Interdisciplinary Research Internationally

Transcription

1 The Challenge of Conducting Interdisciplinary Research Internationally Professor Kathryn Best, Willy Geurts, Jaap van der Grinten, Helma Weijnand-Schut, Cees van Wijk Centre for Cross-Media, Brand, Reputation and Design Management, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. CADMC September 2011,

2 Structuret Introduction The research process Outcomes Conducting design business internationally Conducting design research internationally Future research directions

3 Background Commission: carry out research to identify new insights into where the opportunities for Dutch designers and design firms lay in the German market, and potentially in other international locations. Client: The DDFA programme is supported by the Dutch government and various sectors within the creative industries to promote Dutch creativity abroad. The Consultants/Researchers: CBRD conducts applied research into the management of brands, products, services and organisations and helps organisations, enterprises and entrepreneurs find a recognisable image, identity and place in the market or industry in which they operate.

4 The research process Research Objective: To find business opportunities for Dutch design, fashion and architecture entrepreneurs in Germany. Prior market research into the creative industries as a whole did not surface concrete new opportunities. CBRD recognised there would be different needs for different areas of design. Revised Research Objective: To find new opportunities by refining the approach to allow for the differences in the various aspects of, and professions within, design. 3 domains: design (graphic and product), fashion and architecture.

5 The research process Research Questions What knowledge do Dutch design, fashion and architecture companies need, if they are interested in becoming active in the German market? What are the key success factors for doing business with Germany, and What business opportunities we can determine for Dutch companies in the field of design, fashion and architecture, which can help build relationships with companies and agencies in Germany? How can the insights obtained in answering the first three research questions be used by DDFA to provide practical and relevant guidance to companies, in order to enable better commercial opportunities in the various German markets?

6 Research Methodology The study was conducted in cooperation with the Department of Design Management at the University of Wuppertal (Dr Prof Brigitte Wolf). Desk research and field research. Qualitative research methods (3 focus group meetings and 68 individual expert interviews in the Netherlands and Germany). NL: designers and representatives of agencies and companies were interviewed (39 interviews). GER: designers and other experts interviewed, journalists, founders of grants, researchers, potential clients and employees of business institutes and consulates were included (29 interviews). Four research fellows (NL), two researchers and students (GER). The interviews i were recorded d on video or audio. The same interview structure was followed for each discipline.

7 Research Questions Desk research Report Individual id interviews i RQ 4. Best practice stories and practical tips Group discussions & Individual interviews Preliminary desk research & phonecalls/interviews RQ 1. Knowledge needs RQ 2. Key success factors RQ 3. Business opportunities Dutch research German research

8 Research happroach Step 1: Briefing and set up for co-operation with students. Identify specific streams of students (Inholland and Wuppertal). Step 2: Preliminary desk research with the students, under guidance of researchers. Identify (a) topics for discussion in focus group meetings, (b) any geographical and niche areas of the German market, and (c) potential contacts for focus group invitation. Step 3: Preliminary phone calls to Dutch opinion leaders/experts (designers, companies, branch organisations and embassies). To gain insight and gather a viable point of view into where challenges and opportunities faced by Dutch design firms considering German market entry could lie. Step 4: Target group identification (design, fashion, architecture, interiors, product design, graphic and communication design), 20 potential participants. Step 5: Preparation for expert interviews. Structured questions for each are (D F A). Key Success Factors (KSF) hypothesised as basis for discussion (identified by analysing existing research reports and literature on international business, Hofstede s six culture dimensions and by initial phone contact with experts).

9 Research happroach Step 6: Field research: conducting the focus groups and expert interviews. KSF validated with the experts, and amended. The interviews themselves focused on capturing personal stories and experiences of both successes and failures in doing business internationally, especially with regard to previous attempts to enter the German market. Knowledge needs revealed Varying levels of business experience and success. Regional differences for specific disciplines, industries and geographical areas. Germany also asked about the image of Dutch design.

10 Als je een merk wilt opzetten dan bestaat het eerste seizoen uit contacten leggen en als je geluk hebt dan heb je het eerste seizoen al orders. Het tweede seizoen is het vooral uitbreiden en dat is afhankelijk van het product, want het winterseizoen is altijd een groter seizoen dan de zomer. Het derde seizoen hebben ze je al wat vaker gezien en dan weten ze dat je al wat langer in de markt bent, op die manier maak je alweer meer kans. Het vierde en vijfde seizoen moet je er zeker staan, want anders is het echt hopeloos. (Winkel) 5 à 10% van het afgesproken bedrag voor de verrichte werkzaamheden worden niet uitbetaald door de Duitser. De Duitse klant zal op het laatste moment lastig doen over een detail dat hem/haar niet aanstaat. De designer verbetert dit naar wens van de klant, maar daarna vindt deze weer een ander detail waar hij/zij ontevreden over is. Vervolgens past de designer het weer aan en vindt de klant weer iets nieuws om zijn/haar onvrede over te uiten. De klant wil het laatste bedrag dus niet betalen totdat het ontwerp perfect is. Uiteindelijk besteed de designer zoveel tijd en moeite aan het verbeteren van het ontwerp, dat dat bij elkaar duurder uitpakt dan deze 5 of 10% bedraagt. De designer geeft het op en krijgt zijn geld niet. (Brandt)

11 Outcomes Phase 1 Consultancy role (initial conclusions, partial answers) 1: What knowledge do Dutch design, fashion and architecture companies need, if they are interested t in becoming active in the German market? The information needed is already widely available (ministry of commerce, embassies and branch organisations). The information itself was not the problem but the connection of that information to the target group. Why does this information remain unfound?

