Innovation

This paper focuses on the practices and techniques that can be used at the front end of innovation to search for radical or discontinuous new product ideas.  It addresses a gap in the literature by using empirical data to identify the dimensions of a firm’s capability to search for new ideas for potential radical innovation. A review of the literature on the front end of innovation was conducted and used to develop an understanding of the practices applied by firms to search for radical new product ideas.  From this a questionnaire was developed to collect data for an exploratory factor analysis of a sample of firms and subsequently a confirmatory factor analysis of a separate sample firms. The results from both samples are consistent and identify 5 dimensions of the search capability that can be used to search for radical new product ideas.

La innovación es un factor fundamental para afrontar la evolución sostenible de la sociedad. A pesar de los estudios realizados, no se cuenta con un modelo de medición generalmente aceptado que responda a la multidimensionalidad y la complejidad de su concepto y proceso.
Por ello, este trabajo propone un modelo holístico, que responde a dicho enfoque de la innovación, para definir las perspectivas principales que permitan construir un análisis sintético e integrador con un “cuadro de indicadores” de igual naturaleza, tal y como se deduce de la observación actual de la innovación. Para ello, se presentan tres partes que ofrecen un marco de análisis y reflexión para la construcción de unas directrices de un modelo eficaz para la evaluación de la innovación.

The project management methodologies have been improved over years. There have been utilized to model specific industrial situations, helping to change the course of world history. Today, more than ever, these methodologies are indispensable, not only in industry but in any organization. Never before the market have been so competitive, forcing organizations to adopt techniques in order to innovate their products and services. With these market demands, companies and universities are required to cooperate ever more. The connection between these two sectors of society is the main driver for innovative business success. However the success of this relationship is only possible, if there is a management methodology appropriate to the complexity of the projects which are developed in consortiums, multi- sectorial and are culturally so different. The methodology we are developing is now being tested in CROP (international and multicultural Project). This paper presents some of the improvements noted with the use of this methodology.

В данной статье рассматривается ряд существенных особенностей социальной коммуникации в современном модернизирующемся российском обществе: способность быть ускорителем перемен; осуществлять функцию социального наследования; выступать интегратором и ретранслятором ценностно-ориентированных сообщений; перераспределять информацию от инноваторов к широким слоям общественности

This study deals with the question of what determines the outcomes of the choices made by large corporations when they develop new technology. To this end, four types of choice made in the course of the development of technology are distinguished in Chapter one:
- concerning the entrance to a scientific/technological research domain.
- concerning the product to be developed and its characteristics.
- concerning the processes and additional technologies to be developed in order to be able to manufacture and sell the product efficiently.
- concerning die construction of large scale production facilities.
The outcomes of these choices can only partially be accounted for by existing economic and social theories: In economic theory, only the need for the development of new products or processes is explained, and not the content of these technologies. Theories that also aim at accounting for the content of technology often conceptualize corporations as independent monoliths. The internal relations within the corporations as well as the close relations between corporations are therefore missing in their observations. In this study, relations in regard to the development of a new technology are defined as being the result of an agreement on the part of functional groups on their mutual roles in regard to the development of a new technology. These relations create a technology network. Technology networks can be described by means of a number of characteristics: extension, variety, functional origin of prominent actors, strength of relations, degree of integration, flexibility of relations, degree of secrecy, availability of resources, weak relations with external partners, and the environment of the technology network. In this study, the relation between these characteristics and the outcomes of the choices made concerning technology is investigated further. To limit the influence of 'technology' as a variable, all case studies analyze the development of related technologies, i.e. specific high performance fibers: aramid fibers (Du Pont, Monsanto, Bayer, NPO Khimvolokno, VNIISV, AKZO and ICI) and high performance polyethylene fibers (DSM).
In Chapter 2, the emergence of the fiber industry is described. In the twenties and thirties, the artificial silk industry changed considerably. Large scale internationally operating corporations started to dominate the business. Corporate laboratories were
increasingly important. New theories developed in polymer chemistry were of great importance. In Chapter 3, an overview is given of the development of the fiber industry and (high performance) fiber technology after 1945.
In Chapter 4, the choice concerning the entry to a specific scientific/technologic research domain is analyzed. Pioneers, i.e. corporations that enter a domain first, are distinguished from followers, i.e. corporations that, when they enter, are following competitors. Scientists were the most prominent actors at both pioneer and follower corporations. At pioneer corporations, they maintained many weak relations with academic colleagues. At follower corporations, weak relations with innovative customers were more important in order to obtain information on competitors' research findings. Therefore, in these cases the corporate sales department and patent office were more prominent in the technology network than in the case of the pioneers. A positive environment in which to engage in new research was crucial in this stage.
In Chapter 5, the choice of a product is analyzed. Three types of product choice are distinguished: products that had already been foreseen when one entered the domain, unforeseen products which were encountered during research, and products which had been developed by others. Singular and prominent actors were of great influence when a specific product was chosen. The technology network grew gradually when the product had been foreseen.
When the product was unforeseen, it could survive by being linked to an existing technology network. In this way, the technology network could rapidly attain a reasonable extension and variety, which was needed to overcome resistance in the organization. In choosing a product following die example of an external organization, the 'image' of die technologic capabilities and motives of this organization were of great importance. Within the technology networks of these corporations, sales departments and patent offices were relatively more prominent. Relations with customers were very important.
In Chapter 6, the choices concerning processes were analyzed. In this stage, many projects were terminated, especially when there were recessions that influenced the environment of the technology network negatively. Termination of a project coincided in particular with a lack of extension and varieties in the technology networks. Availability of resources sometimes influenced the processes that were chosen considerably.
In Chapter 7, a comparison is given of the choices made by two corporations that decided to start manufacturing a high performance aramid fiber on a large scale. Avoiding the risks that were related to this huge investment was of primary concern. Availability of resources was very important in connection with the risks that a corporation could run. Risks could be limited by extending the technology network further.
In Chapter 8, the characteristics of technology networks are evaluated separately and their relative influence on the outcomes of the four choices is estimated. For the survival of an R&D project during its stages of development a number of technology network characteristics were of special importance: strength of individual relations, extension, variety and degree of integration of the technology network. Together, these characteristics appeared to be indicative of the survival of R&D projects if the project was dealing with an unfavorable environment. The content of technologies was determined in particular by the functional background of prominent actors, the actions of singular actors, and the availability of resources. The mechanisms by which these relations between technology network characteristics and the outcomes of the choices made could be understood, are discussed.

