TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– The “fuzzy front end” of new product development (NPD) is characterized by considerable uncertainty and ambiguity, but detailed studies of ambiguity specifically related to NPD are missing. This paper aims to establish a classification of ambiguity in NPD processes.Design/methodology/approach– The authors' research design is a holistic multiple‐case‐study design with the NPD project as the unit of analysis. A model is developed through a grounded theory approach, using qualitative analysis of case data from four medical‐device companies.Findings– The authors present a model that classifies ambiguity along two dimensions: subject and source. The subjects of ambiguity include product, market, process, and organizational resources, whereas the sources of ambiguity include multiplicity, novelty, validity, and reliability.Research limitations/implications– As the study is based on just four case studies in a single industry segment, further research is needed to determine the model's wider applicability. Further research is also suggested, exploring how and in what contexts ambiguity should be managed as a balance between reducing or sustaining it.Practical implications– The model presented helps practitioners to better understand the origins and character of ambiguity in NPD, thereby improving their ability to manage it in their NPD projects.Originality/value– The model provides an improved theoretical understanding of ambiguity as a component of “fuzziness” in NPD by providing a detailed account of how ambiguity is related to specific elements of the NPD process in terms of where and why it occurs.
VL  - 12
IS  - 1
SN  - 1460-1060
DO  - 10.1108/14601060910928175
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/14601060910928175
AU  - Brun Eric
AU  - Steinar Saetre Alf
AU  - Gjelsvik Martin
PY  - 2009
Y1  - 2009/01/01
TI  - Classification of ambiguity in new product development projects
T2  - European Journal of Innovation Management
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 62
EP  - 85
Y2  - 2024/04/18
ER  -