The mediating effect of team reflection on the relationship between a challenging learning goal and new product success.

The success rate of new products in the marketplace is dismal. A survey, based on setting a specific, challenging learning goal and team reflection, was administered to 194 members of 78 new product development teams in Turkey to determine whether there are teams who engage in reflection (i.e., deep level of critical thinking) when a specific, challenging learning goal is set. The results showed that setting a specific, challenging learning goal is associated with new product success, and team reflection mediates this relationship. These findings increase the external validity of the relationship between learning goals and the performance of individuals in laboratory settings to teams in work settings.