Ralph Katz

Bio: Ralph Katz is an academic researcher from Northeastern University. The author has contributed to research in topics: New product development & User innovation. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 7 publications receiving 2314 citations.

Shifting Innovation to Users Via Toolkits

Abstract: In the traditional new product development process, manufacturers first explore user needs and then develop responsive products. Developing an accurate understanding of user needs is not simple or fast or cheap however, and the traditional approach is coming under increasing strain as user needs change more rapidly, and as firms increasingly seek to serve "markets of one." Toolkits for user innovation is an emerging alternative approach in which manufacturers actually abandon the attempt to understand user needs in detail in favor of transferring need-related aspects of product and service development to users. Experience in fields where the toolkit approach has been pioneered show custom products being developed much more quickly and at a lower cost. In this paper we explore toolkits for user innovation and explain why and how they work.

Shifting Innovation to Users via Toolkits

Abstract: In the traditional new product development process, manufacturers first explore user needs and then develop responsive products. Developing an accurate understanding of a user need is not simple or fast or cheap, however. As a result, the traditional approach is coming under increasing strain as user needs change more rapidly, and as firms increasingly seek to serve "markets of one."Toolkits for user innovation is an emerging alternative approach in which manufacturers actuallyabandon the attempt to understand user needs in detail in favor of transferringneed-related aspects of product and service development to users. Experience in fields where the toolkit approach has been pioneered show custom products being developed much more quickly and at a lower cost. In this paper we explore toolkits for user innovation and explain why and how they work.

Organizational issues in the introduction of new technologies

Abstract: More than ever before, organizations competing in today’s world of high technology are faced with the challenges of “dualism,” that is, functioning efficiently today while planning and innovating effectively for tomorrow. Not only must these organizations be concerned with the success and market penetration of their current product mix, but they must also be concerned with their long-run capability to develop and incorporate in a timely manner the most appropriate technical advancements into future product offerings. Research and development-based corporations, no matter how they are organized, must find ways to internalize both sets of concerns.

A longitudinal study of the effects of boundary spanning and project supervision on turnover and promotion in research and development

Abstract: An investigation of the influence of boundary spanning project supervisors on the turnover and promotion of engineering professionals found that, in general, boundary spanning supervisors had littl...

Managing careers : the influence of job and group longevities

Abstract: Also appears in R. Katz (ed.) Career issues in human resource management. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Sticky Information and the Locus of Problem Solving: Implications for Innovation

Abstract: To solve a problem, needed information and problem-solving capabilities must be brought together. Often the information used in technical problem solving is costly to acquire, transfer, and use in a new location-is, in our terms, "sticky." In this paper we explore the impact of information stickiness on the locus of innovation-related problem solving. We find, first, that when sticky information needed by problem solvers is held at one site only, problem solving will be carried out at that locus, other things being equal. Second, when more than one locus of sticky information is called upon by problem solvers, the locus of problem solving may iterate among these sites as problem solving proceeds. When the costs of such iteration are high, then, third, problems that draw upon multiple sites of sticky information will sometimes be "task partitioned" into subproblems that each draw on only one such locus, and/or, fourth, investments will be made to reduce the stickiness of information at some locations. Information stickiness appears to affect a number of issues of importance to researchers and practitioners. Among these are patterns in the diffusion of information, the specialization of firms, the locus of innovation, and the nature of problems selected by problem solvers.

Top management and innovations in banking: Does the composition of the top team make a difference?

Abstract: The relationship between the social composition of top management teams and innovation adoptions was examined in a sample of 199 banks. The following characteristics of top management teams were examined: average age, average tenure in the firm, education level, and heterogeneity with respect to age, tenure, educational background, and functional background. In addition, the effects of bank size, location (state of operation), and team size were assessed. Results indicate that more innovative banks are managed by more educated teams who are diverse with respect to their functional areas of expertise. These relationships remain significant when organizational size, team size, and location are controlled for.

Managerial and Organizational Cognition: Notes from a Trip Down Memory Lane

Abstract: The study of cognition in organizations has burgeoned in recent years. Top-down information processing theory suggests that individuals create knowledge structures to help them process information and make decisions. While the benefits of employing such knowledge structures are widely noted, there is a growing concern that they can limit decision makers' abilities to understand their information environments and thus, compromise their decision making. This issue has captured the imagination of managerial and organizational cognition researchers. To date, their inquiry has been eclectic in focus and method. To order and advance this work, the author reviews extant research on the developmental origins and decision consequences of both the content and structure of knowledge structures at multiple levels of analysis. A host of research challenges are identified to help develop a better understanding of knowledge structure representation, development, and use in organizations.