Information and knowledge flows in product development of automotive industry – a comparison between formal and informal networks

Abstract

To maintain competitive advantage, companies must innovate. Thus, high quality, low cost and diversity of products became the starting condition for competitiveness. As a result, speed and flexibility in the design of new products are crucial, as these factors are related to the ability of companies to respond adequately to the pressures from the market. Innovation is usually related to the introduction of something new in a particular work process, which lead to new products or services. The ability for people to share information is then to be seen as a factor of strengthening of the work processes in order to contribute substantially to the company's competitive advantage in this new context. Considering these aspects, this paper seeks to map the processes of product development for an automobile company, analyzing and mapping the flow of information. The main contribution of this study is the critical analysis of social network established in a time of development of a project. This analysis provides an estimate of the level of diffusion of information and knowledge among team members, as well as the comparison between social networking and formal network mapped empirically defined a priori in the company's written procedures.