CONCEPTUALIZING THE SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AS A BASISFOR EVALUATING MANAGEMENT-TRAINING IN TECHNOLOGY-BASED COMPANIES - A PARTICIPATORY CONCEPT MAPPING APPLICATION

This study provides a basis for the development of outcome indicators for management training programs suited to technology-intensive compan ies. We argue that training outcomes should be conceptualized in terms of dimensions associated with the success of product development proj ects (PDPs), a perspective that departs from conventional trainee sati sfaction and cognitive growth indicators and, at the organizational le vel, economic performance and productivity metrics. A participatory te am consisting of academics and human resource development personnel ap plied concept mapping procedures to develop such a conceptual basis. T en expert managers in technology-intensive firms were interviewed and later called upon to sort for similarity and rate for importance 47 fa ctors in terms of their importance to the success of PDPs. Software th at integrates multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis routines w as used to produce a concept map of successful PDPs. This conceptual f ramework is discussed in terms of its utility as a basis for developin g outcome indicators and as a guide for the evaluation of management t raining in technology-intensive companies. The benefits to firms invok ing a participatory concept mapping process are also discussed. (C) 19 98 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.