High-Involvement Innovation: Building and Sustaining Competitive Advantage Through Continuous Change

257 Pages·2003·1.44 MB·English

by  John Bessant

HIGH-INVOLVEMENT INNOVATION
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HIGH-INVOLVEMENT
INNOVATION
BUILDING AND SUSTAINING
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH
CONTINUOUS CHANGE
John Bessant
School of Management
Cranfield University
Copyright2003 JohnWiley&SonsLtd,TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester,
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Bessant,J.R.
Highinvolvementinnovation:buildingandsustainingcompetitiveadvantagethrough
continuouschange/JohnBessant.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-470-84707-7(pbk.:alk.paper)
1.Competition.2.Organizationalchange.I.Title.
HD41.B3782003
658.4(cid:1)06—dc21
2003041083
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
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ISBN0-470-84707-7
Typesetin10/12ptPalatinobyLaserwordsPrivateLimited,Chennai,India
PrintedandboundinGreatBritainbyTJInternational,Padstow,Cornwall
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ix
1 ‘ManyHandsMakeLightWork!’ 1
1.1 Innovation—ASurvivalImperative 1
1.2 TheRangeofInnovation 2
1.3 ‘ButThat’sNotReallyInnovation...’ 3
1.4 ManagingtheInnovationAgenda 4
1.5 Learning,KnowledgeManagementandInnovation 6
1.6 TheInnovationParadox 7
1.7 FromDoingtoThinkingOrganizations 10
1.8 High-InvolvementInnovation 11
1.9 What’sinaName? 12
1.10 What’sNotintheBook? 12
1.11 StructureoftheBook 13
References 15
2 IsitWorthit? 17
2.1 DoPeopleReallyMatter? 17
2.2 LearningabouttheLearningCurve 18
2.3 PerformanceImprovementthroughPeople 19
2.4 MobilizingHigh-InvolvementInnovation 23
2.5 CaseStudies 27
2.6 Summary 29
References 29
3 What’stheProblem? 33
3.1 CogsintheMachine? 33
3.2 WhatMakesanInnovativeCulture? 34
3.3 OrganizingforInnovation 35
3.4 TheQuestionof‘Culture’ 37
3.5 TheConceptofBehaviouralRoutines 38
vi CONTENTS
3.6 BuildinganInnovationCulture 39
3.7 LearningtoManageInnovation 41
3.8 HighInvolvementvs.FocusedDevelopmentofInnovation
Culture 43
3.9 High-InvolvementInnovation 46
3.10 Summary 49
References 49
4 AModelforHigh-InvolvementInnovation 53
4.1 MeasuringInnovationCulture 53
4.2 DevelopingaModel 54
4.3 CreatingtheModel 56
4.4 DevelopingHigh-InvolvementPractice 64
4.5 ComponentsofHigh-InvolvementCapability 65
4.6 Towardsa‘ReferenceModel’forHigh-InvolvementInnovation 67
4.7 EnablingDevelopmentofHigh-InvolvementInnovation 70
4.8 ContingencyIssues 71
4.9 Summary 71
References 72
5 GettingtheInnovationHabit 73
5.1 UnlockingHigh-InvolvementInnovation 73
5.2 ToBoldlyGo... 75
5.3 SomeExamples 76
5.4 CharacterizingLevel1InnovationCapability 76
5.5 What’stheProblem? 78
5.6 ...andHowtoDealwithit 81
5.7 Summary 87
5.8 AnExtendedExample—TheCaseofFridayMotorsLtd 88
References 90
6 SystematicHigh-InvolvementInnovationCapability 91
6.1 TakingHigh-InvolvementInnovationSeriously 91
6.2 MakingHigh-InvolvementInnovationaPartoftheCulture 94
6.3 CharacterizingLevel2InnovationCapability 95
6.4 WhatStopsUsGettingThere? 97
6.5 BarrierstoHigh-InvolvementInnovation
andHowtoOvercomethem 99
6.6 SomeCaseExamplesofLevel2Capability 121
6.7 Summary—ReachingtheLimitsofLevel2 127
References 128
7 StrategicInnovation 129
7.1 ‘PrettyinPink’ 129
7.2 WhatIstheProblemwithLevel2? 130
7.3 MovingtoLevel3—StrategicInnovation 131
7.4 Level3inPractice—ABriefExample 132
7.5 TwoKeystoLevel3—StrategyDeploymentandMeasurement 133
CONTENTS vii
7.6 CharacterizingLevel3InnovationCapability 135
7.7 SomeDetailedExamples 139
7.8 ItIsnotjustJapan 153
7.9 MakingitHappen 158
7.10 MonitoringandDevelopingHighInvolvement 159
7.11 Inter-FirmImplications 160
7.12 Summary—TheLimitsofLevel3 161
