INNOVATIVE CULTURE AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT SUCCESS AT CRISTáLIA - A BRAZILIAN HIGH TECHNOLOGY COMPANY OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR

摘要

It is generally acknowledged that product innovation in the pharmaceutical industry requiresrnlarge investments in the creation of new molecules, which are becoming increasingly difficultrnand expensive to find. Small and medium-sized companies usually copy, use expired patents orrnmix existing products. However, is this always true? This paper presents the case of Cristália, arnmedium size, family owned Brazilian enterprise (US$373 million sales in 2010) that was ablernto develop internally a new molecule and compete with big players. Some medium-sized firmsrnhire universities to develop molecules, but this was not the case of Cristália.rnDeveloping and maintaining the capacity to innovate involves several elements within a firm,rnincluding organizational culture. The shared basic assumptions influence people?s behavior andrnconsequently the firm?s innovations.rnIn this context, the aim of this study is to analyze the organizational culture of anrnacknowledgedly innovative firm. This involves analyzing the traits of an innovation culturernbased on the shared values of those who took part in an innovative project and an analysis ofrnthe existence of subcultures within the departments involved in the innovative projectrnresearched.rnThe case study methodology was selected due to the large number of factors involved. The datarnwere collected at a visit to the firm, three interviews, the application of a questionnaire and thernanalysis of company documents. The questionnaire was an adaptation of the OrganizationalrnCulture Profile and was answered by researchers that worked on the new product developmentrnproject and by people involved in improving the product. This yielded 70 valid sets ofrnresponses. The Helleva project was selected to accomplish the research objective. This productrnwas developed by Cristália using advanced Molecular Modeling technology and now competesrnwith Viagra, developed by Pfizer to treat erectile dysfunction.rnOf the cultural features of the firm that the largest number of respondents agreed with and thosernthat were critical for the Helleva project success, the following stand out: “being innovative,”rn“encouragement of learning,” “working in collaboration with others,” “being predisposed tornexternal partnerships,” and “risk-taking.” The results grouped by department suggested thernexistence of subcultures and were related with the profile of the activities developed in eachrnarea.rnBecause of the case study methodology, conclusions cannot be generalized. However, thisrnstudy contributes to theories on innovative culture. Data can be compared with that of futurernstudies and the methodology replicated in other companies.