오늘날과 같은 융합화 시대에 발맞추어, 많은 기업들은 다양한 기술과 제품 기능 등을 결합시킨 컨버전스 신제품들을 개발하고 있다. 그러나 이러한 노력에도 불구하고 기업의 신제품 성과는 좀처럼 개선되지 않는 것처럼 보인다. 이러한 상황에서, 본 연구는 실증적으로 컨버전스 신제품개발의 성과가 어느 정도인지를 확인하고, 기업의 컨버전스 신제품개발과 신제품 성과간의 관계에 긍정적 영향을 끼치는 전략 요인들이 무엇인지를 조사하였다. 기존 연구 문헌 고찰을 통하여, 본 연구는 다음의 4 가지 전략 요인들 - (1) 선도 시장 출시 전략, (2) 비고객 지향적 가치 혁신 전략, (3) 전략적 제휴, (4) 탐구적 학습 전략 - 을 제시하고, 이들 요인들이 기업의 컨버전스 신제품개발과 신제품 성과간의 관계에 미치는 영향 정도를 실증적으로 분석하였다. 분석 결과, 먼저, 컨버전스 신제품개발 노력은 신제품 성과에 통계적으로 유의한 영향을 끼치지 못한 것으로 드러났다. 다음으로, 4개 전략 요인들의 상호 작용 효과를 분석한 결과, 기업이 탐구적 학습 전략을 지향할수록, 컨버전스 신제품개발 노력의 성과가 높은 것으로 나타난 반면, 나머지 전략 요인들의 상호 작용 효과는 통계적으로 유의하지 않는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 결과는 예상대로, 컨버전스 신제품개발 성과가 실증적으로 저조하다는 사실을 확인해 주고 있으며, 컨버전스 신제품개발의 성과를 제고시키기 위한 가장 유용한 전략적 접근은 기업의 학습 전략을 탐구적 학습 스타일로 바꾸는 것임을 시사해 주고 있다.

It is evident that many companies are tending to develop the convergence of new products, putting together multiple technologies or several product functions into one product, i.e., all-in-one product, in line with the trend of inter-industry fusion. However, the performance of this convergence of new product development seems to have been less than was expected. In this context, we attempted to examine how much a firm's effort at convergence of new product development explains its new product performance, and to identify which strategic factors have an effect on the relationship between firms' convergence of new product development and their new product performance at the organizational level. Based on a literature review, we proposed four strategic factors which would play a role in improving a firm’s performance of the convergence of new product development: (1) preemptive strategy, (2) customer-focused value innovation strategy, (3) strategic alliance, and (4) exploratory learning strategy. The results of the analysis show that the degree of a firm's effort at convergence of new product development was not correlated with its new product performance. In addition, it was found that among the four strategic factors proposed in this study, only exploratory learning strategy proved to have a positive effect on the relationship between the convergence of new product development and new product performance, while the other strategic factors failed to have this effect. The study reveals that the performance of the convergence of new product development is very low, as predicted in the literature, and it suggests how to increase the performance of the convergence of new product development with a strategic approach; firms have to change their learning strategy to one of an exploratory learning style by which highly creative convergence of new products can be developed so as to win many orders in the market.

It is evident that many companies are tending to develop the convergence of new products, putting together multiple technologies or several product functions into one product, i.e., all-in-one product, in line with the trend of inter-industry fusion. However, the performance of this convergence of new product development seems to have been less than was expected. In this context, we attempted to examine how much a firm's effort at convergence of new product development explains its new product performance, and to identify which strategic factors have an effect on the relationship between firms' convergence of new product development and their new product performance at the organizational level. Based on a literature review, we proposed four strategic factors which would play a role in improving a firm’s performance of the convergence of new product development: (1) preemptive strategy, (2) customer-focused value innovation strategy, (3) strategic alliance, and (4) exploratory learning strategy. The results of the analysis show that the degree of a firm's effort at convergence of new product development was not correlated with its new product performance. In addition, it was found that among the four strategic factors proposed in this study, only exploratory learning strategy proved to have a positive effect on the relationship between the convergence of new product development and new product performance, while the other strategic factors failed to have this effect. The study reveals that the performance of the convergence of new product development is very low, as predicted in the literature, and it suggests how to increase the performance of the convergence of new product development with a strategic approach; firms have to change their learning strategy to one of an exploratory learning style by which highly creative convergence of new products can be developed so as to win many orders in the market.

Convergence, New Product Development, Strategic Factors, New Product Performance.