ORGANIZING INTERACTIVE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The analysis is focused on what different dependencies the firms considered and dealt with, and how product development was organized with regard to these dependencies. It is concluded that there is a complex and dynamic pattern of dependencies that reaches far beyond the developed product as well as beyond individual business units. To deal with these dependencies, development may be organized in teams where several business units are represented. This enables interaction between different business units’ resource collections, which is important for resource adaptation as well as for innovation. The delimiting and relating functions of the team boundary are elaborated upon and it is argued that also teams may be regarded as actors. It is also concluded that a modular product structure may entail a modular organization with regard to the teams, though, interaction between business units and teams is needed. A strong connection between the technical structure and the organizational structure is identified and it is concluded that policies regarding the technical structure (e.g. concerning “carry-over”) cannot be separated from the management of the organizational structure (e.g. the supplier structure). The organizing of product development is in itself a complex and dynamic task that needs to be subject to interaction between business units.

Citation

von Corswant, F. (2005), "ORGANIZING INTERACTIVE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT", Woodside, A.G. (Ed.) Managing Product Innovation (Advances in Business Marketing and Purchasing, Vol. 13), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 1-209. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1069-0964(04)13001-9

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