Title: Innovativeness in New Product Development (NPD): validating a new measure for inter-/intra-functional technological learning

Authors: Joshua Ignatius, Muhamad Jantan, T. Ramayah

Addresses: Business Research Consultant, Intelligent Insights International, Penang, Malaysia. ' Director, Center for Policy Research, Universiti Sains, Malaysia. ' Chairman, Department of Operations Management, Universiti Sains, Malaysia

Abstract: This paper focuses on developing a measurement model for inter/intra-functional technological learning. A brief overview of innovation and its general importance in the success of any entity (i.e. nation, firm, project or product) is initially provided. Central to this frame is the need to intensify New Product Development (NPD) efforts especially for a developing country such as Malaysia. However, since NPD success remains broadly defined, their measures portray the outcome of NPD efforts, rather than the means. This provided a cause to pursue measurement validation of learning processes in NPD collaboration, through data from 105 project teams across nine multi-national companies located in Malaysia. Four constructs bearing the concept of technological learning (i.e. knowledge acquisition, information distribution, information interpretation and organisational memory) were tested following a series of tests that are more stringent than their predecessors. Significant theoretical aspects are highlighted throughout the paper.

Keywords: measurement validation; new product development; NPD; product innovation; technological learning; learning processes; multinational corporations; MCNs; Malaysia; knowledge acquisition; information distribution; information interpretation; organisational memory.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTM.2007.012216

International Journal of Services Technology and Management, 2007 Vol.8 No.1, pp.21 - 40

Published online: 29 Jan 2007 *

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