Analyzing Interrelationships and Prioritizing Performance Indicators in Global Product Development: Application in the Chinese Renewable Energy Sector

Abstract

Today’s global business landscape and intense market competition have heightened the significance of global product development (GPD) practices, making it necessary for organizations to evaluate GPD projects for sustained success. Existing research has primarily focused on independent and tangible performance metrics, neglecting their interdependencies and intangible nature in real-world scenarios. To address this gap, this study seeks to enhance the understanding of GPD performance by establishing a more sophisticated assessment approach. A hybrid decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and analytical network process (ANP) method, known as DANP, was employed to determine the importance of evaluation metrics and their relationships. This research stands out by integrating financial, quality, time, environmental, and capability dimensions, along with their respective indicators, and presenting their interrelationships and priority weights for evaluating GPD projects. The proposed framework was validated through an in-depth case investigation conducted with a Chinese sustainable energy solutions company, involving extensive discussions with decision-makers. The results indicate that technological, innovation, and environmental indicators are the most critical metrics. The influential network relation map (INRM) derived from these findings offers practical recommendations to enhance GPD project performance, catering to policymakers and researchers in both managerial and theoretical contexts.