The role of cross-functional integration in new product development: differences between incremental and radical innovation projects

摘要

The literature on new product development (NPD) contains severalrnstudies of management practices involved in different types ofrninnovation. However, few studies focus on how cross-functionalrnintegration affects incremental and radical innovation productrnprojects. The purpose of this study is to explore this aspect, from arnqualitative perspective, through case studies of four high-tech firmsrnin Brazil. Eight NPD projects were studied. The findings suggest thatrnradical and incremental innovation NPD projects require differentrnmanagement practices in the studied cases. In incremental NPDrnprojects, greater integration efforts may not be necessary. However,rnthe following practices should be adopted in projects involving radicalrninnovation product projects: intense involvement of technical teams,rnflexibility in the early stages of NPD, and geographical separationrnbetween the development team and other departments of the firm.rnMoreover, the application of these same practices in projects ofrnincremental innovation in NPD may not bring positive results.