How to Support Knowledge Creation in New Product Development:: An Investigation of Knowledge Management Methods

Knowledge management methods need to be selected depending on the purpose for which knowledge is 'being managed'. In this article, purpose is considered in terms of encouraging knowledge creation in new product development (NPD) projects. Given that companies have started to deploy a number of knowledge management methods in support of NPD efforts, the central aim of this research is to investigate how ten such methods support knowledge creation during the development of new products. We provide evidence from a survey of 356 responses of members of 94 NPD projects on the utilization of (and satisfaction with) 14 knowledge management methods. The 10 highest rated knowledge management methods (in terms of satisfaction) are discussed in more detail, explaining how they operate to support knowledge creation in NPD projects, and illustrated with examples from companies such as ABB, Siemens, BP Amoco, Volkswagen, IBM, HP, and others. Moreover, we highlight ways to evaluate the contribution of such knowledge management methods.