First, we sought to understand whether needs assessment can work in facilitating organizational learning in the context of new product development. Second, we investigated how a well-known stakeholder classification system could be adopted in a practitioner setting. Third, we sought to identify why the new product development process derailed in this organization.
This study provides insights for applying needs assessments in conjunction with a stakeholder analysis when problems arise in a product development process. Three primary findings arose:
- Needs assessment is an adaptable tool that be used to facilitate organizational learning when organizations are seeking to identify and address performance gaps.
- The stakeholder classification system from Mitchell et al. (1997) was applicable in identifying and prioritizing groups of stakeholders.
- The study revealed that specific activities involved in the new product development process were not documented and that the restaurant chain’s cross-functional team was not adhering to the process, primarily due to a lack of understanding and training.
A pre-copyedited version of the study is linked here. The final version is published in the Journal of Workplace Learning.
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