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

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;

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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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