Customization as a business strategy--a barrier to customer integration in product development?

Although it is evident that product development (PD) within most companies does not take place in a vacuum, little is known about the influence that other core company processes may have on the way PD activities are carried out. In the study presented in this paper, we focus on an analysis of the relationship between marketing strategies and the way customers are integrated in PD. An exploratory analysis of three medium sized companies acting in the interior design and the software industries (IT), represent the empirical base. The result of the analysis shows that customization as an overall business strategy may act as a barrier to customer integration in PD, due to the nature of companies' strategies for innovation and for customer relationship management, respectively. Additionally, motivation and capabilities are identified and discussed as two core constructs related to, and antecedents for, customer integration in PD.

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