Idea Management in Technology Development : Evaluation Criteria for Value Proposition, Technology and Strategy

Sammanfattning: Purpose Idea Management as key activity in the front-end of innovation is crucial for not only targeting new products but also for new technologies. Nevertheless, the interrelations between Idea Management and Technology Development are still not fully understood. Due to the different abstraction levels of products and technologies, an in-depth investigation of evaluation criteria for Technology Development ideas is required. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to examine which evaluation criteria are pertinent for each phase of Idea Management, when applied for Technology Development. Design The research framework for Idea Management criteria in the context of Technology Development is built on data from 17 semi-structured interviews, two focus group interviews as well as participant observations. The participants of this study are experienced R&D experts from a large Swedish organization in the transport industry. Findings The results indicate that the evaluation of Technology Development ideas is more complex due to the high degree of uncertainty and unpredictability. In contrast to the common one-step evaluation process of New Product Development ideas, the findings suggest a three-step evaluation process for Technology Development ideas. Due to the lack of knowledge and maturity when an idea is generated, this three-step evaluation enables a continuous reduction of uncertainty. In addition to this, the result of this study contributes with the suggestion to attribute a focus dimension for each Idea Management phase, which in consequence is helping firms to direct their evaluation resources. The findings are presented in a generic evaluation framework that leads organizations through the assessment process. Theoretical contribution The present study contributes to the literature with an improved understanding of TD idea evaluations by suggesting a rather internally use-oriented perspective as well as advances prior research through knowledge about the right timing for the use of evaluation criteria. Practical implications Irrespectively of the origin or focus of an idea, evaluation criteria are helping to direct Technology Development initiatives. By having evaluation criteria, defined as pertinent for each phase of Idea Management, Technology Development ideas can be assessed appropriately regarding their contextual circumstances. Originality The study is among the first that differentiates Idea Management for Technology Development from the one targeting New Product Development. This study suggests a framework that considers the stages and criteria necessary in the context of TechnologyDevelopment.