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• Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2018

  Booking.com

  Stefan Thomke and Daniela Beyersdorfer

  The case reveals how Booking.com has become the world's leading travel accommodation platform. The company has put online experimentation at the heart of how it designs digital experiences for its customers and partners. To unlock the potential of large-scale testing, the leadership team had to challenge conventional assumptions about culture, process, and the management of innovation.

  Keywords: travel; Product Innovation; experimentation; A/B Testing; User Experience Design; digital transformation; Product Development; Product Design; Innovation and Management; Transformation; Information Technology; Travel Industry;

  Citation:

  Thomke, Stefan, and Daniela Beyersdorfer. "Booking.com." Harvard Business School Case 619-015, October 2018.  View Details

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• Article | R&D Management | September 2018

  An Exploratory Study of Product Development in Emerging Economies: Evidence from Medical Device Testing in India

  Budhaditya Gupta and Stefan Thomke

  Recent research has studied innovation in emerging economies. However, microlevel product development processes in these economies are relatively unexplored, and the mechanisms by which the emerging economy context might affect such processes are still unclear. In this paper, we explore the testing routines fundamental to product development in one emerging economy. Based on an exploratory field study of medical device development projects in India, we observe the frequent, iterative testing of prototypes in clinical settings and investigate the related learning process. The observed testing approach is distinctly different from the comparatively linear and sequential approach adopted by medical device development teams in developed countries like the United States. Further, we suggest that such testing is feasible in India because of the prevailing regulatory flexibility, the cognitive orientation of device development practitioners, and the normative orientation of medical professionals.

  Keywords: product development; india; Product Development; Emerging Markets; Situation or Environment; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; India;

  Citation:

  Gupta, Budhaditya, and Stefan Thomke. "An Exploratory Study of Product Development in Emerging Economies: Evidence from Medical Device Testing in India." R&D Management 48, no. 4 (September 2018): 485–501.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2018

  Sony

  Stefan Thomke, Atsushi Osanai and Akiko Kanno

  Sony used to be synonymous with "innovation" and "cool products." The case reveals how the company lost its edge and describes the leadership initiatives to restore its former glory. In 2012, Kazuo (Kaz) Hirai becomes CEO and successfully transforms Sony, including a relentless focus on differentiation through "wow" products instead of chasing scale. How should he organize and manage the company's response to digital opportunities, such as virtual reality, that could affect the company's entire value chain?

  Keywords: customer experience; product differentiation; transformation; Transformation; Leadership Style; Technology Adoption; Leading Change; Electronics Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Video Game Industry; Japan;

  Citation:

  Thomke, Stefan, Atsushi Osanai, and Akiko Kanno. "Sony." Harvard Business School Case 618-045, June 2018.  View Details

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