The fuzziness of the Fuzzy Front End: The Influence of Non-technical Factors
The Fuzzy Front End (FFE) can be considered the most challenging part of the innovation process where large opportunities are to be found for an organization. Because of the inherently creative and non-routine characteristics of the FFE, only a small number of formal techniques are available to support the FFE, mainly based on design-theory. These techniques (e.g. road-mapping, technological trend analysis, task clarification) focus to a large extent on functional (especially technical) aspects of the new product or service to be developed. There have been only few attempts to integrate non-technical aspects in these techniques, see for example the Quality Function Deployment method. The last decade new non-functional concepts have been developed showing potential to improve the quality of new product specifications. This study will focus on the usefulness of applying the concepts of organizational value and corporate identity in FFE management techniques. A large sample empirical research project has been conducted where the relative importance of functional versus non-functional product attributes with respect to consumer buying decision-making has been investigated. The survey was held among customers (n=685) of a large Dutch organization characterized mainly by its divers product assortment and large customer-base. It was found that factors related to the organizational value dimension of corporate identity were far more effective on consumer buying decisions than functional product related factors. The conclusion therefore should be that the FFE is even more fuzzy than might have been expected beforehand. Effective product development techniques in the FFE should incorporate soft factors, at least aspects of corporate identity.
Fuzzy Front End Corporate Identity Organizational Value Technology
Derk Jan KIEWIET Jo VAN ENGELEN Marjolein ACHTERKAMP
University of Groningen The Netherlands
国际会议
The Fifth InternationalSymposium on Management of Technology(ISMOT07)(第五届技术与创新管理国际研讨会)
杭州
英文
333-336
2007-06-01（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）