Is Time Pressure an Advantage or a Disadvantage for Front End Innovation – Case Digital Jewelry

Abstract

Time pressure is not usually seen as an advantage in front end innovation (subsequently referred to as “FEI”), but rather it is believed that ideas should be left to develop freely without a tight schedule. Instead of strictly formalized operations, creating ideas generally necessitates a certain level of freedom. The starting point for this research was to challenge this general view by imposing severe time pressure in FEI. The FEI process was reviewed from recognizing problems/creating ideas up until the selection of the best concept for further development. The research was executed as a qualitative in-depth investigation of a case. In the case, FEI took place over a three-week period, and the target for the FEI was to generate concepts of digital jewelry with business potential. The time pressure was seen as appropriate – with certain conditions – in FEI. The results also present the advantages and disadvantages of time pressure, combining it to the stress theory.

Keywords

• management of human resources
• co-development
• product development
• digital technology
• front end innovation
• time-pressured innovation
• innovation management
• collaboration
• co-creation
• digital jewelry
• new technology
• case study
• stress theory