The problematic collaboration and communication between the participants and
organisations that took part in the NPD turned out to cause light but enduring loss of
momentum. The initial positive atmosphere and mutual respect diminished during the
project. This was related to the differences in company cultures and working methods.
The brand owners were staunch advocates of a traditional product development
culture, whereas the consultant and representatives of the sensory study organisation
were pursuing a different cross-functional model of product development. When
problems became critical, the personal aspects of the issues emerged. This manifested
in a tendency to turn into stereotypical, organisational or personal traits, when
negative outcomes and hindrances surfaced. It is suggested in the literature that
product development teams make better stop and go decisions than individuals, and
teams make better decisions when members are located in different offices or spaces
(Schmidt et al., 2001). An exemplar of this was the structure of cross-functional product
development team in the current project. However, the participant organisations were
in practice individual actors rather than a seamless product development team
committed to the same initial objectives as the brand owners.