Bonner, J. M. & Walker Jr., O.C. (2004). Selecting Influential Business-to-Business Customers in New Product Development: Relational Embeddedness and Knowledge Heterogeneity Considerations. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 21(3), 155-169.

Format: Peer-reviewed article

Type: Research — Non-experimental

Experience level of reader: Fundamental

Annotation: This article relates findings from a survey of 137 new product development projects conducted by large U.S. firms. Results indicate that the level of innovativeness of a new product project has an impact on short term product success in the marketplace resulting from working closely with business-to-business customers. Specific findings state that less innovative products have better competitive performance when customers with strong past ties are involved in development work than projects involving customers with few or no past ties. Input from a diverse mix of influential customers leads to higher competitive performance for highly innovative products. However, gathering input from homogeneous groups of customers is more likely to yield successful products when developing less innovative, incremental products.

Setting(s) to which the reported activities/findings are relevant: Large business

Knowledge user(s) to whom the piece of literature may be relevant: Manufacturers, Researchers

Knowledge user level addressed by the literature: Organization

This article uses the Commercial Devices and Services version of the NtK Model

• Involvement of customers with strong past ties will result in the development of products with higher competitive performance than those that involve customers with no or few past ties. However, this practice is most effective when developing incremental products, rather than highly innovative products.
  Survey of 137 new product development projects.
  Occurrence of finding within the model: Step 4.1, Step 4.11, Step 4.6, Step 2.2, Step 1.1, Step 7.13, Step 6.3, Step 6.1

• To improve short-term competitive performance of products in the marketplace, projects to develop incremental new products should involve homogeneous groups of customers.
  Survey of 137 product development projects.
  Occurrence of finding within the model: Step 4.1, Step 4.11, Step 4.6, Step 2.2, Step 1.1, Step 7.13, Step 6.3, Step 6.1