An Examination of Collaboration in High‐Technology New Product Development Processes

Abstract

For more than a decade, researchers have explored the benefits of eliminating organizational boundaries between participants in the new product development (NPD) process. In turn, companies have revamped their NPD processes and organizational structures to deploy cross‐functional teams. These efforts toward interfunctional integration have produced a more responsive NPD process, but they don't represent the endgame in the quest for more effective NPD. What's next after the interfunctional walls come down? Pointing out that many high‐tech firms have already taken such steps as integrating customers and suppliers into the NPD process, Avan Jassawalla and Hemant Sashittal suggest that such firms need to go beyond integration and start thinking in terms of collaboration. Using information from a study of 10 high‐tech industrial firms, they identify factors that seem to increase cross‐functional collaboration in NPD, and they develop a conceptual framework that relates those factors to the level of cross‐functional collaboration achieved in the NPD process. Compared to integration, collaboration is described as a more complex, higher intensity cross‐functional linkage. In addition to high levels of integration, their definition of cross‐functional collaboration includes the sense of an equal stake in NPD outcomes, the absence of hidden agendas, and a willingness on the part of participants to understand and accept differences while remaining focused on the organization's common objectives. Collaboration also involves synergy—that is, the NPD outcomes exceed the sum of the capabilities of the individual participants in the NPD process. Their framework suggests that structural mechanisms such as cross‐functional teams can provide significant increases in NPD‐related interfunctional integration. However, high levels of integration do not necessarily equate to high levels of collaboration. Characteristics of the organization and the participants also affect the level of collaboration. For example, achieving a high level of collaboration depends on participants who contribute an openness to change, a willingness to cooperate, and a high level of trust. Their framework also points to key organizational factors that affect the level of collaboration—for example, the priority that senior management gives to NPD and the level of autonomy afforded to participants in the NPD process.

Theoretical foundations for collaborative commerce research and practice

“…Table 1 illustrates the diversity of definitions that have been advanced for collaboration. Some studies use definitions or frameworks that tend to be general purpose (i.e., including universal facets existing across various instances of collaborations) (e.g., Fowler and Fowler 1964;Oxford English Dictionary 1971;Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary;Gray 1989;Logsdon 1991;Roberts and Bradley 1991;Gray and Wood 1991;Jassawalla and Sashittal 1998;Scheff and Kotler 1996). Other researchers use definitions that tend to be more contextual (i.e., including facets relevant only to the context of the particular type or instance of collaboration) (e.g., Madhok 1997;Phillips et al 2000Phillips et al , 2002Spekman 1988;Jassawalla and Sashittal 1999;Thomas 1992).…”

“…To collaborate is to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor Gray (1989) Collaboration is a process through which parties who see different aspects of a problem or issue can constructively explore their differences and search for solutions that go beyond their own limited vision of what is possible Logsdon (1991) Collaboration is a process of joint decision-making among key stakeholders of a problem domain about the future of that domain Roberts and Bradley (1991) Collaboration is a temporary social arrangement in which two or more social actors work together toward a singular common end requiring the transmutation of materials, ideas, and social relations to achieve that end Madhok (1997) Collaboration is a useful vehicle for enhancing knowledge in critical areas of functioning where the requisite level of knowledge is lacking and cannot be developed within an acceptable timeframe or cost Gray and Wood (1991) Collaboration is inter-participant effort that occurs when a group of autonomous participants of a problem domain engage in an interactive process, using shared rules, norms, and structures, to act or decide on issues related to that domain Hardy (2000, 2002) Collaboration as cooperative, inter-firm relationship that is negotiated in an ongoing communicative process and that relies on neither market nor hierarchical mechanisms of control Jassawalla and Sashittal (1998) Collaboration is the coming together of diverse interests and people to achieve a common purpose via interactions, information sharing, and coordination of activities Scheff and Kotler (1996) Collaboration is joint authority and structure to carry out a common mission; within which all participants engage in comprehensive planning and operate well-defined communication channels, pool resources jointly, and share the resulting benefits Theoretical foundations for collaborative commerce research and practice 5…”

“…4.9 Collaboration as defined by Jassawalla and Sashittal (1998) Jassawalla and Sashittal (1998) define collaboration as ''the coming together of diverse interests and people to achieve a common purpose via interactions, information sharing, and coordination of activities.'' The phrase ''the coming Theoretical foundations for collaborative commerce research and practice 13 together of diverse interests and people to achieve a common purpose'' states that collaboration is an interactive process among multiple participants having diverse interests to realize a collective objective.…”

The Proposal of Model for Building Cooperation Management in Company

“…Effective work with information within coopera tion can help to prevent conflicts as well as to enable dealing with challenging cooperation activities. Importance of or ganizational factors for building cooperation management was emphasized by Jassawalla and Sashittal (1998). These involve changes in the organizational structure to support cooperation, interested and support of top management of the partner companies, openness to changes while main taining mutual goals of the partners.…”

How does social orientation influence R&D-marketing collaboration?

“…According to Jassawalla and Sashittal (1998), R&D-marketing collaboration may be defined as the extent to which marketing and R&D personnel have common goals, interests, trust, and cooperative actions regarding product development. In addition, these authors suggest that the higher the level of collaboration between the R&D and marketing people, the greater the possibility that their relationship will display the characteristics of a highly collaborative organization, such as information sharing and synergy.…”