MANAGING INNOVATION NETWORKS IN THE INDUSTRIAL GOODS SECTOR

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (06) ◽  
pp. 1209-1241 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHANNES LANDSPERGER ◽  
PATRICK SPIETH
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Network Management ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
New Product ◽  
Innovation Networks ◽  
Innovation Network ◽  
Network Approach ◽  
Network Stability ◽  
Management Functions ◽  
Balanced Network

Inter-firm networking can facilitate new product development but "[…] it is not a panacea for success" (Harris et al., 2000:229). This article is not concerned with the potential of in-house innovations but tries to reinforce network innovation as a worthy alternative, if managed appropriately. Our research includes the spread of the interaction oriented network approach to innovation literature. Relying on this literature, we hypothesize that balanced network management enhances network retention by facilitating partner selection, resource allocation, regulation, and network evaluation. Balanced network management thereby increases the network retention of the innovation network participants. Our empirical results support our hypotheses. These findings imply that balanced network management affects innovation network retention. For this reason, innovation literature should include a detailed investigation of the four network management functions' effects on innovation network success figures, such as network retention. Assessing network stability and social interaction within innovation networks might allow a better understanding of underlying retention mechanisms in the innovation network context.

Complexity, Networks & Learning: Integrative Themes for Research on Innovation Management

1997 ◽  
Vol 01 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Tidd
Keyword(s):  
New Product Development ◽  
Innovation Management ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
New Product ◽  
Innovation Network ◽  
Comprehensive Model ◽  
Market Knowledge ◽  
Management Of Innovation ◽  
Organisational Factors ◽  
Process Complexity

Research on the management of innovation has been highly fragmented, and to a large extent non-cumulative. Much of the research has been conducted within three separate disciplines, with relatively little overlap or interaction: the management of research and development or technology; new product development and marketing; and organisational development and change. In this paper, we identify a number of emergent themes which have the potential to integrate these diverse streams of research, and result in a more comprehensive model of the innovation process: complexity, networks and learning. We argue that the innovation process is inherently complex, and therefore we need better characterisations of the technological, market and organisational contingencies which affect the opportunity for innovation. With growing complexity, the focus shifts from competencies based on internal assets such as R&D activities and intellectual property, to the position of a firm within an innovation network and competencies based on its relationships with other organisations. Finally, too much research has been pre-occupied with how firms develop and exploit narrow competencies based on prior experience, rather than how firms acquire new competencies. A focus on organisational learning may provide a richer explanation of the organisational factors which affect the acquisition of new technological and market knowledge.

HOW NETWORK MANAGERS CONTRIBUTE TO INNOVATION NETWORK PERFORMANCE

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (06) ◽  
pp. 1240009 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHANNES LANDSPERGER ◽  
PATRICK SPIETH ◽  
SVEN HEIDENREICH
Keyword(s):  
Network Performance ◽  
Goal Achievement ◽  
Innovation Networks ◽  
Innovation Network ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Conceptual Foundation ◽  
Joint Development ◽  
Network Manager ◽  
Management Functions ◽  
The Impact

Innovation networks that aim at the joint development of products, services or processes represent a particular form of inter-organizational business networks. In order to yield useful results from these collaborations, networks need to be managed thoroughly. By appointing a dedicated network manager to administrate, coordinate, and regulate, the management of tasks is bundled and centralized within a single entity. However, to the best knowledge of the authors, no empirical research has yet been conducted, investigating the impact of a network manager's availability, relevance, and influence on network performance. Using the interaction-oriented network approach as conceptual foundation, we analyze network managers' direct and indirect influence on the network's relational and goal achievement performance. Our results suggest that a network manager enhances innovation network's core management functions, which in turn improve the relational performance (RP). Moreover, RP was found to significantly drive the goal achievement performance (GAP).

Maturity in Innovation Network Management

2012 ◽  
pp. 203-229
Author(s):  
Caspar Van Rijnbach ◽  
Gustavo de Boer Endo ◽  
Suzana Monteiro Leonardi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Network Management ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
The United States ◽  
Innovation Networks ◽  
Innovation Network ◽  
Maturity Model ◽  
Benchmark Study ◽  
World Class ◽  
Four Levels

Companies are focusing increasingly on the creation and maintenance of external networks for innovation. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the reader to the concept of network management and demonstrate the principal attributes that impact the formation and optimization of innovation networks, based on the network´s objectives, the combination of the characteristics of the network’s participants as well as the network’s organizational format to attract and maintain the partnership. To reach this purpose, we present the results of a benchmark study undertaken in Brazil, the United States of America and Europe between March and June 2009. In this study, we interviewed executives at 24 leading companies known as innovators in their industry. Through the results we were able to identify a maturity model consisting of four levels for innovation network management: initiators, explorers, established and world class.

PRIORITY DECISION OF KEY TECHNOLOGY ELEMENT IN NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: AN EMPIRICAL COMPARISON BETWEEN QFD AND TAGUCHI METHOD

2005 ◽  
Vol 02 (02) ◽  
pp. 171-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
JONG-SEO YANG ◽  
MYUNG-HWAN YUN
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Taguchi Method ◽  
Product Development ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
New Product ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Relationship Matrix ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Time Scheduling ◽  
Qfd Method

Technology innovation or new product development (NPD) is composed of various process elements that require specialized knowledge/know-how needed for the application of fundamental technologies on actual product development. With the widespread use of techniques such as PERT/CPM, a major part of project management efforts focuses on resource allocation and time scheduling. In a multi-project environment of high-technology product development, prioritizing technology elements within a full spectrum of required developments is relatively more important than resource allocation or cost-reduction. Furthermore, disagreements between project managers and researchers in setting the priorities of project elements should be resolved and managed systematically to leverage a successful execution of the whole project. In this study, modified QFD and modified Taguchi method are suggested for setting priorities among elemental technologies. As a first step, the authors interviewed project managers from two companies in order to identify elemental technologies and competitiveness factors of the project in scope. Then, the priorities of elemental technologies for both projects are measured using two different methods. In the modified QFD method, the relationship matrix (HOQ, house of quality) is used to determine the priorities. In the modified Taguchi method, the priorities are determined by evaluating contributions of each elemental technology on competitiveness factors with participant's opinions as noise variables. The results of the two methods are compared. A post-hoc survey showed that project managers and researchers slightly prefer the QFD method.

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