the front-end decision making in apparel product innovation in Sri Lanka

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Niromi Seram ◽  
Julian Nanayakkara ◽  
Gamini Lanarolle
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Apparel Manufacturing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Front End ◽  
Operational Capabilities ◽  
Apparel Product

Purpose The suppliers are recognized as important external sources who can significantly contribute by working together with the buyer during the innovation process. Operational capabilities of suppliers can be one of the considerable factors when selecting them to participate in the activities at the front-end of innovation. However, proper understanding of the influence of operational capabilities of suppliers on front-end decision-making in apparel product innovation is still very limited particularly in the context of the Sri Lankan apparel industry. Therefore, this study aims to explore the influence of operational capabilities of suppliers on the front-end decision making in apparel product innovation in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach Both semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey were used as data collection techniques. Six senior managers for the interviews and 60 participants for the questionnaire were randomly selected. All those who participated in interviews and the questionnaire respondents have been involved in the front-end of innovation in different apparel manufacturing organizations in Sri Lanka. Findings The results indicated that the operational capabilities of suppliers had a direct positive influence on front-end decision-making, and the suppliers’ production flexibility was found to be the most influential. Further, the results highlighted that 27.3% of the front-end decisions associated with apparel product innovation in Sri Lanka were influenced by the factors governing operational capabilities of suppliers. Originality/value The findings of the research will be beneficial for both academia and industry. The findings will be useful to extend the current understanding and make a noteworthy contribution to this topic and to provide useful and practical guidance to material suppliers and supporting industries who work with Sri Lankan apparel manufacturing.

scholarly journals REASONING IN THE FUZZY FRONT END OF INNOVATION: FRAMING THE PRODUCT DNA

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (05) ◽  
pp. 1840001
Author(s):  
LOUISE MØLLER HAASE ◽  
LINDA NHU LAURSEN
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Main Product ◽  
Product Concept ◽  
Fuzzy Front End ◽  
Front End ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Innovative Products ◽  
Difficult Challenge

Designing a remarkable product innovation is a difficult challenge, which businesses today are continuously striving to tackle. This challenge is particularly present in the fuzzy front end of innovation, where the main product concept, the DNA of the innovation, is determined. A main challenge in the fuzzy front end is the reasoning process: innovation teams are faced with open-ended, ill-defined problems, where they need to make decisions about an unknown future but have only incomplete, ambiguous and contradicting insights available. We study the reasoning of experts, how they frame to make sense of all the insights and create a basis for decision-making in relation to a new project. Based on case studies of five innovative products from various industries, we propose a Product DNA model for understanding the reasoning in the fuzzy front end of innovation. The Product DNA Model explains how experts reason and what direct their reasoning.

Business strategy of automotive and farm equipment sector of the Mahindra & Mahindra Group of India

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajendra Prasad Mohanty ◽  
Prince Augustin
Keyword(s):  
Economic History ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Farm Equipment ◽  
Evolutionary Growth ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper traces the historical evolution and growth trajectory of the automotive and farm equipment sector, which is a very significant entity of the Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) group. The purpose of this paper is to understand and provide a pragmatic framework through which the authors can see what were the internal and external factors and the spirit of the contemporary times that led to the changes in the nature of the group. Design/methodology/approach – The “Greiner curve” model has been applied to interpret the evolutionary growth of the group and strategic trajectory explaining characteristics in its different phases. Findings – M&M initially went through its share of learning and grew through pragmatic and, orchestrated entrepreneurial risk. The group made a very successful transition from a proprietorship model to a professionally managed group. It is found that rapid growth has been possible through innovation led collaboration. The group is increasingly organizing its innovation activities around the development of responses to specific challenges. Research limitations/implications – This study suffers from methodological limitations associated with a stage model that the estimated length of the time the organizations will stay in a phase is not known. It is unclear whether passage through all stages is necessary; or whether, in some circumstances, one or more stages may be omitted, and if variations in sequencing can occur. The data for the initial years was not available in primary form and the paper had to depend entirely on the secondary sources. Practical implications – Various strategies adopted by the group from time to time have practical implications for Indian economy. The group has faced many challenges, but challenge-led collaboration-driven approach represents a new type of innovation process that contrasts with other methods of business strategies and provides a sharper focus for managerial and technical issues and brings together stakeholders with diverse interests, expertise and perspectives. Originality/value – This study is a unique attempt in India to trace the evolution of the strategic interventions in the context of a major business group, which is considered to be a symbolic representation of Indian economic history. The paper has got both academic as well as managerial utility.

A NEW MODIFIED TOTAL FRONT END FRAMEWORK FOR INNOVATION: NEW INSIGHTS FROM HEALTH RELATED INDUSTRIES

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (05) ◽  
pp. 1013-1041 ◽  
Author(s):  
PATRICK J. TROTTER
Keyword(s):  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Current State ◽  
Front End ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Individual

This paper explores the front end innovation activities in a multinational Global Healthcare Company (GHC). A questionnaire was designed and distributed to front end innovators from 20 operating companies to understand team composition, essential skill sets, and the methodology used to assess customer needs, generate ideas, and define the selection criteria used during the go/no go decision. For each category the current state and best practice (based on the views of the individual respondents) for front end innovation was analyzed and reported in this paper. The results of this study reflect the opinions and suggestions of 37 respondents (23 that were at directorship level or above). These results were amalgamated and used to develop existing models of innovation to produce a framework (termed the Total Front End Framework (TFEF)) that should be useful for both senior managers and innovation teams to optimize their activities and increase the efficiency of the innovation process.

An inquiry on managers use of decision-making tools in the core front end of the innovation process

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 461
Author(s):  
Francesco P. Appio ◽  
Sofiane Achiche ◽  
Tim C. McAloone ◽  
Thomas J. Howard
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
The Core ◽  
Front End

scholarly journals Innovating the product innovation process to enable co‐creation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah. L. Roberts ◽  
Roger Palmer ◽  
Mathew Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Product Innovation ◽  
Innovation Process
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