Leading change in new product development: a case study of a generic process

Research and development organizations, more so than most organizations, resist change. The task of leading change in product development is especially difficult. The traditional view of leadership revolves around charismatic leadership. Yet, two other facets of leadership are probably better-suited to initiate change in R&D organizations: instrumental leadership (use of “instruments” like meetings, communications, planning mechanisms, etc.); and developmental leadership (focus on developing leadership skills throughout the management ranks). This paper documents an instrumental and developmental change leadership process for a medium sized manufacturer of electronic products faced with rapidly growing software content in its products