Will Improvisation Work in a Crisis? An Empirical Investigation of the Effects of Improvisation on New Product Development in the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Industries

摘要

Influential past research in new product development (NPD) has indicated that a traditional NPD process increases the probability of faster product launch, and greater new product success. Contrarily, recent studies have found that an im provisational approach to NPD is associated with a faster and/or more successful new product launch. In these prior studies, no analysis was included regarding the "health" of the firm developing the new product. A crisis at the firm might influence the new NPD team to be more willing to improvise in new product development, to help rescue the firm. This study examines the possibility that an improvisational approach to NPD can mediate the relationship between an organizational crisis (as perceived by managers) and the outcomes, speed and success, of a new product launch.