The Lead User Method for SME - a Guidebook for Practitioners and Facilitators
Type
book
Date Issued
2013
Author(s)
Research Team
IWI6
Abstract
We wrote this handbook in order to support SMEs in applying the lead user concept, which was originally developed by von Hippel (von Hippel 1986). The ability to carry out a lead user workshop can make a significant contribution to raising the innovation capacity of SME's. Several studies in different markets have found that a large amount of users which already generated innovations are lead users, and that prototypes that have been developed by lead users often form the basis for innovative and commercially successful products. Nevertheless, the realisation of the lead user concept (including the preparation of the project, the identification of suitable participants and relevant market trends as well as the execution of the workshop) requires extensive process and methodical
competencies (Churchill, Sonnack, & Von Hippel, 2009), and is, therefore, hard to achieve for SME's. Without knowing how a distinct activity (e.g. a brainstorming on possible solutions to the problem at hand, or the reduction of different alternatives) should be executed, the only way to conduct a lead user workshop is to hire an external specialist who is familiar with the lead user concept, and who knows how to execute the according activities correctly. At present, the application of the lead user concept (including the identification of relevant trends as well as lead users) takes approximately 9 months, and costs about $51,000 (Herstatt et. al. 1991).
competencies (Churchill, Sonnack, & Von Hippel, 2009), and is, therefore, hard to achieve for SME's. Without knowing how a distinct activity (e.g. a brainstorming on possible solutions to the problem at hand, or the reduction of different alternatives) should be executed, the only way to conduct a lead user workshop is to hire an external specialist who is familiar with the lead user concept, and who knows how to execute the according activities correctly. At present, the application of the lead user concept (including the identification of relevant trends as well as lead users) takes approximately 9 months, and costs about $51,000 (Herstatt et. al. 1991).
Language
English
Keywords
Lead User
Open Innovation
Guidebook
SMEs
Collaboration Engineering
CCC
HSG Classification
contribution to practical use / society
Refereed
No
Publisher
Chair for Information Systems, Kassel University
Publisher place
Kassel, Germany
Volume
1. Auflage 2013
Start page
64
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
226209
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
open.access
Name
JML_445_2.pdf
Size
6.15 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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