Education

Post-doctoral research in imaging informatics, Image Processing and Informatics Laboratory, Dept. of Radiology

University of Southern California

PhD Industrial and Systems Engineering

University of Southern California

Dissertation: "Turning Ambiguity into Innovation: Inside a New Product Concept Development Team" supervised by Ann Majchrzak (Marshall School of Business)

Clarification of ambiguity is a key role of concept development (CD) as an idea is turned into a well-defined product concept through numerous design deliberations. Yet little is known about the effect of mitigating ambiguity in deliberations and the impact on innovation. Most new product development research focuses on project-level factors that contribute to success of a product. An ethnographic study of a virtual CD design team with unprecedented access to its participants made possible the study of ambiguous deliberation topics.

Five moderators were found that affected the relationship between ambiguity mitigation in deliberation topics and innovation during the CD phase. Innovation was aided when ambiguous topics were resolved but was hindered when topics were mitigated by coping. Ambiguous topics that appear in the project for the first time do not stimulate innovation until the topic resurfaces during the project. New mitigation approaches are less effective with first-time ambiguity than applying previously used mitigation approaches. Ambiguous topics classified by different aspects of ambiguity have different effects upon innovation. Nature of design activity in which a deliberation takes place also has a moderating effect. These findings suggest a new model of ambiguity mitigation in which these moderators play a role.

The findings based on a topic mitigation model raise several questions for future research. First, why does the fact that a topic mitigated by coping versus resolution affect innovation differently? Secondly, can the contribution to product innovation from an individual deliberation topic be measured? In addition, future research should explore how specific mitigation mechanisms are related to ambiguity and its mitigation.

As a contribution to practice, this research suggests a prioritization of effort in resolving ambiguous topics. For example, deliberations concerning formulation activities employing new mitigation approaches are likely to aid innovation when resolved but will also hinder innovation if not resolved.

Executive Summary (pdf )

M.S., Mining Engineering, College of Engineering and Mines

University of Arizona

Thesis: "A Decision Support System for Mine Evaluations" which received the 1985 Project Management Institute (PMI) International Student Paper Award.

B.S., Mining Engineering

Columbia University School of Engineering, New York, NY