Performance measurement in interdisciplinary innovation processes - Transparency through structural complexity management

Performance measurement and controlling of innovation processes are essential for the successful development and implementation of new products and services. Firms need to understand drivers of success or failure within their innovative performance. Despite the recognized value of innovation controlling, adequate performance measurement in innovation processes is hard to accomplish, particularly in complex interdisciplinary settings and / or for complex product-service systems (instead of pure product offerings). In this paper, we develop and apply matrix-based approaches from structural complexity management to the field of innovation controlling. We use DMMs and a MDM to match economic impacts of interdisciplinary models and methods in the innovation process with strategic business goals and firm performance indicators represented in a Balanced Scorecard. Our approach facilitates the selection of relevant performance indicators, research methods and models for companies trying to achieve their business goals.