FACTORS HINDERING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROTOTYPING IN THE EARLY STAGES OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

In order to commercialize a new technology as a product, t is necessary to decide which customers to target and identify their needs. Furthermore, prototyping is an effective way to identify customer needs. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of studies on prototyping in the private sector, and we are beginning to understand what types of prototyping are effective. However, trying to use prototyping in the private sector, cultural differences, and other aspects can be a disincentive to using prototyping in the private sector, and it does not always work. In other words, prototyping is necessary to develop a business using new technology within a company, but it is not enough to simply implement prototyping; we need to understand what is holding it back. Therefore, this study explores the factors that hinder effective prototyping in the early stages of new business development with new technologies in the private sector. Specifically, we used a grounded theory approach to interview members of new business development projects using new technologies at a leading Japanese manufacturer, as well as the collection and analysis of documents. The results of the study suggested two inhibiting phenomena: 1) prototyping skills depend on the individual, and implementation methods often involve tacit knowledge, and 2) development teams are reluctant to communicate with customers. Then, we presented hypotheses for countermeasures against each of these phenomena.