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Leveraging Social Media in New Product Development: Organisational Learning Processes, Mechanisms and Evidence from China

Zhan, Yuanzhu; Tan, Kim Hua; Chung, Leanne; Chen, Lujie; Xing, Xinjie

Leveraging Social Media in New Product Development: Organisational Learning Processes, Mechanisms and Evidence from China Thumbnail


Authors

Yuanzhu Zhan

KIM TAN kim.tan@nottingham.ac.uk
Professor of Operations and Innovation Management

Leanne Chung

Lujie Chen

Xinjie Xing



Abstract

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to investigate how social media can provide important platforms to facilitate organisational learning and innovation in new product development (NPD) process.
Design/methodology/approach – Using a multiple case-study approach, this study assesses qualitative data collected via 56 interviews from 13 world-leading Chinese companies in the high-technology industry.
Findings – The study identified three distinct types of organisational learning mechanisms for firms to extract potential innovation inherent in social media. It further determined various organisational enablers that facilitate the connections between these mechanisms and NPD performance.
Research limitations/implications – This research contributes to the emerging literature on digital product development and organisational learning. The cases were conducted in the Chinese context, hence, the results may not be fully generalisable to other organisations, industries and countries without appropriate re-contextualisation.
Practical implications – The empirical evidence showcases the various mechanisms adopted by managers in different NPD phases. It identifies several technological and organisational adaptations that managers can apply to smartly scale their social presence and facilitate NPD.
Originality/value – Despite the exponential growth of social media use in identifying and interacting with external stakeholders, managerial practice and academic research have paid little attention to how social media can be leveraged for NPD. The value of this research comes from applying a qualitative method to gain in-depth insights into the mechanisms for leveraging social media to facilitate innovation in NPD.

Citation

Zhan, Y., Tan, K. H., Chung, L., Chen, L., & Xing, X. (2020). Leveraging Social Media in New Product Development: Organisational Learning Processes, Mechanisms and Evidence from China. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 40(5), 671-695. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-04-2019-0318

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 13, 2020
Online Publication Date Jul 3, 2020
Publication Date Jul 3, 2020
Deposit Date Jun 16, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal International Journal of Operations and Production Management
Print ISSN 0144-3577
Publisher Emerald
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 40
Issue 5
Pages 671-695
DOI https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-04-2019-0318
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4659299
Publisher URL https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJOPM-04-2019-0318/full/html

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