IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/respol/v38y2009i10p1571-1581.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A structural equation model of the impact of the "fuzzy front end" on the success of new product development

Author

Listed:
  • Verworn, Birgit

Abstract

In this study of new product development projects, the fuzzy front end of innovation was explored. The new product development process has multiple stages, so two types of fuzzy front end impacts on the success of new product development were examined: (1) a direct impact and (2) an indirect impact by influencing the next stage of the new product development process, i.e. project execution. Furthermore, the degree of project newness, in accordance with contingency theory, was considered. We developed and tested a conceptual model of relationships among key variables related to the fuzzy front end, project execution, and project success. The structural equation model was tested with AMOS using information from 144 projects completed by German measurement and control technique firms. For the most part, the responses from these firms supported the hypothesized relationships and the frequently claimed importance of the fuzzy front end was confirmed. The results offer strong support for the importance of the early involvement of all departments in new product development to enhance communication and, ultimately, project success. This process can be advanced by initial planning prior to development. Furthermore, the firms' responses highlighted the importance of reducing market and technical uncertainty during the fuzzy front end, as both were found to negatively influence communication and increase deviations during project execution. The technical uncertainty remaining at the start of a project had a direct, negative influence on project efficiency and the most far-reaching implications regarding the success or failure of the project. With regard to contingency theory, the results indicated that efforts spent on the reduction of uncertainty to improve project execution and success may be influenced by the degree of newness of new product concepts. The degree of newness was found to influence the reduction of technical uncertainty, deviations from specifications, and efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Verworn, Birgit, 2009. "A structural equation model of the impact of the "fuzzy front end" on the success of new product development," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(10), pages 1571-1581, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:38:y:2009:i:10:p:1571-1581
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048-7333(09)00172-3
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dvir, Dov & Lechler, Thomas, 2004. "Plans are nothing, changing plans is everything: the impact of changes on project success," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Armstrong, J. Scott & Overton, Terry S., 1977. "Estimating Nonresponse Bias in Mail Surveys," MPRA Paper 81694, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Gaul, Wolfgang & Homburg, Christian, 1988. "The use of data analysis techniques by German market research agencies : A causal analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 67-79, August.
    4. William E. Souder & Rudy K. Moenaert, 1992. "Integrating Marketing And R&D Project Personnel Within Innovation Projects: An Information Uncertainty Model," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 485-512, July.
    5. Schulze, Anja & Hoegl, Martin, 2008. "Organizational knowledge creation and the generation of new product ideas: A behavioral approach," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 1742-1750, December.
    6. Martin Hoegl & Hans Georg Gemuenden, 2001. "Teamwork Quality and the Success of Innovative Projects: A Theoretical Concept and Empirical Evidence," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(4), pages 435-449, August.
    7. Jarvis, Cheryl Burke & MacKenzie, Scott B & Podsakoff, Philip M, 2003. "A Critical Review of Construct Indicators and Measurement Model Misspecification in Marketing and Consumer Research," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 30(2), pages 199-218, September.
    8. Roger J. Calantone & Jeffrey B. Schmidt & X. Michael Song, 1996. "Controllable Factors of New Product Success: A Cross-National Comparison," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(4), pages 341-358.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. van Rijnsoever, Frank J. & Kempkes, Sander N. & Chappin, Maryse M.H., 2017. "Seduced into collaboration: A resource-based choice experiment to explain make, buy or ally strategies of SMEs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 284-297.
    2. Carsten Schultz & Oliver Gretsch & Alexander Kock, 2021. "The influence of shared R&D-project innovativeness perceptions on university-industry collaboration performance," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(4), pages 1144-1172, August.
    3. Helge Godoe & John Vigrestad & Roger Miller, 2014. "Fuzzy Front End and Commercialization: Cross-Cultural Differences, Similarities, and Paradoxes in Innovation Strategies and Practices," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 5(2), pages 276-293, June.
    4. Sarooghi, Hessamoddin & Libaers, Dirk & Burkemper, Andrew, 2015. "Examining the relationship between creativity and innovation: A meta-analysis of organizational, cultural, and environmental factors," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 714-731.
    5. Olga Kokshagina & Pascal Le Masson & Benoit Weil, 2015. "Portfolio management in double unknown situations: technological platformsand the role of cross-application managers," Post-Print hal-01199929, HAL.
    6. Schemmann, Brita & Herrmann, Andrea M. & Chappin, Maryse M.H. & Heimeriks, Gaston J., 2016. "Crowdsourcing ideas: Involving ordinary users in the ideation phase of new product development," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(6), pages 1145-1154.
    7. Frederik von Briel & Per Davidsson & Jan Recker, 2018. "Digital Technologies as External Enablers of New Venture Creation in the IT Hardware Sector," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 42(1), pages 47-69, January.
    8. Xue Wang, 2018. "The Effect Of Inbound Open Innovation On Firm Performance In Japanese Manufacturing Firms: Comparative Study Between Research Centre And Business Unit," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(07), pages 1-35, October.
    9. Benedikt Müller-Stewens & Klaus Möller, 2017. "Performance in new product development: a comprehensive framework, current trends, and research directions," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 157-201, May.
    10. Spieth, Patrick & Joachim, Verena, 2017. "Reducing front end uncertainties: How organisational characteristics influence the intensity of front end analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 108-119.