Creative problem-solving dreams virtually always occur only after the dreamer has done extensive work on the issue awake.  Most typically, a person is stuck at one particular step of a multiple phase process and the dream solves that step.  The dream of Dmitri Mendeleev about The Periodic Table of the Elements is no exception.  All accounts of this event agree that he'd worked for years on the Table, produced other drafts, but that he attributed the version he was most satisfied with to a dream.  It is less clear whether Kedrov is correct in his reconstruction that it was the reversal of columns vs. rows which the dream provided. Accounts of dreams from contemporary scientists and inventors are a richer source for the detail required to generalize about the role of dreams in problem solving.

An established approach to cost and risk reduction of space systems is the use of heritage systems. A heritage system is a system which is based on a proven system design. A design is a set of engineering drawings, plans, etc. which are used to manufacture a system [1]. Heritage is the degree to which a system is proven. One example for a system with a high degree of heritage would be a communication satellite where satellites with similar designs have been successfully flown over a dozen times in the same orbit. In the following, an element of a system is called “component”.  Almost all newly developed space systems to some degree rely on preexisting components. Recent examples are NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), and the Ares V and Area I vehicles for the Constellation program. All these vehicle designs rely on components from the Space Shuttle program, such as the solid rocket boosters and the external tank. However, the use of heritage systems is not as straight forward as one might expect. According to the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO), more than 50% of NASA’s space missions encountered problems linked to heritage components [2]. Heritage components were responsible for some notable catastrophic failures, for example the Ariane 5 Flight 501, where the guidance software was carried over from Ariane 4 [3]. It was a proven piece of software. However, the software was incompatible to the new system architecture in which it operated [3]. Other failures include the Mars Observer mission, where the spacecraft bus was proven for operation in low-Earth orbit (LEO) [4]. According to the failure investigation report, the most probable cause of the failure was a leaking valve. Due to the longer storage duration compared to LEO, the previously reliable valve started to leak. Besides mission failures, the analysis of past space programs shows that the use of heritage technologies can lead to reductions in development cost and risk but can also lead to cost and schedule overruns, if not properly managed [2]. Interviews conducted with engineers from various space companies confirmed that heritage technologies are assessed ad-hoc and no systematic methodology exists. Such a methodology could be beneficial, in particular during the early stages of development, where heritage-related risks can be mitigated easier than later on.

This paper presents a framework and methodology for assessing heritage in the early stages of development.

The methodology allows for identifying heritage with respect to a new application as well as identifying areas where it is missing. Second, possible modifications to the design can be assessed in terms of their impact on the expected development schedule and cost. Lastly, a system design which fits a new application is useless, if it cannot be implemented. Therefore, the ability to assess technological capabilities for implementing a system is also vital for assessing heritage systems. The methodology is applied to a case study which compares the Saturn V with SLS variants.

Recent challenges to maintaining competitiveness by forest sector firms have driven interest in the potential for innovation to create competitive advantage. Suppliers are a major source of innovation for forest sector firms, yet little work investigates their role in the innovation process. Using a qualitative case study approach, we explore how chemical companies perceive innovation in the wood treating industry and how they feel that they impact innovation among wood treating firms. Our findings indicate that chemical company managers view the wood treating industry as conservative and not particularly innovative. Additionally, retailers play a hampering and directing role regarding innovation in the industry. Chemical company managers feel that they have an important impact on innovation within their customer firms, partially because they see limited possibilities for differentiating wood products without value-added additions, such as chemical treatments. Currently, various mechanisms for coloring wood products, along with standard chemical treatments, are the focus of innovation efforts. Chemical company managers also view their role with customers as a problem solver, providing a package of benefits following the total product concept. Finally, strong relationships between chemical suppliers and key innovative customers play an important role in creating and implementing innovations in the industry.

Organizations are used to manage human systems such as mechanical systems. Organizations do not know what to do with emotions. Historically, emotions have been underestimated or ignored in organizational design, which focus on the idea that emotions affect accuracy. Currently this premise regarding emotions, keeps organizations locked in a race to self-destruction. In many cases, organizations focus their efforts on increasing their strength, size and power by investing resources to strengthen the physical structure of the system and underestimate the emotional capacity as a vulnerability factor in performance.