Constructing a processual model of communication in new product development from a multiple case study of biotechnology SMEs

For most companies in the biotechnology industry, the core business is new product development (NPD). Indeed, there are still very few companies that have products that have reached the market. Research into NPD in biotechnology companies has largely focussed on success factors rather than the processes of NPD. One area receiving limited attention is the role of organisational communication in NPD. The authors of this study address this oversight in undertaking a multiple case study analysis of internal and external communication in NPD processes in biotechnology. The resultant framework for communication in NPD in biotechnology companies combines both structural and processual elements of communication. The authors found that the process of communication in NPD is essentially an information seeking and uncertainty reduction activity that occurs through both the internal and external environments of the firm. The framework is a hybrid of cross-functional, decision stage and network models.