Physical and virtual collaboration in the new product development :differences and the information and communication technology adoption

CHEN, YUAN-CHING (2016) Physical and virtual collaboration in the new product development :differences and the information and communication technology adoption. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)]

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Abstract

In a globalized world, New Product Development (NPD) becomes crucial for organizations to increase competitiveness. In order to quickly respond to dynamic customer requirements, the way organizations operate their NPD teams plays a significant role. An efficient operational method not only improves collaboration but also accelerates the NPD process. Thanks to technology innovation, information and communication technology (ICT) enables organizations to collocate teams virtually. This report comprises two case studies which use qualitative methods― interviews for research. The findings illustrate different perspectives of the NPD process and the diverse organizational structure between an electronic company and a garment manufacturing company. From these two cases, it is concluded a number of factors which reveal the major differences between physical and virtual teams. Thus, it is suggested organizations should take new product development process, organizational structure and ICT adoption into account when establishing and operationalizing NPD teams. In addition, the results illustrate that the NPD process and team collaboration are positively associated with ICT. Furthermore, both physical collocation and virtual collocation strongly correlate with ICT. Finally, this report reveals that ICT-technology supports the effective functioning of each functional teams.

Item Type: Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)
Keywords: globalization, collocation, NPD, collaboration, ICT adoption
Depositing User: CHEN, Yuan-Ching
Date Deposited: 13 Mar 2017 15:23
Last Modified: 19 Oct 2017 16:59
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/36331

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