A qualitative research on the difference of expectation to NPD related to two occupational categories in Japanese enterprises

摘要

Although it has been said that conceiving potential needs and customers is important for realizing innovations, companies have had difficulty in getting through new product development (NPD) looking toward the prospective demand because of high risk. Former studies have shown that there are differences of NPD strategies employed by companies depending on whether one aims NPD for potential needs or not. This study focuses not on the differences of NPD strategies in companies but on what each occupation expects for NPD. Several open-end-type questionnaire surveys on employees from Japanese companies who have experienced medium to long term perspective idea generating workshops have revealed that occupational categories can be divided into two groups by the differences of expectation to NPD; rapid-fire NPD expectation group and late bloomer NPD expectation group. The former group which consists of marketing experts and engineering experts, tends to expect just responding to existing needs and gaining profit expeditiously in NPD, and the latter that comprises of design experts and research experts, tends to expect realizing future innovations in NPD. This study implies the confrontation with two occupation groups prevent Japanese enterprises from realizing future innovations.