Perceived effectiveness of creative new product development in virtual teams

Kline, Miro (author), Fain, Nuša (author)

Virtual teams are arising as a new trend in New Product Development (NPD). They are perceived to be highly creative in reaching suitable new product solutions, as they are not limited by local resources, organizational boundaries and climate. In this paper we study how students involved in NPD in virtual environments perceive their creative effort and final NPD result - development of a functioning prototype. We approach and study the presented issue on a 2011 generation of Engineering and Design students involved in a design course entitled European Global Product Realization. This project has been developed by 5 European Universities to enable students to gain practical experience in virtual product development. The results show that the students do not perceive working in virtual environments as relevant for creativity. On the other hand, however, working in virtual teams induces effectiveness of creative new product development, directly, as well as indirectly through the structure of the design process. Similarly, the students also perceive creativity to have a positive effect on the design process, as well as on the final NPD result. The results only partially support the notion that virtual teams are highly creative in NDP.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Creativity, izdelki, Navidezne delovne skupine, New products, Novi izdelki, proizvodi, razvoj, skupinsko delo, Ustvarjalnost, Virtual work teams
• Work type: Not categorized
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publisher: Fakulteta za sociologijo, politične vede in novinarstvo v Ljubljani
• Year: 2011
• Number of pages: Str. 1676-1694, 1714
• Numbering: Letn. 48, št. 6
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-79472
• UDC: 658.512.2:004.946
• ISSN on article: 0040-3598
• COBISS.SI-ID: 30889309
• Publication date in RUL: 30.12.2015

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Teorija in praksa : revija za družbena vprašanja
• Shortened title: Teor. praksa
• Publisher: Visoka šola za politične vede, Visoka šola za politične vede, Visoka šola za sociologijo, politične vede in novinarstvo, Fakulteta za sociologijo, politične vede in novinarstvo, Fakulteta za družbene vede
• ISSN: 0040-3598
• COBISS.SI-ID: 763652

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian

Abstract

Virtualni timi se pojavljajo kot nov trend v razvoju novih izdelkov. V iskanju najbolj ustreznih rešitev za nove izdelke so percipirani kot izredno kreativni, ker jih ne omejujejo lokalni viri, organizacijski pogoji in klima.V pričujočem prispevku preučujemo kako študenti, vključeni v razvoj novih izdelkov v virtualnem okolju, zaznavajo svoj kreativni dosežek, trud in končni rezultat - razvoj delujočega prototipa novega izdelka. V ta namen analiziramo primer ene generacije (2011) študentov konstruiranja in oblikovanja, vključenih v mednarodno šolo European Global Product Realization. Projekt skupaj razvija 5 evropskih univerz z namenom, da si lahko študentje pridobijo praktične izkušnje razvoja novih izdelkov v pogojih virtualnega okolja. Rezultati kažejo, da študentje, člani virtualnih timov, ne zaznavajo dela v virtualnih timih kot relevantnega za kreativnost. Po drugi strani pa delo v virtualnem timu vpliva na zaznano uspešnost/učinkovitost razvoja novih izdelkov, neposredno, kot tudi preko vpliva na strukturiran proces oblikovanja. Povsem na enak način vpliva na ta dva konstrukta tudi kreativnost. Vse navedeno pomeni, da rezultati zgolj delno podpirajo tezo, da so virtualni timi kreativni in uspešni v razvijanju novih izdelkov.

• Keywords: izdelki, proizvodi, razvoj, skupinsko delo