Distributed Development: Challenges & Management Practices Of Danish Industrial Leaders

This paper discusses management practices of Danish industrial firms in relation to the main challenges they face during the transition from highly concentrated R&D to dispersed R&D. This is a qualitative study featuring 3 case studies of Danish industrial leaders with globalised operations. This paper builds on the Offshore Capability Matury Model (OCMM) that describes the process of globally distributing development related activities. The paper identifies drivers and challenges of dispersed development. It also outlines and discusses a variety of practices used by the companies in order to achieve control and coordination of dispersed development. These included hierarchies, routines, cross functional teams, informal links, boundary spanners, and information systems.