Mediation of scenario planning on the reflection-performance relationship in new product development teams

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to reveal the mediating role of scenario planning between reflection and task performance in new product development (NPD) teams. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional research design was used to collect data from 78 NPD teams and 194 employees. The mediation analyses were conducted through the bootstrap PROCESS macro method. Findings: The results of this study yielded support for two of three hypotheses. The authors found that the relationship of reflection with product development speed and new product success is mediated by scenario planning. There was no mediation of scenario planning between reflection and product development cost. Research limitations/implications: These findings show how teams can capitalize on reflective thinking practices to increase NPD task performance through scenario planning. Practical implications: This study provides useful guidelines for team leaders on how to accelerate product development processes and to increase the market success of a new product. Leaders should encourage their teams to review their previous performance metrics with ongoing changes in the business environments. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the mediating role of scenario planning on the reflection–task performance relationship in NPD teams.