Christopher Lettl

Distinctive Roles of Lead Users and Opinion Leaders in the Social Networks of Schoolchildren

Prior research has shown that both lead users and opinion leaders may propel the diffusion of innovation. This raises the question of whether lead users and opinion leaders are positioned similarly in social networks, which we address using a sample of 23 school classes consisting of 537 children. Research among children is very scarce in this particular domain. Our statistical analyses based on hierarchical linear modeling reveal two general results: first, lead users among children appear to possess a variety of links between clusters; second, opinion leaders are locally positioned within clusters of children and have many direct links.

Exploring How Lead Users Develop Radical Innovation: Opportunity Recognition and Exploitation in the Field of Medical Equipment Technology

In this paper, we explore how lead users develop radical innovations outside of manufacturing firms. We analyze the transition from a very early stage of activities to the ultimate commercialization of these innovations. The focus in this context is on the initiatives undertaken by lead users in order to transform their radically new solutions into functional prototypes, and then, to convince established manufacturers of the technological and market potential of their innovations. Using a comparative case study design in the high-tech field of medical equipment technology, we find that individual lead users as surgeons launch entrepreneurial activities and bridge periods in which established medical equipment manufacturers would not risk investing in radical innovations. By doing so, lead users create the conditions usually provided in manufacturer-initiated lead user projects, including the supply of diversified knowledge, the development and coordination of a network for further development of the innovation, and initial tests of technical or market feasibility. Our findings have implications for manufacturing firms that wish to design radical innovation projects with (individual) lead users and for research on new forms of lead user cooperation and integration.

Learning from users for radical innovation

In todays environment of rapid technological change companies can not rely on incremental innovations alone. To sustain long-term competitiveness companies need to develop radical innovations as well. Such innovations typically incorporate new and highly complex technologies, create new markets or shift existing market structures, and require user learning as they often induce significant behaviour changes on side of the users. To systematically develop radical innovations firms need to involve the proper actors. One such important external actor in the development process of new products is the user. Our study focuses on the question what kind of users are able to actively contribute to the development of radical innovations and what firms can learn from them to improve their innovative capability. A multiple case study analysis was conducted in the field of medical technology. Five radical innovation projects were selected including medical robots and computer-assisted navigation systems. The case study analysis reveals that users with a unique set of characteristics can contribute substantially to the development of radical innovations. These users have a high motivation toward new solutions, are open to new technologies, possess diverse competencies, and are embedded into a very supportive context. Manufacturers that took over the ideas and prototypes of the inventive users benefited significantly. By learning from these users, firms were able to significantly improve their radical innovative capability. The paper contributes to technology and innovation management research in two ways. First, by exploring critical user characteristics for distinct phases of the radical innovation process, we provide first insights how manufacturing firms can more effectively identify and leverage valuable users for their radical innovation work. Thereby, we highlight the involvement of capable users as an effective learning mechanism to improve the radical innovation capability of a firm. Second, new perspectives on lead user research are provided by enriching the lead user concept with other crucial characteristics of innovative users.

Management of “technology push” development projects

Discussion of market pull versus technology push approaches in the field of busi-ness innovation research has followed a certain trend. The empirical research under-taken until now has been concerned in particular with the question of how each of these approaches differently influence the subsequent success of the innovation. We do not wish to continue this discussion in our paper, rather we assume that both ap-proaches are justified depending upon the importance of the relevant innovation source, the desired degree of innovation and the respective characteristics of the industry in question. We concern ourselves with the characteristics that result in the technology push for the management of innovation projects and what implications can be derived from practical project management organization. In doing so, we concentrate upon all market-related activities, in particular the identification and verification of application areas for new technology. After contrasting the various characteristics of the technology push and market pull approaches, the market-related characteristics of technology push projects are outlined. In this context, current instruments and methods of qualitative market re-search are introduced and their usefulness discussed. In addition, organizational-structural aspects as well as strategic and operative aspects of technology push pro-ject management will be highlighted.

