Linking operations strategy and product innovation: an empirical study of Spanish ceramic tile producers

This paper deals with the fit between operations strategy and product innovation. The literature review suggests that product-innovating firms should have specific, competitive priorities with regard to operations. In order to test this proposition, we carried out a survey of the competitive priorities in the Spanish ceramic tile industry. We classified respondents according to the number of new products launched between 1997 and 1999. New products were identified according to the literature-based innovation output indicator. Our results revealed that the more-innovative firms follow a different operations strategy than the less-innovative firms because of the emphasis placed on flexibility and quality capabilities.