12 Outcomes Phase 1 Consultancy role (initial conclusions, partial answers) 2: What are the key success factors for doing business with Germany? KSFs confirmed to be relevant, accurate and complete. Six dimensions: Identity and Image Drivers (motivations, ambitions, expectations) Communication (cultural, linguistic) Connect Growth Enterprise

13 Outcomes Phase 1 Consultancy role (initial conclusions, partial answers) 3: What business opportunities we can determine for Dutch companies in the field of design, fashion and architecture, t which h can help build relationships with companies and agencies in Germany? Refinement D-F-A-NL-GR = no new insights on business opportunities. The refinement was still much too broad (and the German market too diverse) to gain sufficient in depth insight for specific opportunities. Conclusion was that it was unrealistic to assume that research for even one domain in one German region would surface useful opportunities for all group members, as it was still too broad.

14 Outcomes Phase 1 Consultancy role (initial conclusions, partial answers) 4: How can the insights obtained in answering the first three research questions be used by DDFA to provide practical and relevant guidance to companies, in order to enable better commercial opportunities in the various German markets? Confirmation: nothing new was to be found by standing on the existing empirical data. Conclusion: guidance should come from giving each individual entrepreneur some starting points and questions so as to help them develop their own personal entry strategy.

15 Outcomes Phase 2 Revisiting the data, reinterpreting the data, finding new patterns Revisit all the material gathered in each area (design, fashion, architecture). t Look for new starting points, insights and connections within the research data, without being guided by the initial research questions. Guided by KSFs, stop looking for opportunities and look to the actual experiences of the designers themselves (tacit knowledge). New patterns and areas of research were distinguished: the characteristics of the design community What did these design experts as entrepreneurs have in common, and what was different? How could the team understand and explain these differences in knowledge needs and viewpoints?

16 Outcomes Phase 2 Revisiting the Research Questions, Asking New Questions Compare the experts real business experiences with the initial theoretical desk research into international marketing and international business texts. What are the practical difficulties and challenges for those entering the German market? What is the nature of the dynamic between the Netherlands and Germany, and not just the simpler context of doing business in one country or the other? Which designers had only generic questions to be answered before they would enter the international market? Which designers had more highly articulated questions?

17 Outcomes Phase 2 Revisiting the Research Questions, Asking New Questions Although the texts on international business culture attempted to understand cultural diversity in international business, and did focus on differences between national characteristics of companies, they did not provide any detail on the differences between entrepreneurs who deal with stakeholders and commissioners abroad. Neither Hofstede (2001) nor Trompenaars et al (2003) specify the different attitudes and views of entrepreneurs in their international business-to-business-communication, that is, how they actually operate cross-boarders. The integration of commercial and cultural aspects, between Dutch designers and German commissioners, was important, and somehow needed to be taken into account.

18 Outcomes Phase 2 Revisiting the data, reinterpreting the data, finding new patterns Categorisation based on a typology of entrepreneurs was defined, of which there were five types: Starter: generic company with a question. Scout: starter with articulated professional question. Pioneer: company with little international experience and no business experience in Germany. Nomad: company with extensive international experience and little business experience in Germany. Generator: company with extensive international

19 Outcomes Phase 2 Revisiting the data, reinterpreting the data, finding new patterns Three patters emerged (Approach, Type, Profile). Three-track entry model for doing business in Germany Stations ti (what to pay attention ti to) Approach - the manner in which business is undertaken: a systematic linear approach versus an intuitive iti iterative ti approach based on trial and error (connects to KSFs communication' and 'culture ). Type of business - identifies whether the organisation is a Starter, Pioneer or Generator based on the experience in doing international business (connects to KSFs enterprise', 'connect' and 'growth ). Profile - the positioning of an organisation based on differentiation (characteristics such as distinctive, competent, conceptual and innovative) versus adaptation (characteristics such as adjusted, functional, risk adverse) choices towards the new market (connects to KSFs identity' and 'drivers ).

20 Three-Track T Entry Model (for entering the German Market)

21 Defining i the Entry Strategyt Adapting the model for Chinese market entry For a Western creative company, it is not so much the authority on a certain topic that is key (as is the case for the German market) but the connection to an already well known designer and/or design that symbolizes a certain type of success and status.

22 Outcomes Other Research Findings / Conclusions Entrepreneurship and b-to-b b communication. Positioning. Designing innovatively versus (international) professionalism. Contradiction: the recognition of Dutch Design NL: self-acclaimed bonus for Dutch design (experimental and daring). GER: 1990s Dutch edginess, superceeded by Berlin. Dutch stars (Rem Koolhaas, OMA, Mecano), not Dutch design per se.

23 Conducting design business internationally ti 1. Attitude professional, entrepreneurial, targeted 2. Finding the fit (matchmaking) designers (and commissioners) have different identities and therefore different knowledge needs. 3. Connecting the information to a creative target group how can government trade organisations accesably package their material for designers (liner versus non-linear/intuitive). 4. Communities of practice (author driven (Koolhaus) /design driven (NPK).

24 Conducting design research internationally ti 1. Secure stakeholder buy-in at all levels. 2. Communication clear and consistent (face to face, G-E-D translation). 3. Matchmaking researchers and roles, adapt to local conditions. 4. Consider culture differences (national cultures, research cultures)

25 Future Research Directions 1. International Commerce There is a lack of information about the typology of entrepreneurs in business-to-business (B2B) communication focused around design management. The integration of commercial and cultural aspects is important to better inform communication cat o between ee the creative e industries and foreign commissioners. 2. Interdisciplinary Collaboration Embedding academic research models into professional industry practice. 3. The Nature of Design Entrepreneurs Design research in academia : design practice in industry. Linear versus iterative/intuitive. Doing is designing g not systematic hypotheses, or structures of thought or orderly procedures.. (Frayling 2004).