Characteristics of Lead Users in Different Stages of the New Product Development Process: A Systematic Review in the Context of Open Innovation

Abstract

Despite the promising ideas of lead users, the success rate of the open innovation process remains low if no proper personal characteristics are attached to the external contributor. The knowledge about the essential characteristic elements of lead users is crucial to select the right lead users in the early stage of the NPD. By filling the research gap, we performed a systematic literature review about the required personal characteristics of lead users. The resulting 45 studies demonstrated that diverse characteristics are required in different stages of an NDP which vary in the consumer and industrial context. According to our research results, we made a contribution to the theory by extending the lead user method in the form of a partial theory. We also found that in the case of incremental innovations, companies apply their technical knowledge and do not require additional expertise from users, while in the case of radical innovations, firms only involve external users with high technological competencies in the development stage of the NDP. We identified similarities and differences of the required lead users’ personal characteristics in the consumer and industrial contexts. Thus, our study provides a better awareness for business leaders on the selection of lead users for their NPD process, reducing the time-to-market ratio of the product and increasing profit.