Linking product design and technology: An empirical study on performance and experience in novel product development teams

Management studies have stressed the importance of adjusting between design teams and other functional teams in product development to achieve qualified products; however, little attention has been paid to the optimal conditions for an effective balance. In particular, the relationship of these teams with research and development (R&D) remains unclear, although it may bring innovative product design. This study focuses on two factors: design experiences and joint work with R&D-experienced members. Using Japanese patent applications and design rights registrations from four major Japanese home electronics manufacturers, we investigated the effect of product design experience on individual design performance based on the fact that experience is a committed knowledge that enhances creativity by providing various inspirations while simultaneously invoking “design fixation.” The empirical outcomes show that the breadth of product design experiences of colleagues stimulates creative product designs that generate a high impact for organizations and competitors. They also reveal a design fixation aftermath following the creator's initial design experiences. In addition, a positive but conditional effect of collaboration with R&D-experienced colleagues is discovered. This implies a benefit of involvement for engineers who have deep, but not wide, experience in a specific field. Such negative effects are assumed from “inventing fixation,” or a lack of autonomy of design sections within organizations.