A Social Network Perspective of Lead Users and Creativity: An Empirical Study among Children

Generating ideas at the fuzzy front end of new product development is risky and has serious consequences for all preceding development stages. One of the currently most prominent techniques in supporting this idea-generation stage is the lead user approach. Involving lead users in idea generation closely correlates to individual creativity, and both, in turn, to the provision of information in social networks. This study, guided by lead user theory, creativity research and network theory, investigates 16 school-groups of children examining the relationship between the childrens social networks and their resulting creativity and lead userness. In addition, the interplay between lead userness and creativity is discussed and empirically tested. The main result of this study is that children who are positioned as bridging links between different groups in social networks reveal both a high degree of lead userness and a high level of creativity.

The entrepreneurial role of innovative users

Purpose – To provide first insights into under which conditions innovative users start entrepreneurial activities and finally become manufacturers themselves.Design/methodology/approach – Concrete innovation projects were chosen as the unit of analysis and a multi‐case comparison methodology was applied. In‐depth interviews on the basis of a semi‐structured interview guideline were conducted. Furthermore, archival data were used. A rigorous content analysis framework was applied to analyse the collected data.Findings – Those users that were the original investors in the innovations established and organized the required innovation networks. A high problem pressure, an active role of users in the idea generation phase, a high degree of innovativeness of the prospective product, and missing competencies as well as missing resources explain the entrepreneurial role of users.Research limitations/implications – For the empirical study the focus was on the industry of medical equipment technology. This raises q...

Fortschrittliche Kunden zu Breakthrough-Innovationen stimulieren

Die Durchfuhrung inkrementaler Innovationsprojekte gehort in erfolgreichen Unternehmen zur betrieblichen Routine. Dem Management steht hierzu ein Arsenal an Methoden zur Verfugung, mit denen diese Vorhaben systematisch geplant, gesteuert und kontrolliert werden konnen. So bietet die traditionelle Marktforschung vielfaltige Moglichkeiten, um Kundenbedurfnisse zu ermitteln und die entwickelten Konzepte bereits vor Markteinfuhrung in den Zielmarkten zu testen.

Management von technologiegetriebenen Entwicklungsprojekten

Zahlreiche Unternehmen sehen sich in rasch verandernden und verscharften Wettbewerbsstrukturen einem wachsenden Druck ausgesetzt, in immer kurzeren Entwicklungszyklen innovative Qualitatsprodukte und Dienstleistungen entwickeln zu mussen. Als wirksames Instrument, diese zum Teil widerspruchlich erscheinenden Anforderungen realisieren zu konnen, wird ein zielorientiertes Projektmanagement angesehen. Hierbei ist zu berucksichtigen, dass die Erfolgswirkung eines innovationsorientierten Projektmanagements insbesondere davon abhangig ist, inwieweit seine konkrete Ausgestaltung an den jeweiligen situativen Kontext, in den das Innovationsprojekt eingebettet ist, ausgerichtet werden kann.

Users as Inventors and Developers of Radical Innovation

To explore the role of users in radical innovation projects this study focuses on the question whether users are able to actively contribute to the development of radical innovations and which user characteristics are critical hereby. A multiple case study analysis was conducted in the field of medical technology. Five radical innovation projects were selected including medical robots and computerassisted navigation systems. The case studies reveal that users with a unique set of characteristics can play a dominant role in the innovation process of radical innovation. These users have a high motivation toward new solutions, possess diverse competencies and are embedded into a very supportive context. Manufacturers that took over the ideas and prototypes of the inventive users benefited significantly. Based on the empirical findings the recommendation for manufacturers is to systematically leverage specific users for the development of radical innovation.

Consumer-oriented innovation in the food and personal care products sectors: understanding consumers and using their insights in the innovation process.

Abstract: In this chapter, we clarify the concept of consumer-oriented innovation in the food and personal products sectors and define it as a process towards the development of a new product or service in which an integrated analysis and understanding of consumers’ wants, needs and preference formation play a key role . We then outline relevant streams of research that may promote the implementation of consumer-oriented innovation in these sectors. We first review research on understanding consumers, notably on quality perception, associated methods, and their application in innovation processes. We then review research on innovation management, emphasizing the use of consumer insight information in innovation processes. We conclude that a better integration of consumer research and research on innovation management would benefit the innovation process.