Innovation has been a rallying cry in manufacturing for years. And many manufacturers believe they are doing a good job at engaging their employees in the innovation process and coming up with new ideas. The problem, though, as evidenced in a number of Managing Automation reader polls in the past few years, is a gap between good intentions and the processes and follow-through necessary to turn good ideas into a sustained innovation effort over time.
The MA polls also reveal that a key, root cause of the gap has to do with organizational issues at many manufacturing companies. These issues often involve a lack of cross-functional integration in many companies as well as a lack of assigned roles, accountability, and success metrics. In addition, many manufacturing companies don’t put their money where their ideas are. The polls clearly show that many manufacturers lack the resources and training necessary to take ideas to a next level.
In a recent series of articles, the Harvard Business Review explored some of the organizational issues associated with innovation.
In “The Innovator’s DNA,” authors Jeffrey H. Dyer, Hal B. Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen say a six-year study to understand the origins of creative business strategies in innovative companies resulted in the identification of five “discovery skills” — associating, questioning, observing, experimenting, and networking.