Innovation‐driven learning in new product development: a conceptual model
| Date | 01 April 2004 |
| Published date | 01 April 2004 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02635570410525799 |
| Pages | 252-261 |
| Author | Qingyu Zhang,Jeen‐Su Lim,Mei Cao |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
Innovation-driven
learning in new product
development:
a conceptual model
Qingyu Zhang
Jeen-Su Lim and
Mei Cao
Introduction
As competition in global markets becomes
intense, firms have begun to recognize the
importance of new product development (NPD)
and innovation issues, such as time-to-market
(Cooper and Kleinschmidt, 1994; Kessler and
Chakranarti, 1996; Zhang and Doll, 2001),
organizational learning (Argyris and Schon,
1978; Bailey, 1989; Fiol and Lyles, 1985; Gupta
and Thomas, 2001), mass customization
(Kotha, 1996), and information acquisition and
distribution (Arkoff, 1967; Howard, 1997).
Among these compon ents, organizational
learning has emerged as a key strategic variable
and has been found to be an important
absorptive process driven by innovation (Cosier,
1981; Cohen and Levinthal, 1990; Kiechel,
1990; Stata, 1989). Learning may also be the
only competitive advantage available to the
company of the future as environments change
dramatically (Cosier, 1981).
McKee (1992) has pointed out that
organizations not only can learn
production-oriented activities, but can also learn
to innovate in product development (Alberts,
1989; Amit and Schoemaker, 1993; Henderson,
1984). NPD is essentially knowledge
development and knowledge synthesizing
activities consisting of a stream of routine and
non-routine tasks, performed by an array of
individuals and groups (Purser et al., 1992;
Parker, 2000; Zhang and Doll, 2001; Dougherty,
1990; Donnellon, 1993; Ayers, 1997; Henke et
al., 1993). The range of existing
conceptualizations of learning has focused
primarily on organizational learning: as
adaptation; assumption sharing; development of a
knowledge base; or as institutionalized experience
(Shrivastava and Schneider, 1984; Gupta et al.,
2000; Yang and Yu, 2002). However, because
NPD is highly knowledge intensive and
innovation-type-dependent, we have chosen to
focus on conceptualizations which view learning
as the development of knowledge accumulation
and planning at the individual and organizational
level based on corresponding innovation
strategies (Duncan, 1974).
Product innovation learning involves
increasing the effectiveness of product
development efforts as a result of practice and the
refinement of innovation-related skills (McKee,
The authors
Qingyu Zhang is Assistant Professor, Department of
Economics and Decision Sciences, Arkansas State University,
State University, Arkansas, USA.
Jeen-Su Lim is Professor, Department of Marketing and
Mei Cao is a PhD Student, Department of Information
Systems and E-commerce, both at The University of Toledo,
Toledo, Ohio, USA.
Keywords
Innovation, Team learning, Knowledge management,
Product development, Organizational development,
Information management
Abstract
This paper develops a conceptual framework that
incorporates three innovation strategies and three learning
activities through the mechanism of four conversion
processes in new product development. Also included is the
impact of the three learning activities on performance. The
framework can provide a tool for systematically examining
the effectiveness of product innovation efforts.
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252
Industrial Management & Data Systems
Volume 104 .Number 3 .2004 .pp. 252-261
#Emerald Group Publishing Limited .ISSN 0263-5577
DOI 10.1108/02635570410525799
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