    11. Jorge Isaías Martínez-Lobatón & Jean Pierre Seclen-Luna, 2023. "Assessing the New Product Development Process activities in Peruvian medium-sized manufacturing companies," Estudios Gerenciales, Universidad Icesi, vol. 39(166), pages 2-10, March.
    12. Jorge Luis García-Alcaraz & Aidé Aracely Maldonado-Macías & Sandra Ivette Hernández-Hernández & Juan Luis Hernández-Arellano & Julio Blanco-Fernández & Juan Carlos Sáenz Díez-Muro, 2016. "New Product Development and Innovation in the Maquiladora Industry: A Causal Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(8), pages 1-18, July.
    13. Simms, Christopher & Frishammar, Johan & Ford, Nicholas, 2021. "The front end in radical process innovation projects: Sources of knowledge problems and coping mechanisms," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    14. O'Brien, Kieran, 2020. "Innovation types and the search for new ideas at the fuzzy front end: Where to look and how often?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 13-24.
    15. Jiaxu Huang & Haiqing Hu & Yong Wang, 2022. "Fuzzy Front-End Vertical External Involvement, Corporate Social Responsibility and Firms’ New Product Development Performance in the VUCA Age: From an Organizational Learning Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-21, December.
    16. Zacharias, Nicolas A. & Nijssen, Edwin J. & Stock, Ruth Maria, 2016. "Effective configurations of value creation and capture capabilities: Extending Treacy and Wiersema's value disciplines," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 4121-4131.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Verworn, Birgit & Herstatt, Cornelius & Nagahira, Akio, 2006. "The impact of the fuzzy front end on new product development success in Japanese NPD projects," Working Papers 39, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Institute for Technology and Innovation Management.
    2. Herstatt, Cornelius & Verworn, Birgit, 2000. "A causal model of the impact of the "fuzzy front end" on the success of new product development," Working Papers 23, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Institute for Technology and Innovation Management.
    3. Hanisch, Bastian & Wald, Andreas, 2014. "Effects of complexity on the success of temporary organizations: Relationship quality and transparency as substitutes for formal coordination mechanisms," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 197-213.
    4. Franck Brulhart & Sandrine Gherra & Bertrand V. Quelin, 2019. "Do Stakeholder Orientation and Environmental Proactivity Impact Firm Profitability?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(1), pages 25-46, August.
    5. Schneider, Christian O. & Bremen, Philipp & Schönsleben, Paul & Alard, Robert, 2013. "Transaction cost economics in global sourcing: Assessing regional differences and implications for performance," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(1), pages 243-254.
    6. von den Driesch, Till & Eva Susanne da Costa, Maika & Christina Flatten, Tessa & Brettel, Malte, 2015. "How CEO experience, personality, and network affect firms' dynamic capabilities," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 245-256.
    7. Maria Ripollés & Andreu Blesa, 2020. "And yet, non-equity cooperative entries do improve international performance: uncovering the role of networks’ social capital," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 761-776, October.
    8. Wang, Chun-Ju & Wu, Lei-Yu, 2012. "Team member commitments and start-up competitiveness," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(5), pages 708-715.
    9. Christina Boedker & Kar Ming Chong, 2022. "The mediating role of accounting controls between supervisors' empowering leadership style and subordinates' creativity and goal productivity," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4587-4614, December.
    10. Peters, Matt D. & Wieder, Bernhard & Sutton, Steve G. & Wakefield, James, 2016. "Business intelligence systems use in performance measurement capabilities: Implications for enhanced competitive advantage," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 1-17.
    11. Eduardo Terán-Yépez & David Jiménez-Castillo & Manuel Sánchez-Pérez, 2023. "The role of affect in international opportunity recognition and the formation of international opportunity beliefs," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 941-983, April.
    12. Chowdhury, Md Maruf H. & Quaddus, Mohammed, 2017. "Supply chain resilience: Conceptualization and scale development using dynamic capability theory," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 185-204.
    13. Christian Homburg & Moritz Tischer, 2023. "Customer journey management capability in business-to-business markets: Its bright and dark sides and overall impact on firm performance," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(5), pages 1046-1074, September.
    14. John Hulland & Hans Baumgartner & Keith Marion Smith, 2018. "Marketing survey research best practices: evidence and recommendations from a review of JAMS articles," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 92-108, January.
    15. Theurl, Theresia & Sander, Carsten, 2011. "Erfolgsfaktoren für Stadtwerke-Kooperationen: Ergebnisse einer empirischen Untersuchung," Arbeitspapiere 103, University of Münster, Institute for Cooperatives.
    16. Saghiri, Soroosh S. & Barnes, Stuart J., 2016. "Supplier flexibility and postponement implementation: An empirical analysis," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 170-183.
    17. Rodríguez-Pinto, Javier & Carbonell, Pilar & Rodríguez-Escudero, Ana I., 2011. "Speed or quality? How the order of market entry influences the relationship between market orientation and new product performance," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 145-154.
    18. Maydeu Olivares, Alberto, 1998. "Exploring the link between market orientation and innovation in the European and US insurance markets," DEE - Working Papers. Business Economics. WB 6528, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía de la Empresa.
    19. M. Isabel Sánchez-Hernández & Tomás M. Bañegil-Palacios & Ramón Sanguino-Galván, 2017. "Competitive Success in Responsible Regional Ecosystems: An Empirical Approach in Spain Focused on the Firms’ Relationship with Stakeholders," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-18, March.
    20. Madeleine Feder & Barbara E. Weißenberger, 2019. "Understanding the behavioral gap: Why would managers (not) engage in CSR-related activities?," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 30(1), pages 95-126, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:38:y:2009:i:10:p:1571-1581. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/respol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.