References 161
8 AutonomousInnovation 163
8.1 TheLimitsofContinuousImprovement 163
8.2 PatternsofInnovation 165
8.3 HandlingDifferentInnovationTypes 168
8.4 R&DforAll? 169
8.5 HighInvolvementinHigh-ImpactInnovation? 170
8.6 SomeCaseExamples 171
8.7 CharacterizingLevel4InnovationCapability 174
8.8 BarrierstoMovingtoLevel4 174
8.9 EnablersforDevelopingLevel4Capability 177
8.10 Summary 178
References 178
9 LearningOrganizations 179
9.1 LearningMatters 179
9.2 IntotheStratosphere 180
9.3 WhyKnowledgeMatters 182
9.4 HowLearningHappens 184
9.5 LearningandHigh-InvolvementInnovation 185
9.6 EnablingLearninginOrganizations 186
9.7 MovingOn—ExtendingtheLearningOrganization 191
9.8 Summary 193
References 193
10 DoingIt! 197
10.1 ToRecap... 197
10.2 SomeJourneys 199
10.3 AGenericOrganizationalDevelopment(OD)Model 206
10.4 TheRoleofFrameworkApproaches 207
10.5 TheHigh-InvolvementInnovationModel 209
10.6 ImplementationinPractice 210
10.7 RoadstoRome 212
10.8 Summary 213
References 213
11 FurtherChallenges 215
11.1 Introduction 215
11.2 Challenge1.FurtheronuptheRoad 215
11.3 Challenge2.Developing‘DoDifferent’InnovationRoutines 216
viii CONTENTS
11.4 Challenge3.Inter-OrganizationalInnovation 217
11.5 Challenge4.FocusofInnovation 220
11.6 Challenge5.Inter-CulturalLearning 220
11.7 Conclusions 221
References 222
Appendix DetailsontheHigh-InvolvementInnovationReferenceModel 225
A.1 ResearchBaseandProblemStatement 225
A.2 KeyFindings 225
A.3 Towardsa‘ReferenceModel’forContinuous
Improvement 226
A.4 DetailedBehaviour/CapabilityAnalysis 229
Index 239
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book is an excellent demonstration of the principles of high-involvement
innovation—quitesimply,withoutthehelpofagreatmanypeopleitwouldnot
havebeenpossibletoproduceit!Iamgratefultomanyfriendsandcolleaguesfor
their help and encouragement and would like to take this opportunity to say a
large‘thankyou’toallofthem.
InparticularIwould like tomentionthevariousmembersoftheCIRCAteam
at the University of Brighton—Steve Webb, John Gilbert, Jane Burnell, Sarah
Caffyn, Maeve Gallagher, Sarah Austin, Jeff Readman, Michael Vaag and, of
course, Pauline Nissen, who held the whole project together, ran the Network
and was always around to ensure that the project stayed on a continuously
improving trajectory. In the same vein, I owe a debt to the many members of
the CIRCA and CENTRIM networks who shared the company perspective on
high-involvement innovation and who taught me a great deal about how the
problemsofimplementationemergeandarehandledinpractice.
IwouldalsoliketothankmanycolleaguesintheEuro—andnowglobal—CINet
foralltheirhelpfulcommentsandheroiceffortstoputCIonthemap—especially
Harry Boer, Jens Riis, Frank Gertsen, Ritta Smeds, Ross Chapman, Mariano
Corso, Paul Hyland, Jose Gieskes and Paul Coughlan. Thanks too are due to
KristianStokbroandcolleaguesattheConfederationofDanishIndustriesfortheir
long-standinginterestinandsupportofourworkoncontinuousimprovement.
I am very grateful to several friends who patiently read the manuscript and
gavemesomehelpfulsuggestionstoimproveit—especiallyDaveFrancis,Raphie
Kaplinsky,CarlotaPerezandHowardRush.Insimilarvein,mythanksgotothe
anonymous reviewers who provided some clear guidance on the overall shape
anddirectionofthebook,aswellasencouragementtogoahead.Andtotheteam
atJohnWiley—especiallySteveHardmanandSarahBooth—forsteeringthebook
throughtoeventualpublication.
In the final stages of putting this book together in late 2002 we learned of the
suddenandtragicdeathofKeithPavitt,afriendandcolleagueatSussexandco-
author,withJoeTiddandmyself,ofthetextbookManagingInnovation.Keithhada
deepunderstandingofthechallengesininnovationandhadamajorinfluenceon