顧客參與產品創新模糊前端之研究：對偶階層線性模式之觀點

A Study of Customer Participation in Fuzzy Front End of Product Innovation: Perspective of Dyads Hierarchical Linear Modeling

蔡青姿(Ching-Tzu Tsai)

指導教授 ： 何雍慶

國立中正大學/管理學院/企業管理學系/博士(2013年)

摘要

隨著全球化高度競爭的環境下，新產品開發(New Product Development, NPD)被視為公司存續與競爭優勢的根本，但至今NPD失敗率仍居高不下，其多數開發失敗源於新產品開發的模糊前端。企業與顧客在互動點上，以獲得顧客知識能力，也是NPD獲利關鍵成功因素。但由於模糊前端之模糊性及顧客參與，在以往相關文獻僅少數個案研究，缺乏結合顧客互動與模糊前端兩個重要領域的實證，故本研究以模糊前端、資訊處理、顧客導向及環境不確定性理論，運用對偶的行動者-同伴者互依模型(Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, APIM)，驗證高科技產業顧客參與模糊前端階段，參與互動與資訊品質之間的關係，進而對模糊前端之模糊性與績效之影響。
透過PLS(Partial Least Squares)分析與階層線性模式(基本模型及多層次調節中介效果模型)處理對偶APIM模型，進行117對偶廠商資料分析。結果顯示顧客參與模糊前端階段，整體的互動性越高，資訊品質越高，但顧客參與互動是有行動者效應而無同伴者效應；雖然無同伴者效應，但卻有多層次調節式中介效果，不確定的互動氛圍對互動性有直接正面的影響，也干擾了互動性對資訊品質的影響；資訊品質越高，進而降低模糊前端之模糊性及提高模糊前端之績效；顧客參與角色是高度資訊提供者時，是否兼具有高低度的共同製造者都無所謂，與研發人員互動都能提升「資訊品質」。特別的是在「高度資訊提供者且低度共同製造者」的角色之下，互動性對資訊品質的正向影響最強；在低度互動時，「高度新產品對廠商是新穎的」不如「低度新產品對廠商是新穎的」，反而在高度互動之下，「高度新產品對廠商是新穎的」卻比「低度新產品對廠商是新穎的」資訊品質更佳；開發的產品對巿場是新穎的程度不會干擾互動性對資訊品質的影響，特別在模糊前端階段，無論是顧客或研發人員皆不會受到產品是否對巿場是新穎的影響，而特別進行互動以獲得資訊品質的提升。從本研究樣本剖析結果發現，大部份的公司都進行改良式新產品開發。此結果可能是公司只對自己公司的產品線進行產品的改良，較不會考慮巿場新穎產品的改變；經銷商為了銷售產品，並與消費者直接接觸，所獲得資訊會回饋給研發團隊。經銷商是不費吹灰之力即可蒐集到顧客的需求資料，企業可加強經銷商蒐集顧客資訊的能力，以利回饋給研發團隊，在FFE階段特別顯得重要。
最後，本研究是以資料導向的探索性研究與理論導向的驗證性研究，顛覆過去一般論文的研究方法論，更深入瞭解顧客參與FFE階段互動的全貌，對未來的研究有更進一步的啟發。另外，本研究結果深入瞭解NPD團隊及顧客參與模糊前端互動之內涵，期盼對NPD管理提供實務的參考價值。

關鍵字

多層次調節式中介效果 ； 對偶層階線性模式 ； 顧客參與 ； 產品鑲嵌 ； 模糊前端 ； 調節複迴歸分析

並列摘要

The new product development (NPD) is considered fundamental the surviving company and competitive advantage under the highly competitive environment of globalization. The failure rate of NPD is still high but so far, most of its development failure stems from the fuzzy front end (FFE) of new product development. In order to obtain customer knowledge and ability, the points of enterprise and customer interaction is the key success factors of NPD profitability. However, due to the literature in the past only a few case studies on the fuzziness of FFE and participation of customer, combined with the lack of evidence of these two important areas. Therefore, this study building upon front-end fuzziness, information processing, customer orientation and uncertainty theory, the use of dual Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), to verification the interaction with the relationship between customer participation and information quality on FFE of tech industry, and than affecting the FFE of fuzziness and performance.
Through Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis and Hierarchical Linear Modeling (full model and Multilevel Moderated Mediation) deal with duality APIM model for analyzing 117 pairs of dual data of firm.
The results showed that the higher the overall interaction, the higher the information quality under customer participation in the FFE, but there are actors effect without partners effect in APIM. Although there is no partners effect, but has the multilevel moderated mediation. Interactive atmosphere of uncertainty has direct positive impact on interactive, but also interferes effects with the interaction on the quality of information; the higher the quality of information, thus reducing the fuzziness of FFE and to improve the performance of FFE; Customer participation is the role of high degree of an information resource (CPI), whether and codeveloper (CPC) with low degree or high degree does not matter, the interaction with R&D personnel can improve the quality of information. Particularly, it is the strongest that interactive positive effect on the quality of information under the roles of the high degree of CPI and low degree of CPC; the high degree of new products of new-to-firm not as the low degree of new products of new-to-firm under the low degree of interaction, instead, it is better information quality that the low degree of new products of new-to-firm than the high degree of new products of new-to-firm under the high degree of interactive. Whether customers or R&D personnel are not affected by new products of new-to-market in the FFE phase, in particular, interact to achieve information quality improvement. From this study sample analysis found that the majority of companies have develop improved new product, the company is probably only of their company's product lines improved products, are less likely to consider changing market innovative products, may be only on their own company's product lines improved products, are less likely to consider changing new-to-market of products.
Dealers and consumers direct contact in order to sell their products and the obtained information is feedback to the R&D team. It is particularly important that dealers are effortless to gather information on the needs of customers. Companies can enhance the ability of dealers to collect customer information to facilitate feedback to the R&D team in the FFE phase.
Finally, this study is based on data-oriented exploratory research and theory-oriented confirmatory research, subversion in the past general thesis research methodology, it is better picture that understanding interaction of customer participation in the FFE phase, with further inspiration for future research. In addition, the results of this study that understanding the interactive content of NPD team and customers participate in the FFE, and provide value of referral for the NPD management practices.

並列關鍵字

Multilevel Moderated Mediation ； Dyads Hierarchical Linear Modeling ； Customer Participation ； Product Embeddedness ； Fuzzy Front End ； Moderated Multiple Regression (MMR)

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