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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

by Budhaditya Gupta and Stefan Thomke

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Abstract

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;

Format: Print Find at Harvard

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.

About the Author

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Stefan H. Thomke
William Barclay Harding Professor of Business Administration
Chair, General Management Program
Technology and Operations Management

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More from the Author

  • Article | MIT Sloan Management Review (website)

    How to (Inadvertently) Sabotage Your Organization

    Stefan H. Thomke

    Some of the biggest threats to organizational performance can and do come from within. In an age when companies are told to be agile, to learn from experiments, and to be entrepreneurial, we are still vulnerable to actions — deliberate or unintentional — that stem from timeless human behavior and organizational processes that haven’t changed much in the last century. In 1944, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the Central Intelligence Agency’s predecessor put together a secret field manual for sabotaging enemy organizations. Lowering employee morale — organizational sabotage — was considered as effective at slowing down an organization’s output as pouring sand into the lubrication systems of its machines. Are today's managers inadvertenyly following the field manual's advice?

    Keywords: management practices; effective managers; self-awareness; CIA,; organizational behavior; Management Practices and Processes; Organizations; Behavior; Performance;

    Citation:

    Thomke, Stefan H. "How to (Inadvertently) Sabotage Your Organization." MIT Sloan Management Review (website) (September 4, 2019).  View Details
    CiteView Details Read Now Related
  • Article | MIT Sloan Management Review

    The Magic That Makes Customer Experiences Stick

    Stefan H. Thomke

    Why do some customer experiences have that magical "wow" factor, making them all destined for success, while others get few, if any, enthusiastic customer responses? How would we "design" a great customer experience? These are some of the questions that the article addresses.

    Keywords: customer experience; Emotion; innovation; experimentation; storytelling; Customer Satisfaction; Emotions; Design; Innovation and Invention;

    Citation:

    Thomke, Stefan H. "The Magic That Makes Customer Experiences Stick." MIT Sloan Management Review 61, no. 1 (Fall 2019).  View Details
    CiteView DetailsFind at Harvard Register to Read Related
  • 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
    CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase Related
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