Rianne Valkenburg

Learning from collaborative new product development projects

Purpose – In an empirical study learning opportunities were identified. Learning opportunities are enablers or disablers for the achievement of shared understanding.Design/methodology/approach – Actors were interviewed about their communication process. The learning history method was used to analyze and structure the data. From the learning histories learning opportunities were derived. Finally, the learning opportunities were categorized.Findings – Learning opportunities were found on three levels: the actor, project and company level. They were also joined in six themes. Combining these two patterns showed that learning opportunities are interrelated.Research limitations/implications – The case study done was retrospective for the actors involved. Therefore, only conclusions could be drawn on the achievement of shared understanding. To be able to say more about the creation of shared understanding, following a NPD project real time would be desirable, in future research.Practical implications – This st...

APPROACHES TO NETWORKED INNOVATION

Networked innovation is a specific form of open innovation, i.e. the collaboration of two or more companies as partners. A longitudinal research project was set up to explore this innovation form on different organizational levels. In an exploratory study, nine companies were interviewed about the way they carried out networked innovation projects. This paper focuses on the following results: their motivation to partake in networked innovation, the way they find partners, the start of an innovation project and the used processes.

Exploring A Design-Driven Approach As Way To Enable Networked Innovation: Synthesis And Future Research

In this special issue, the question is raised on how a design-driven approach can support organizations in their attempt to organize and realize networked innovation. From the question, two opposite perspectives can be distilled. On the one hand, it can be argued that the design-driven approach is a means for realizing networked innovation. Companies that work together to innovate encounter all kinds of problems that are primarily related to di®erences in innovation style, business culture, strategy, and types of knowledge and skills. The design-driven approach can then be used to tackle these problems and make networked innovation easier. The other perspective does not view the design-driven approach as a solution, but instead examines the problems that arise when a company wants to apply the design-driven approach when it engages in networked innovation. Apparently, companies know how to apply the design-driven approach internally, but not how to do so together with other companies. International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management Vol. 11, No. 1 (2014) 1440007 (10 pages) #.c World Scienti c Publishing Company DOI: 10.1142/S0219877014400070