Innovation Management Technology - Case Study Example

Introduction The technological innovation and the constant introduction of the new technologies has become one of the most important aspects of success in an environment which is quite complex and fluid in nature. The strategic nature of technology and innovation therefore requires that the firms must take into consideration the factors which can allow them to evolve as better managed organizations and the overall process of innovation continues to operate.( Cottam, Ensor, & Band, 1998). Over the period of time, the face of innovation has changed and the organizations now have to look for ways to improve constantly their overall innovation process so that they continue to serve the market at highest level of competition. (Harris, 2006). The case study of 3M provides some great insight into how the overall process of innovation and creativity takes place within the organizations and what are the essential characteristics which are required in order to ensure that ideas which are generated also go through the successful process of commercialization and are adapted by the organizations. It also requires a complete commitment and dedication from the management of the firm in order to ensure that the creative ideas are basically gone through the window of commercialization and they are subsequently manifested in the form of commercially viable products.( McLoughlin, 1999). This analysis will therefore evaluate the 3M case study and based on the information presented in the case will attempt to apply the 7 key points offered by Rhodes and Wield (1994) to understand how the overall process of innovation was actually managed in this case. Innovation is not just an invention The first key point offered by Rhodes and Wield (1994) suggests that the innovation is not just the invention is not invention because until and unless the idea is not adapted into a workable productive application, it may not provide the kind of benefits which an organization can expect from the overall process of innovation. A closer look at the study will suggest that the idea of the sticky note appeared during a research study and was subsequently adapted by the 3M when its overall purpose and application was thoroughly understood. Above all, this smaller invention was basically discussed and detailed at different organizational levels at both the informal as well as formal levels therefore the overall environment and the culture of the organization was good enough to allow the dissemination of information of a potential discovery which can subsequently manifested into the successful commercial product. Rhodes & Wield (1994) suggest that the successful technological change also require a complete understanding of the technology and how the innovation is basically spread across the organization as well as the society. Right from the discovery of some chemical properties of materials for their adhesive power to the development of sticky notes, this case study points towards the fact that the overall process of technological innovation actually permeated through the different organizational contexts before it was actually materialized. This also required the organizational coordination between different departments of the firm to successfully corroborate with each other to find out the commercially viable application of the material discovered by Silver. There is no straight line to the success The development and subsequent production of the sticky notes by 3M suggest that the overall process of innovation was not linear in its strict sense. However, it went through different informal channels before it could actually be materialized. The linear flow concept suggests that the innovation can actually go through a pre-mediated path which may not be actually true in all forms of innovation. The non-linear form of innovation therefore suggests that the organizations like 3M not only have to focus on the process of invention but rather also focus on other end users and stakeholders also in order to ensure that the innovation process is successfully manifested into a commercially viable product. In this case, not only was the invention the beginning of the most important products for 3M but it also required the input and effort from the different departments of the organization in order to successfully developing this product. Thus the overall process of innovation also suggest that the innovation is not just the name of science and does not flow from the linear methodology but it requires a complete commitment and coordinated effort from other parts of the organization also in order to ensure that the organization can successfully develop the product and subsequently can market it with commercial success. Thus the market championing is also essential apart from making a scientific invention. Importance of Science Though the successful coordination of the different departments of the organization is essential for successful marketing and developing the product however, it is important to note that the science play its part also. Rhodes and Wield (1994) are of the opinion that the deepening of science in the overall process of innovation is becoming critical more important for the overall success of the product. This also suggests that the successful innovation may require the experimentation in almost new area of science in order to successfully innovate. A closer look at the details provided in the case study suggests the role and involvement of science and technology at the every stage of the development of Post-It as the commercially successful product. First it was the development of adhesive material which could help those which do not want a permanent glue to use for sticking purposes. Than the process of the development of paper which could actually held this adhesive strongly were another important technological innovation and finally the development of machines which can spread the adhesive on the paper and cut them into smaller squares so that they can be readily used. This whole process therefore suggests the overall importance of the science in locking in the competitive advantage and ensuring the first mover advantage. The vey reason as to why the competitors of 3M could not actually imitate this product was their lack of developing sophisticated machines which can spread the adhesive over the paper. Thus 3M was successful in channeling its technological superiority in most productive manner. Interaction of different factors This element indicates that the successful innovation is a process which requires the interaction with different factors which may be either inside or outside the organization. The concept of complimentary assets therefore is essential in order to ensure that the overall innovation successfully takes place within the organization. The case of 3M also suggests that the