TY - JOUR T1 - Agile Product Development Practices for Coping with Learning Paradox in R&D Offshore Units JF - Technology Innovation Management Review Y1 - 2020 A1 - Janne Kuivalainen A1 - Iivari Kunttu A1 - Marko Kohtamäki KW - Agile R&D KW - Learning paradox KW - R&D offshoring AB - R&D offshoring involves the relocation of in-house R&D activities to subsidiary units located in other countries, often associated with low-cost engineering work, to meet global operational requirements. The main motivation behind R&D offshoring by global technology companies is usually to utilize local resources, knowledge, and competencies provided by geographically dispersed subsidiaries in the most effective manner, which in most cases involves high expectations for project performance. However, offshore units often have their own local interests, such as developing their activities to compete with the company's other global R&D units, by not only building their project performance, but also demonstrating learning and innovativeness. This causes a learning paradox in which the R&D unit is expected to possess capabilities for innovation and learning, while at the same time demonstrating a high product development performance. This paper presents a qualitative case study that analyzes how R&D managers in the offshore units of a global technology company can cope with conflicting tensions between learning and performance. The results present a variety of coping practices that are based on developing local innovation strategies, constant learning, and supporting local innovation culture. The results also underline the meaning of agile working models in facilitating local innovation activities. PB - Talent First Network CY - Ottawa VL - 10 UR - timreview.ca/article/1338 IS - 3 U1 - Danfoss Corporation Janne Kuivalainen is head of Product Management and Development with the Drives business segment (€1,420m sales in 2018) in Danfoss Corporation. Prior to joining Danfoss in early 2019, he was Head of Technology of the Global Marine and Ports Business Unit at ABB. He has also held various management positions with Danfoss, Vacon Plc, and ABB in the areas of Research and Development, Product Management, and System Integration Project Business. He has also contributed to IEC standardization in industrial-process measurement, control and automation via a national working group in Finland. He holds a MSc (Eng) in Automation Engineering from Tampere University of Technology, Finland. His interests cover research activities in Strategic Business Management at the University of Vaasa. U2 - Häme University of Applied Sciences Dr. Iivari Kunttu holds a PhD in Information Technology from the Tampere University of Technology (TUT, 2005), and a PhD in Economics (Management) from the University of Vaasa, Finland (2017). Currently he acts as Principal Research Scientist in Häme University of Applied Sciences. From 2012 to 2017, he held an Assistant Professor position in the Department of Management at the University of Vaasa. He has also held several R&D Manager and R&D Process Development specialist positions in the Nokia Corporation, and Project Manager positions in TUT. His current research interests include R&D and innovation management, data analysis, business development, as well as digital services. His works have been published in such international journals as Pattern Recognition Letters, Machine Vision Applications, Optical Engineering, Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, Annals of Long-term Care, Technovation, Industry and Innovation, and Technology Innovation Management Review. U3 - University of Vaasa Dr. Marko Kohtamäki is a Professor of Strategy at the University of Vaasa, and a Visiting Professor at the USN Business School, and Luleå University of Technology. Kohtamäki takes special interest in strategic practices, digital servitization, R&D and innovation, business models, and strategic alliances in technology companies. Kohtamäki has published in distinguished international journals such as Strategic Management Journal, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Industrial Marketing Management, Long Range Planning, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, International Journal of Production Economics, Technovation, and Journal of Business Research, amongst others. ER -