Eva Lovén

MANAGING NEW TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION: INTEGRATING SOFTWARE IN MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS

Development processes in which software is integrated in hardware products are explored with the aim of finding obstacles to the development process and hypothesising how they can be dealt with. Empirical data are based on case studies in nine manufacturing companies chosen to have a varied amount of software in their products and experience of technology integration. Results indicate that obstacles in experienced companies concern processes, structures and resources but few culture-related issues. In companies with short experience of software integration in hardware development, cultural aspects were important. Where new technology played a strategic role in the product function, organisational issues such as structures, processes and cultural differences formed obstacles. Where technology only had a supporting role, resource-related obstacles such as lack of competencies were more important. Managerial measures tended to be partly related to the different types of obstacles, partly to the strategic situation of the company.

Understanding creativity motors and obstacles in product development

Although many factors have been found to facilitate creativity in product development, the evidence of these studies lacks explanations of the mechanisms enhancing or impeding creativity. Building upon the model of Van de Ven and Poole (1995), a framework is formulated for understanding the motors of creativity in product development. Four motors for driving creativity are proposed: creativity as an evolutionary process, life cycle process, confrontation between different groups or individuals or within the context of a purposeful individual or team. A multiple-case study of three Swedish manufacturers explores the motors further and complements the framework with drivers of and counterforces to the four motors, for example, the existence of challenging managers and the perceived inappropriateness of certain formal processes for creative work. Although creativity is the result of the four motors operating simultaneously, each of the four motors provide different conditions for radical and incremental innovation.