successful development of the product was the result of the complete coordination between different departments of the organization. First it was the coordination at the research level which allowed the discovery and invention of the adhesive material than it went through the successful trial and error process wherein the different departments of 3M were involved to successfully develop the commercial viability of the product and its use. What is also significant to note that the firm also took into consideration the preferences of its customers in order to ensure that the commercial side of the product development is also according to what the market requires? This suggests that the overall process of innovation at 3M was the process of coordinating with different stakeholders in the overall process of innovation and allowed 3M to actually materialize the product. It is however, important to note that in this process of interaction, the original idea originator may face the resistance therefore in order to ensure that the successful ideas are materialized successfully organizations need to develop a climate and manage the human side of the overall innovation process also.( Jhone, 1999). Integration of different factors A successful innovation goes through a process where from idea generation to the successful development and marketing of the product, it requires a seamless integration of the different factors. This also means that the idea generation as well as the invention also need the nod of the different other departments in order to ensure that the product is successfully marketed and developed. A closer look at the case study would suggest that the 3M was successful in retaining and continuing the Post-It product only because of the lack of complacency and ability of its different departments to carry through the product through different channels and successfully market it. First it was the successful development of the product which required a certain degree of technological sophistication and than the involvement of people like Nicholson who ensured that the product is successfully marketed to the already identified niche market by 3M. This whole process was the process of complete integration between the different stakeholders within 3M who ensured that the successful invention is actually transformed into the successful innovation for the firm. What is also significant to note that the innovation is not just limited to the product innovation but rather a successful innovation always require the product, process as well as market innovation. A complete integration of all the elements can only ensure that the firm can effectively take benefit from its technological innovation and transform its products through the process of successful marketing. Incremental Change Innovation can only successfully manifest through a process of incremental changes in the way different processes are performed and delivered. A constant improvement therefore is required in almost every area of the product life cycle and firm must therefore ensure that its innovative activity remains a permanent factor of its overall working.( Grint, 1991) The development of Post-It was also the result of this philosophy wherein 3M, after some period of time, have to review its existing products in order to work on the idea of further improving them. It was due to this reason that people like Silver got the opportunity of successfully experiment with new tools and techniques to find out the ways which can improve the overall product offering of the firm. What is also significant to note that the overall development of Post-It took place through incremental perfection in the way it is now being sold in the market. Firstly, the intended use of the adhesive was for the bulletin boards however, subsequently through a process of incremental change another important use of the adhesive was found and it was applied on the paper. Secondly the firm further went on to modify and improve its different mechanical processes in order to successfully deliver the product. There was also a conscious effort at the marketing level to ensure that the right marketing tools and techniques are used to successfully market the product and take lead over the competitors of the firm in a market niche which was new and undeveloped. Learning by Doing and Learning by Use It is argued that the organizations can also speed up the process of innovation by actually learning how to use the products by themselves and than subsequently applying trial and error method in order to find out the right combination to make a perfect product. It is also critical to note that the learning by doing and learning by use allow firms to overcome significant bottlenecks and meet the customer expectations in more significant manner. This also requires a complete dedication as well as the commitment towards the overall process of improving the processes in order to achieve the right combination for the overall product offering.( MacKenzie, & Wajcman 1999) In this case, the development of the adhesive material was the result of the process of learning by doing and through the use also. 3M provided opportunity to its chemical engineers to basically play with some ideas and to come up with the ways which can help to create a new adhesive. Once this stage was over, finding out the right commercial use of the product was also done through the process of learning and doing when Fry was actually able to get an insight for the commercial use of the product. Subsequently, the use of the product by the marketing guys before it was actually sold to the market also indicate towards the process wherein the overall product offering was made better through the use of learning by doing technique. References Cottam, A, Ensor, J, Band, C (1998). A benchmark study of strategic commitment to innovation. European Journal of Innovation Management. 4 (2) , pp.88-94 Grint, K. (1991) The Sociology of Work, London: Polity Press Harris, M (2006). F.W. Taylor and Legacies of Systematization. Information, Communication . 9 (1), pp.109-120. Jhone, A (1999). Successful market innovation. European Journal of Innovation Management. 2 (1), pp.6-11. MacKenzie, D. and J. Wajcman (1999) The Social Shaping of Technology, 2nd edn. Buckingham: Open University Press. (HM 221.S6) McLoughlin, I (1999). Creative technological change: the shaping of technology and organisations. Illustrated. ed. London: Routledge. Rhodes, E. and Wield, D. (1994) ‘Technology, Innovation Theory and the Implementation Process’, in E. Rhodes and D. Wield (eds.) Implementing New Technologies: Innovation and the management of Technology, 2nd Edition. Oxford: Blackwell. Sakakibara, K (2007). Capturing the value from Innovation [online]. [Accessed 5th December 2010]. Available from: http://www.apo-tokyo.org/00e-books/IS-27_MgtTechInno/IS-27_MgtTechInno.pdf Read More