Resumen de Cultural issues in implementing changes to new product development process in a small to medium sized enterprise (SME)
Being aware of best practices in new product development is one matter, implementing these approaches in a well-established company or department to reduce time to market is a different issue. Unless the whole company accepts new methods of working, there is a possibility that improvements will not be achieved. This paper draws on a case study of asmall to medium sized electronic component manufacturer. The philosophy of concurrent engineering was introduced, through new product development procedures, with the aim of improving product development efficiency and reducing time to market. This paper focuses on the difficulties encountered when the implementation of new product development processes come up against habits and attitudes that have developed over many years, and the extent to which the cultural characteristics of a company influence the overall change process.
