Exploring the Different Combinations of Technological Capability and Technology Management Capability in Different Stages of New Product Development

Abstract

New product development (NPD) determines firms' current market positions, and it also has far-reaching impacts on firms' future development. According to the resource-based view, technological capability and technology management capability are critical resources and capabilities for NPD. However, the research to date has not investigated the complementarity between these factors. This paper employs fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fs/QCA) to explore how technological capability and technology management capability combine to produce high NPD performance. The analysis results show that in order to achieve high NPD performance, technological capability and technology management capability should be combined. Furthermore, the combinations of technological capability and technology management capability in different NPD stages are different. This paper deepens the theoretical understanding of the relationships between resources and capabilities in NPD by identifying the equifinality effect of the combinations of technological capability and technology management capability. In addition, this paper also provides theoretical guidance for firms to clarify the relationship between technological capability and technology management capability to improve NPD performance.

Keywords

• Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis
• NPD performance
• NPD stage
• technological capability
• technology management capability