DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION IN COMPLEX PRODUCT SYSTEMS (COPS) : INFLUENCING CHARACTERISTICS AND CONDITIONS

• Complex product systems (CoPS) tend to get more complex for every new productgeneration, which for some product categories imply cumbersome escalating costs. Forthese products, promises of lowered costs by disruptive innovation certainly areappealing, but frequently deluding. Therefore, this paper aims at exploring specific CoPScharacteristics and conditions influencing companies’ propensity to develop disruptiveproducts, and to derive related managerial implications. This is performed by analysingfour case studies of CoPS product development in four different industrial sectors. Thestudy suggests that specific characteristics and conditions in the CoPS setting influenceproduct development management to aim at incremental improvements of earlier productconcepts, whereby disruptive innovations in reality rarely get a chance. Moreover, it isfound that barriers for disruptive innovation in CoPS classified as tournament goods areconsidered even higher, because this product category generally do not offer anyperformance oversupply.

Nyckelord

affordability

CoPS

disruptive innovation

product development

tournament goods.

Industriell ekonomi och organisation

Industrial Engineering and Management

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

ovr (ämneskategori)