Research on Lead User by Participatory Approach : the Japanese Case

本研究试图说明主导用户创新是否已经在日本产业中出现。首先，通过密集的信息收集，我们发现日本企业并没有系统地采用麻省理工学院von Hippel教授所倡导的“领先用户”方法。其次，通过前期研究，我们选择采用神户大学小川教授的框架，重点研究信息技术引入引发的新服务创新过程。我们分别观察了IT提供商、最终用户和服务提供商所扮演的角色，并试图衡量每个创新参与者的贡献。通过对美国和日本新兴电子学习业务的调查，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)企业具有向领先用户学习的潜在能力。随后的研究对于日本企业实现“领先用户”战略是必不可少的。

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.