Communications patterns of new product development team leaders

A study of the communication patterns of two types of new-product development (NPD) team leaders, operating and innovating, is reported. Specific attention is given to differences in the leaders´ communication with team members and with external groups. The results indicate that the communication patterns of NPD team leaders depend on the type of team and the informational demands of the project. This can help NPD team leaders focus on communicating about issues specific to their task and communicating with specific groups who can help the team achieve its goals. It is shown that degree of success differentiates the communication patterns of team leaders, particularly within operating types of teams