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Dr. Tingting Yan
Image by kevin dooley
Dr. Tingting Yan and her family on graduation day. Tingting got her Ph.D. from Arizona State University in Supply Chain Management, and will start her academic career this Fall at Wayne State University. Good luck Tingting!
Communication, Goals and Collaboration in Buyer-Supplier Joint Product Design
Original equipment manufacturers (buyers) are increasingly involving suppliers in new product development as a means to increase efficiency and expand capabilities. To realize such benefits, however, the two firms need to have appropriate communication and goal structures to minimize friction while maximizing design quality. In addition, the effectiveness of the inter-firm interaction process, i.e. their collaboration quality, is also a key success factor.
This study draws from Information Process Theory to propose that higher technical and relational uncertainty requires more inter-firm communication. The misalignment between communication intensity and uncertainty reduces both design quality and design efficiency. Goal incongruence, which always lowers project performance, is less harmful for projects with high technical uncertainty due to the potential of the conflict resolving process in improving decision quality and efficiency. Finally I use Hackman’s theory of work group effectiveness to propose that collaboration quality fully mediates the effects of communication intensity and goal congruence on project outcomes.
The study used an empirical survey of manufacturers as the primary method of data collection. Manufacturers that integrate and assemble complex and discrete products are the target population. Design engineers and project managers from manufacturers were my target respondents. Both SEM and hierarchical regression were used to test the conceptual model.
The dissertation made five theoretical contributions. First, I introduced the concept that there is an optimal level of inter-firm communication intensity, exceeding which lowers design efficiency without improving design quality. Second, I theoretically defined and empirically operationalized two types of uncertainty, one on the project level and one on the inter-firm level, which were shown to moderate the effects of inter-firm communication and goal structures on collaboration outcomes. Third, this study examined the conditions when goal congruence is more effective in improving collaboration outcomes. Fourth, this study nominally and operationally defined collaboration quality, a theoretical construct which measure the effectiveness of inter-partner interactions rather than mere existence or amount of certain activities pursued by partners. Finally, I proposed several enhancements to existing construct measures.
Dr. Tingting Yan
Water Play Rotary Park
Image by *Muhammad*
family BBQ at Rotary Park in Ajax Ontario. Please view it large.
go west young men (and woman)
Image by pixieclipx
a fine Irish family from the heart of the Sunset They are moving on to greener pastures, to Oregon, where they just purchased a 6-bedroom, 2,600 sq. ft. 1912 Craftsman home (my dream home!). I am a wee bit jealous, but oh so proud of them. These are two kids that struggled in their high school years! And look at them now!! Jenny graduates from SF State with honors in December, and John is currently a Chef at a very famous San Francisco restaurant. Jenny hopes to become a Registered Dietitian at a major medical center in Oregon, and John will move on to a new restaurant there as well. Their children are the #1 and 3 of the great grandchildren of our Craig family.
