Viable strategy configurations and new product development capability and performance: Evidence from Thailand
Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics
ISSN: 1355-5855
Article publication date: 13 April 2015
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify firm groups pursuing different configurations of customer-, entrepreneurial-, and information technology (IT) orientation and to compare their new product development (NPD) capability and NPD performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Hierarchical cluster analysis was used on the sample of 156 firms on the basis of their mix of customer-, entrepreneurial-, and IT- orientation. Then, analysis of variance was used to compare the groups’ NPD capability (NPDCAP), NPD process efficiency (NPDPROC), new product effectiveness (NPEFF), and new product financial performance (NPPERF).
Findings
Of the seven strategy configurations posited, four emerge and two unexpected configurations are revealed. Overall, firms simultaneously pursuing multiple strategic orientations have higher NPDCAP, NPEFF, and NPPERF. Interestingly, all six strategy groups have equally low levels of NPDPROC.
Practical implications
To enhance NPDCAP and NPD performance, managers should consider more complex strategy configurations that act in complementary ways, in particular, customer-orientation complemented by either entrepreneurial- and/or IT-orientation. Moreover, more attention is needed to improving NPDPROC, as achieving gains in this area would contribute positively to firm performance.
Originality/value
This study presents initial evidence that, at least for firms in Thailand, resources must be configured by pursuing several strategic orientations simultaneously to enhance their dynamic capabilities in NPD, a strategic issue that has not been given much attention in previous literature.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by a grant from Mahasarakham University. The author is grateful to the two anonymous reviewers and Amonrat Thoumrungroje for their constructive comments on an earlier version of this paper.
Citation
Racela, O.C. (2015), "Viable strategy configurations and new product development capability and performance: Evidence from Thailand", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 249-266. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-05-2014-0069
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited