Customer Integration Strategies for Innovation Projects: Anticipation and Brokering
Journal
International Journal of Technology Management (IJTM)
ISSN
0267-5730
ISSN-Digital
1741-5276
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2009-04-01
Author(s)
Sandmeier, Patricia
Abstract
Integrating customer contributions into new product development provides an effective approach for successful product innovation, but little academic research explicitly addresses appropriate customer integration strategies. To explore such strategies, this study investigates the impact of different customer contribution types and timing. An analysis of four case studies with industrial goods developers in Northern Europe is used to draw a framework revealing two customer integration strategies: anticipation and brokering. Anticipation was identified in projects where companies hold a product leadership position, have a technological head start, and are involved in shaping industry standards. Brokering was found in projects where companies are in a relatively weak starting position, leading towards product innovations with higher degrees of newness due to larger external contributions. Further customer integration strategies are expected to be hybrids containing elements of the two strategies presented. As a practical implication, the careful selection of the customer integration strategy according to the company's industry establishedness and targeted degree of product newness is recommended.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Inderscience Enterprises Ltd
Publisher place
Geneva-Aeroport
Volume
48
Number
1
Start page
1
End page
23
Pages
23
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
68548
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Name
IJTM_Sandmeier_Customer integration Strategies.pdf
Size
300.02 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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