Industry Expert Blogs

Spending a ton of money on R&D doesn't guarantee successful new products. It takes leadership and an understanding of your markets.

Every technology company innovates to some degree. We hear it in new-product announcements, annual reports, and when companies brag about how much they spend on research & development. Does spending on R&D to develop new products and technologies, always result in success? Hardly. It takes insight and leadership as well.

To give some idea to employees and investors about their R&D efforts, company management will specify the amount of money it spends on R&D. The level of spending is meant to alleviate any concerns that the new product pipeline isn't robust. Usually, a healthy level of R&D is needed to indicate the promise for new products, but does R&D spending give a good measure of success?