PhD thesis: Innovation at large. Team and project performance in complex new product development

As with increasing complexity in new product development (NPD) more and more multi-organization, multi-team (MOMT) projects are formed but still many of them fail, more knowledge on the influences on performance in and of such projects is required. Therefore, in this research thesis influences are studied on two levels, namely the local and global level: How can the many different teams perform well separately (team performance) and in collaboration (project performance) respectively? Here, the problem-solving communication within and between teams is central. It is expected to have an influence on performance and to be dependent on different design principles that structure and facilitate the information flow.

For the local-level relations hypotheses are tested while for the global-level relations a case study is investigated, using data of two MOMT projects in the field of space research. This study contributes to close the gap in literature on performance of complex NPD projects. Several relevant variables with an (in)direct influence on team and project performance are identified and studied. Unlike most other studies applying a global performance measure, performance is measured by two dimensions representing the typical challenges of NPD projects – i.e., meeting product specifications and requirements (effectiveness) and being on time and within budget (efficiency) – to reveal differential relationships.

Curriculum vitae
Johanna Schönrok (Germany, 1976) studied Educational Science at the Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg and conducted her reserch ar the department of Innovation Management & Strategy of the FEB. She will be awarded het PhD in economics and business on 3 September 2009 (2.45pm). her supervisors are prof.dr.ir. J.M.L. van Engelen, prof.dr. R.T.A.J. Leenders and prof.dr. J. Kratzer. Thesis title is: Innovation at large. Team and project performance in complex new product development. At the moment Schönrok is Research Director Growth Management at the Strascheg Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the European Business School in Germany.