This document proposes an integrated approach to new product development in Africa. It involves considering entrepreneurial capacity, technology assimilation, innovation performance, and knowledge management. The key elements are entrepreneurship to recognize opportunities, innovation management to convert ideas into solutions, and knowledge management to acquire and share expertise. An integrated process called the Damming Product Development Model involves knowing customer needs, designing viable products, and deploying and growing solutions while providing feedback. The goals are to position businesses to exploit opportunities, build new knowledge through commercial products, and support enterprise growth in a customer-centric manner.

1. INTEGRATED NEW
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
FOR AFRICA
TransformingAfrican economies from the ground up.

2. Product development designed
■ Product development is a disciplined and defined set of tasks and steps that describe
the normal means by which a company repetitively converts embryonic ideas into
saleable products or services” Belliveau et al. (2002)
– Repetitive conversion of ideas
■ it must mean there are ideas to convert
■ There is the requisite know how to repeat a conversion process
– Saleable products
■ Appeal to the customer
■ Competitive within a specific environment
– A set of tasks and steps
■ A process by which opportunity is harnessed and leveraged

3. An integrated approach
■ Takes into consideration
– Entrepreneurial capacity
– Technology assimilation
– Innovation performance
– Knowledge and experience

4. Elements of an integrated approach to
new product development
Knowledge
management
Entrepreneursh
ip
Innovation
management
New
product
developme
nt

5. Understanding the elements
■ Technology Entrepreneurship: combination of opportunity recognition and
technology assimilation so as to create value.
■ Innovation management: converting ideas into commercially viable solutions.
■ Knowledge management: acquisition, dispersion of knowhow and expertise.The idea
of synthetic imagination is relevant.

6. Entrepreneurship
■ “entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference
between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage.”
Machiavelli
– Recognise opportunity
– Uncover customer needs and problems
– curious analysis of Africa’s problems

7. Knowledge management
■ The discoveries of yesterday are the truisms of tomorrow, because we can add to our
knowledge but cannot subtract from it.When two frames of reference have both become
integrated into one it becomes difficult to imagine that previously they existed separately.The
synthesis looks deceptively self-evident, and does not betray the imaginative effort needed to
put its component parts together. Arthur Koestler
– Knowledge creation and capture: uncovering the hidden narrative
■ Investigating and assessing datasets and information
– Knowledge sharing in a collaborative or team environment
■ Codifying and simplifying knowledge
– Knowledge application
■ Exploiting knowledge for economic and social benefit
– Leveraging indigenous knowledge systems in Africa
■ History and culture as an advantage
– Assessing intellectual and information capital
■ Investing in people

8. Innovation
■ Ideas are the currency of progress and innovation is the method of exchange.
1. Creative thinking and idea generation (power of imagination and bisociation)
combining biology with ICT e.g. biomimicry
2. Evaluation of ideas
3. Building innovation performance and capacity
4. Idea conversion processes
■ Harnessing technology
■ Investment frameworks for enterprise growth
5. Diffusing knowledge in the form of a practical and viable solution

9. Transformational and integrated product
development process (Damming Product
Development Model)
KNOW
• Create and collect
relevant knowledge
• Opportunity
recognition
DESIGN
• Human and context
centred approaches
• Creative and innovative
momentum
• Viability, saleability
DEPLOY AND
GROW
• Innovation diffusion
• Systematic feedback
systems
• Investment and
reinvestment
frameworks
CYBERNETIC STREAM
(KEY INPUT)
• Customer needs and
problems
• Knowledge repositories
• Context maps
• Trends and patterns
CYBERNETIC STREAM
(KEY OUTPUT)
• Commercially viable
products
• Knowledge
accumulation
• Increased innovation
performance
• Revenue and economic
growth

10. Degree of organisational impact
■ Malleable and agile product development
processes
■ Leveraging human experience at all levels
■ translating accumulated knowledge into
concerted and focused human action at an
individual and corporate level.

11. Outcomes
■ Business and enterprises positioned to harness and exploit opportunity
■ Building new bodies of knowledge through the development and dissemination of
new products
■ A Systematic approach to enterprise growth that is customer centric
■ Commercially viable products

12. Conclusion
■ Growth of business inAfrica dependent on product development
■ Africa needs an integrated approach that leverages knowledge repositories,
entrepreneurial tenacity and innovation
■ To create new bodies of knowledge from human experience and engagement