Research on Lead User by Participatory Approach : the Japanese Case

本研究试图说明日本产业中是否出现了领先的用户创新。首先，通过密集的信息收集，我们发现日本公司没有系统地采用麻省理工学院冯·希佩尔教授倡导的“主要用户”方法。其次，通过前期研究，我们选择了神户大学小川教授的研究框架，重点研究了引进信息技术引发的新服务创新过程。我们观察了IT提供商、最终用户和服务提供商分别扮演的角色，并试图衡量每个创新参与者的贡献。通过我们对美国和日本新兴电子学习企业的调查，我们发现：(1)日本企业没有意识到领先用户的战略重要性；(2)企业有可能具备向领先用户学习的能力。随后的研究已成为日本企业实现领先用户战略不可或缺的一部分。

This research attempts to illustrate whether or not the lead user innovation has emerged in the Japanese industries. First, through intensive information gathering, we find the Japanese firms haven't systematically adopted the "lead user" approach advocated by Prof. von Hippel of MIT. Second, through the preliminary research, we chose to take the framework of Prof. Ogawa of Kobe University focusing on innovation process of new services triggered by introduced information technologies. We observe the roles played by IT providers, final users and service providers respectively and attempts to measure contributions of each innovation participants. Through our survey on emerging E learning business in US and Japan, we find that (i) Japanese firms haven't realized strategic importance of lead users and (ii) firms are potentially equipped with ability to learn from lead users. The ensuing research has become indispensable for realizing "lead user" strategy in the Japanese firms.