Innovation paths in product development: An empirical research

The paper presents the results of a research which investigated the dynamics of technological change and organisational structure in discrete-parts manufacturing firms located in the industrial area surrounding Turin, in north-western Italy. The field study focused on a micro-level analysis of the impact of innovation in product development practices on small and medium enterprises. Specifically, the paper shows that exogenous determinants of innovation, computer-aided technologies, design methodologies and organisational structures interact in a fairly complex fashion and adapt themselves to a changing competitive environment. Eventually, in order to provide an aggregate view of the phenomena, a causal model of innovative behaviour in product design is proposed.