Idea Management. Identifying the factors that contribute to uncertainty in idea generation practices within front end NPD

Abstract

This study investigates and verifies the factors affecting uncertainty when generating ideas in New Product Development (NPD) processes. Specifically it focuses on the transition process between research and practice in the early stages of NPD because many companies frequently face difficulties in applying research outcomes into idea generation practices. Furthermore, the lack of linkage between research and practices appears to cause mistrust and uncertainty between product planning, design and engineering teams. This insight was established via an empirical study, based on multiple interviews with research-based(planning) and practice-based(design and engineering) teams within four multinational industrial companies. The paper concludes by indicating the key constructs relating to mistrust and uncertainty which appear to be linked to a miss match between different functional languages, the level of involvement of functions, and the level of effectiveness of the idea generation processes within the initial stages of NPD.