Innovating the product innovation process to enable co‐creation

Abstract

Organizations now look beyond their boundaries to locate NPD resources among suppliers, lead users, customers, and consumers. Consumer involvement in an innovation process implies considerable changes in traditional innovation practice and management. Consumers become partners in co‐creation, a form of open innovation, and not mere objects of study. However, what is little known is how managers can innovate to enable co‐creation. This paper presents an in‐depth, single case study of a global confectionery brand and its multinational owner. We discuss the co‐creation process undertaken to innovate both the product and the innovation process itself. We propose a process for new product development and discuss changes implicit with its adoption.

Effectuation Logic and Early Innovation Success: The Moderating Effect of Customer Co‐creation

“…In doing so the findings contribute to co‐creation research, which seeks to understand how to leverage the benefits of customer co‐creation. Firms may commit considerable resources to co‐creation efforts (Gemser and Perks, 2015) and face high risks and costs (Hoyer et al ., 2010), yet, to date, little is known about how organizations can best support co‐creation endeavours (Roberts, Palmer and Hughes, 2021). Thomke and von Hippel (2002, p. 78) suggest that ‘turning customers into innovators requires no less than a radical change in management mind‐set’.…”

“…It has characterized the degree and scope of customer co‐creation activities (Hoyer et al ., 2010) and explored degrees of collaboration and the nature of tasks assigned to customers (Piller, Ihl and Vossen, 2010). Other work categorizes co‐creating customers in terms of their participation (Chang and Taylor, 2016), propensity to contribute (Roberts, Candi and Hughes, 2017), strategy for selection (Roberts and Darler, 2017), strategic approaches to managing co‐creation design (Frow et al ., 2015) and management activities (Roberts, Palmer and Hughes, 2021). Researchers have also delineated the benefits that co‐creation brings to the innovating firm, such as new product success (Kristensson, Gustafsson and Archer, 2004; Magnusson, 2009; Poetz and Schreier, 2012), market success (Candi, van den Ende and Gemser, 2016), understanding of customer needs (Roberts, Baker and Walker, 2005) and enhanced firm reputation (Fuchs and Schreier, 2011).…”

Assessing the New Product Development Process activities in Peruvian medium-sized manufacturing companies

“…At this point, it is important to mention that involving the consumer in an innovation process implies considerable changes in traditional innovation practices and management. Consumers become partners in cocreation, a form of open innovation, and not mere objects of study (Roberts, Palmer & Hughes, 2022). Based on these arguments, we propose the following hypotheses: Hypothesis 4a: The quality of the Market tests is positively associated with the new product success.…”

Personalised Production in the Age of Circular Additive Manufacturing

“…The notion of green co-creation is explored by Chang [23], who examines the role of supply chain partners and consumers in achieving higher environmental performance of manufactured products. Roberts et al [24] note that no formal performance indicators or metrics exist for co-creation activities, making it difficult for companies to gauge the value and effectiveness of such efforts, leaving the area open for further research. Sjödin et al [25] make the point that there are barriers to co-creation, listing the following three concerns companies may have as: 'operational cultural resistance'-opposition to changes in culture from within the organisation; 'loss of operational know-how'-risk of losing competitive advantages based on sharing of proprietary company knowledge and potential outsourcing of corporate skills to third parties; 'risk of operational conflict'-confusion arising from a lack of clarity on the roles undertaken by the parties involved.…”