Exploring the Relationships Between Product Development and Environmental Turbulence: The Case of Mobile TLC Services

被引:60
作者
Buganza, Tommaso [1 ,2 ,3 ]
Dell'Era, Claudio [3 ]
Verganti, Roberto
机构
[1] Politecn Milan, Sch Management, MaDe Lab, Lab Educ Mkt Design & Innovat Management, I-20133 Milan, Italy
[2] Politecn Milan, Fac Design, I-20133 Milan, Italy
[3] Politecn Milan, Dept Management Econ & Ind Engn, I-20133 Milan, Italy
关键词
PERFORMANCE; DETERMINANTS; UNCERTAINTY; DESIGN; FIRMS;
D O I
10.1111/j.1540-5885.2009.00660.x
中图分类号
F [经济];
学科分类号
02 ;
摘要
Managing innovation in turbulent environments (e.g., in environments with extreme uncertainty and complexity in market needs and technological opportunities) is a major challenge. A recent stream of studies in the management literature has suggested that when facing turbulent environments, firms should deploy more flexible development processes. This paper approaches this issue by looking at the Italian mobile telecommunications (TLC) industry. Nine in-depth case studies were conducted in five different companies. Data analysis showed some important results. First of all environmental turbulence should be considered to be project specific rather than company or industry specific. Moreover, it can come from both shift in the market needs and in the technology. Nevertheless, it seems clear that having rapid changes is not enough to have environmental turbulence. If rapid changes can be somehow foreseen, there is no turbulence at all. Hence, when approaching projects in potentially turbulent environments, managers should assess both rapidity and unpredictability of the environment. Finally, looking at the in-depth cases, the paper points out what of the main practices to increase flexibility that are described in literature are actually adopted by companies. In case of turbulence (both in the market and/or in the technology) companies delay concept freezing point. Moreover, in the case of technological turbulence, they also leverage on rapid project iterations, whereas in case of market turbulence they more likely adopt early experiments involving customers, formal and cross-functional project teams, and flat organizational structures.
引用
收藏
页码:308 / 321
页数:14
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