The Innovation Odyssey: Lessons from an Impossible Project

Cover
Half Title
Title
Copyright
Table of Contents
List of Figures and Tables
Foreword
Preface
About the Authors
Introduction
Part 1 The Odyssey of K-ZE
	Chapter 1: The Long March of the Accessible Vehicle Concept for China
		The Explosion of the Chinese Market: A Promised Land for Automakers
		Twenty Years of Attempts to Penetrate the Chinese Market
		The Electric Vehicle as Essential to the Conquest of the Chinese Market
		From Emergence to Affirmation of the “Access EV” Concept for China
		Conclusion: the Emergent Strategy and Its Relationship to Projects
	Chapter 2: Preliminary Project: Exploring the Unknown
		An Exploration Driven by Economic Factors
		Framing the Research
		Researching the Supplier Base—Key to the Feasibility of Design-to-Cost
		Choice of the Manufacturing Plant
		Monitoring the Dynamics of Chinese Electric Vehicle Standards
		A Prototype Prepared in France, and a New Modular Battery
		Multi-Brand Marketing, but Volume Forecasts Remain Uncertain
		September 28, 2016, Meeting
		Conclusion: The Preliminary Project Is an Integral Part of the Whole
	Chapter 3: An Innovative Framework for a Cooperative Design
		eGT, the Operator of the Project
		An Original Business Model
		The Constitution of the Project Team
		Team Management: Multicultural Integration and Cohesion
		Conclusion: Power and the Limits of Formal Project Framing
	Chapter 4: An Agile Development in an Unprecedented Context
		The Challenges of Working Outside the Norms
		Product Definition
			The Inexorable Inflation of Performance
			Adapting the Platform
			Ambitious Volumes that Increased as the Project Progressed
			Differentiation Management
		Co-Design with Suppliers
		The Design-to-Cost War Machine
			Battery Crisis
		From Investment Decisions to the Start of Mass Production: K-ZE, a Vehicle Without a Plant?
			Construction of the New Body Shop, from Blockages to Spectacular Recoveries
			Plant Startup: Heavy Weather in Shiyan (Fall 2019)
		The Battle for Quality
			Passing the Quality Milestones on K-ZE
			Improving the Quality of Suppliers
		Spring Development: Mission Accomplished
		Conclusion: Toward a Model of Development Compatible with Innovation
	Chapter 5: A Project in a Perfect Storm
		A Promising Commercial Launch
		Four Shockwaves in the Chinese Market
			The Financial Crisis at DRAC, the Project’s First Client
			The Networks of Other Chinese Subsidiaries Break
 Their Commitments
			COVID-19 Hits
			Change in the Criteria for Granting Subsidies
			Storm Clouds Gather at Renault and Nissan Headquarters
		In the Face of Headwinds, the Project Pivots to Europe
		Conclusion: A Truly Resilient Project
	Chapter 6: The Phoenix
		A Diffi cult Trip to Europe
		Engineering for European Launch
		A Product That Arrived at the Right Time
		Dual European Deployment
		The Marketing of the Dacia Spring
		Conclusion: Dacia Spring, the Accessible Electric Vehicle That Is Changing the Market
	Conclusion of Part 1: Evaluating Innovation Projects
Part 2: Learning from Projects
	Chapter 7: Societal Innovation and Administered Darwinism
		The Dynamics of the Electric Vehicle Market in China and Europe
		Electric Vehicle Regulations in Europe and China
			European Regulations
			Emission Regulations
			Support for the Battery Industry
			The Deployment of Charging Networks
			The Provisions Supporting the Application
			Chinese Regulations
			Emission Regulations
			The Deployment of Charging Networks
			Support for Demand
		Europe–China: Contrasting Modes of Public Intervention
			Europe: Support for a Gradual Transition That Becomes More Radical after 2015
			China: The Implementation of an Administered Darwinism
		Conclusion: Technological Neutrality and Administered Darwinism
	Chapter 8: The Project as a Means of Strategic and
 Cultural Integration
		Project Management and Strategic Alliances
		Cooperative Innovation Projects: Opportunities and Constraints
		Inter-firm Cooperation: A Contemporary Necessity for the Growth of Multinationals . . .
		. . . With Inconclusive Results
		Project Management: A Forgotten Variable in the Success or Failure of Alliances
		The Societal Contingency of Management
		Management of Strategic Complementarities in the K-ZE Project
			Strategic Cooperation between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Dongfeng
		The Project as a Factor in the Integration of Strategic Complementarities
			Institutional Framework: eGT, Project Operator
			The Integrative Management of the Team
			The Key Role of Intervention by Central Entities
			Demonstrating the Importance of Governance at the Top
			The Project as a Factor of Cultural Integration: From Initial Stereotypes to Shared Identity
		The Dynamics of Joint Action in Agile Problem Solving
		Conclusion: The Project as Generator of a New Identity
	Chapter 9: Global Innovation Strategies and Lineage
 Management
		From Local Innovation to Global Deployment
		Innovation Deployment and Lineage Management
		The Accessible Vehicle at Renault, 1945–2021: Four Seasons
			Season 1: The Small Popular Car, Renault’s DNA
			Season 2: Twingo, and an Organizational Revolution in Project Management
			Season 3: Logan, and the Building of the Access Lineage
			Season 4: Kwid, or the Maturity of the Breakthrough Concept
		Taking on the New World
		Spring: Accessible Electric Mobility
		Continuation of a Strategy Driven by International Growth?
		From Product Strategy to Mobility Services: Toward a New Lineage?
		From the Middle of the Pyramid to the Bottom of the Pyramid?
		Conclusion: Reconciling Local Innovation and Global Deployment
	Chapter 10: Innovation and Entrepreneurial Capability in Large Companies
		Introduction
		An Effectual Growth Strategy
		Intrapreneurial Capability—The Driving Force behind Program Management
		Design Performance to Support Entrepreneurial Capability
		Governance Ambidexterity
	Conclusion of Part 2: Reenergizing a Large Firm
Conclusion
Afterword
List of Interviewees
Glossary
Bibliography
Index