Axel Johne shows that there are risks associated with close working with existing customers. Despite their importance, customer inputs are only one of several factors which contribute towards long-term product development success. Efficient networking with customers can be useful, but requires...

While product development is important in many companies, it is often approached in a constrained way. There are two main reasons for this. First, product development options are frequently viewed very narrowly; second, for personal reasons, many managers seek to avoid mistakes with new products...