Systems innovation management: Supporting innovation in a manufacturing environment

Abstract

Each year organisations spend a significant amount of money developing new products and processes in an effort to satisfy customer demands and manufacture high quality products efficiently. Both development processes - product and process, are complex, resource intensive and thrive on innovation. They demand a variety of skills and resources but in particular, participation, among all staff in generating ideas, managing projects and implementing change. There are currently a number of software tools, and methods that facilitate change in a systems environment. These range from complex modeling tools to information management tools. The tools have been developed around paradigms such as world class manufacturing, total quality management and business process reengineering. They are often complex, requiring the efforts of skilled designers and managers. Current thinking within a systems environment reflects a more participative and less technical approach to managing innovation and change. There is a need to compromise between detailed project engineering and good management practice. This paper introduces a new paradigm centred on good management practice and addresses the critical issues of innovation and change. The paradigm is articulated through a series of change levers and a methodology that guides managers and designers. It is supported by a series of software tools that together bring innovation management to life within the industrial organisation.