Launch Timing and Launch Activities Proficiency as Antecedents to New Product Performance

Accelerating time to market is widely viewed as a contributor to increased new product sales and profit performance. The new product literature also agrees that better performance of the activities related to product launch should result in improved product performance. Relatively less understood, however, is the important role played by launch timing. That is, the firm must choose the correct moment to launch the product with respect to the objectives of top management, distributors, and customers. The emerging literature on this topic suggests a complex relationship between launch timing, launch activities, and new product performance. Based on the literature on market orientation, time-to-market acceleration, launch timing, project management leadership, and cross-functional integration, we develop a conceptual model of new product performance. We empirically test the model using data from US-based product managers. We find that market orientation, cross-functional integration, and leadership style are significant antecedents to timing and speed to market as well as to launching activities proficiency, both of which lead to improved new product performance. We conclude with managerial recommendations and implications.