Process Improvement and Innovation
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Every so often an article appears discussing the need to change focus from process improvement to innovation. I disagree on several grounds. First you have needed to focus on both all the time. Second, it is not an either or choice. Third, the process of innovation should be improved. I do not believe process improvement is bad for innovation. Bad process changes can be bad for innovation. But if we are looking at a research and development organization where the output is new products then process improvement would be focused on improving the processes to make that happen. The type of process improvement would be different than those made to manufacturing a product better. Some six sigma efforts are little more than cost cutting efforts. And those efforts might claim a "process improvement" that is really just cutting costs in R&D. But we should not confuse bad management with the good practice of process improvement. Continue reading process improvement and innovation
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Monday 30 July, 2007 04:57 PM |
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