A Comprehensive Model of Conflict at the R&D/Marketing Interface: Linking Organizational Factors and Conflict to New Product Performance

The extant literature on R&D and Marketing integration has shown that conflict has a negative impact on new product performance, but despite these findings no suitable model of conflict has been presented and conflict persists. Past research in the new product development field has studied only a small subset of factors at a time with limited findings and has ignored the various forms of conflict (i.e. task, relationship, and process conflict). These models have also not allowed for an examination of the possible benefits of conflict. Organizational theory provides a strong body of literature on conflict, but the models that are presented there are general and not specific to R&D and Marketing. This paper presents a comprehensive model of conflict at the R&D and Marketing interface. It is comprehensive from the standpoint of covering the various types of conflict, the factors involved, and being capable of measuring conflict through out the entire new product development (NPD) cycle. The model hypothesizes links between organizational factors, personal and interpersonal responses to conflict, and NPD success. Traditional NPD performance measures are used as well as psycho-socio measures to examine the effects of conflict on performance and to identify constructive and destructive conflict. Hypotheses are formed based on this model and suggestions for future research given.