Akio Nagahira

The Fuzzy Front End of Japanese New Product Development Projects: Impact on Success and Differences between Incremental and Radical Projects

This study of Japanese New Product Development (NPD) projects explores the fuzzy front end of innovation. The goal of the paper is twofold: First, we analyse the impact of the fuzzy front end on the success of all the NPD projects. We develop a conceptual model based on the information-processing approach. A structural equation model was fitted to data from 497 NPD projects in Japanese manufacturing firms to test the proposed model. The empirical analysis suggests that an early reduction of market and technical uncertainty as well as an initial planning before development have a positive impact on NPD project success. The model accounts for 17% of the variance of the efficiency and 24% of the variance of the effectiveness-dependent variable. Thus, the front end phase is an important driver of NPD project success. Second, we compare the fuzzy front end of incremental to radical NPD projects. Although these projects differ in many aspects of newness, we found only a few differences with regard to the fuzzy front end. For instance, it was more difficult to estimate the market size and price sensitivity of the customers during the fuzzy front end of the radical NPD projects compared with the incremental projects. Implications of the empirical results and limitations of the study are discussed.

The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in Literature and Practice - A Review and Results from Field Research in Japan

This paper presents a literature review discussing empirical as well as conceptual papers concerning the CTO — the Chief Technology Officer — his tasks, responsibilities and authority and his relations with other corporate functions. It further presents first results of a CTO survey conducted in the Japanese electrical engineering industry in the fall of 2006. Based on both, a set of propositions is presented which the authors test via a large forthcoming empirical study in the same industry.

Technology Catch-Up in China Compared with Japan: A New Development Model

This paper contrasts these contexts and describes an alternative model of catch-up that can be discerned through an examination of the industries in which Chinese firms are competing successfully. The purpose of this paper is to identify the key features of the Chinese catch-up process to propose an alternative model of catch-up that takes into account key features of the current environment, some of which differ critically from Japan. First we review the Japanese catch-up processes during the 1960s-1980s to highlight key features. Next, we introduce our framework that is grounded in Chinas experience, and describe Chinas on-going catch-up process in those terms. We then look specifically at the mobile phone handset industry to illustrate the catch-up process in China. Finally, we discuss the general implications of our framework for both research and policymaking

The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in Theory and Practice - A Literature Review and Results from Field Research in Japan

This paper presents a literature review discussing empirical as well as conceptual papers concerning the CTO - the Chief Technology Officer - his tasks, responsibilities and authority and his relations with other corporate functions. It further presents first results of a CTO survey conducted in the Japanese electrical engineering industry in the fall of 2006. Based on both, a set of propositions is presented which the authors test via a large forthcoming empirical study in the same industry.

The “fuzzy front end” of product development: an exploratory study of German and Japanese innovation projects

In this paper, we report the complete and unabridged results of an exploratory study of typical front-end activities in 28 innovation projects in German and Japanese companies. We further reveal differences in the practice of innovation management in both countries. Based on these, we develop first evidence for effects of front end management practices on project execution and project outcomes. For this purpose, we interviewed managers of 13 Japanese and 14 German enterprises concerning 14 Japanese and 14 German new product development projects. The focus of the interviews was the so-called fuzzy front end and activities or deliverables later in the process which might be affected by front end management practice. Overall, most projects achieved their objectives with varying efficiency, which is therefore the focus of our analysis. Our study reveals similarities as well as distinctive differences between the projects studied in Japan and Germany. In sum, the 14 Japanese projects relied on a thorough planning and strict controlling to minimize deviations from front end specifications and enhance efficiency. The majority of the 14 German projects did not have a formal planning and controlling process supported by methods and tools like the Japanese projects. Instead, they integrated all relevant functions early in the process, partly already during idea generation, to ensure that all information and points of view were taken into consideration right from the start to reduce later deviations and enhance efficiency. Responsibilities were assigned during the front end and rarely changed during project execution. In addition, during the front end of the German and Japanese projects, market and technical uncertainty were strongly reduced prior to development to avoid later deviations and secure efficiency targets.

The internal mechanism of FFE affecting NPD performance: A theoretical model

Based on the analyzing activities and characteristics of Fuzzy Front End (FFE), this paper tries to establish a theoretical framework to explore key factors of “FFE” as well as the internal mechanism of FFE affecting new product development (NPD) performance.

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF KIBS INNOVATION IN JAPANESE MANUFACTURING CORPORATIONS

Dealing with knowledge intensive business services (KIBS) has become an important strategy for many firms. Services that heavily rely on professional knowledge are needed by Japanese manufacturing corporations (JMCs) for solving different problems. This article explores the impact of the utilization of KIBS on the innovation of JMCs in Japan. The goal of the paper is threefold: first, we focus on the different divisions of JMCs that have dealt with KIBS and analyze the impact of KIBS on their innovation respectively; second, we separate the types of innovation into radical innovation and incremental innovation and then analyze what and how the service delivery method contributes to each type of innovation; and finally we discuss in more depth the details of an efficient service delivery method. The results show that first, KIBS contribute more to the radical innovation of a client rather than incremental innovation and second, face-to-face is the most efficient method of service delivery from KIBS to the JMCs.

Impact Analysis of Front End Practices in Innovative New Product Development in Japanese Manufacturing Companies

Recently, increased attention has been paid to the front end of New Product Development (NPD). In this paper, we report on the key factors for success with regard to the front end activities of NPD in 513 Japanese companies. We develop and test a causal model of relationships among key variables relating to front end factors and success. The causal model is tested with AMOS using information from 513 completed NPD projects from Japanese manufacturing firms. The results of this study are summarised as follows: First, the more both market uncertainty and technical uncertainties are reduced during the front end, the higher is the effectiveness of NPD projects. Second, the more intensively new projects are planned prior to the start of development, the more both market and technical uncertainties are reduced. Finally, in industry goods firms, it is easy for managers to develop Initial Planning, which has a greater impact on Reduction of Market Uncertainty compared to consumer goods firms. In contrast, as it is very difficult for managers in consumer goods firms to develop an initial plan, managers involve several function members within their project team, and often bring in external resources to reduce market uncertainty

The Impact of Activities during Fuzzy Front End on NPD Project Success: A Comparative Study between Korean and Japanese Manufacturers

This study shows that the impact of fuzzy front end (FFE) phase during innovation process on new product development (NPD) project success in two East Asian countries, Korea and Japan, was explored via employing comparative study. The comparison periods which refer to the late 1980s for Japanese manufacturing firms and the late 2000s for Korean manufacturing firms are considered to be very successful era for both countries. The results suggest Japanese firms tended to keep initial plans during development process, while the Korean firms were more flexible in project execution phase allowing dramatic changes to the initial plans.

The impact of KIBS on Japanese manufacturing corporations from the client-side point of view

Dealing with knowledge intensive business services (KIBS) has become an important strategy for many firms. Services that rely on professional knowledge are needed by Japanese manufacturing corporations (JMCs) for solving different problems. This article explores the needs of JMCs from KIBS in Japan and their relationship during the process of dealing with KIBS. The paper shows that knowledge, including knowledge regarding IPR but not IPR, contributes to the benefit of JMCs when dealing with KIBS. Furthermore, factors such as price of service, location and size of KIBS can help JMCs to find high quality services; JMCs can also eliminate or prevent obstacles in their relationship with KIBS by changing the way of service delivery.