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Innovation
Workshop
PURPOSE AND APPROACH
The purpose of this
intensive workshop is to help research managers understand the best practices
of
creating a high performance innovating
organization. How
do do leading firms balance tactical projects driven by the Business
Units with innovative projects that will dominate the market? How
do firms maximize the value of their intellectual property portfolio? How
do firms form technology based collaborative research projects with
other world-class
firms? The answers to these questions are applied to the group’s
current research activities.
The workshop is held at your site. Alliance Management Group consultants
work with your R&D management team to tailor the workshop to meet
your specific needs.
Module 1
The Innovation Cycle
Innovation activities
are typically classified as transformational, transitional or incremental. Transformational product innovations (also called
radical or breakthrough advances) are followed by a cost optimization period
that focuses heavily on process improvements and cost reductions. While
both classes of activities are important, the organization demands of “creative
destruction” leads to the need of a “schizophrenic” or “ambidextrous” organization. What
are the leadership challenges associated with creating and maintaining
differential cultures – one whose mission is to maximize the profit
from the old product and process….while the other’s assignment
is to render it obsolete.
Module 2
Risk and Uncertainty Management
At the center of the
R&D decision making process is the effective management
of program uncertainties as well as project risks. These terms are
frequently interchanged and often misunderstood. A variety of techniques
are discussed that make program uncertainties manageable including, project
assessment techniques, franchising risk via external alliances, contemporary
economic evaluation approaches, and “radical” consumers who
lead the acceptance of new products. These techniques deliver
real value when combined in logical ways.
Module 3
Innovating from the outside in
One of the great ways
to create an innovative climate is to invite the outside in. Tom
Allan’s
seminal work on technology gatekeepers highlights the advantages of linking
the firm internally and externally. The R&D organization
is seen as a knowledge work enterprise. CTOs are challenged
to maximize value internally and externally. How can the R&D
organization work effectively with the Venture Capital Community? How
do firms structure their out-licensing activities to maximize value
and minimize
internal disruption? How can firms build their businesses (or
destroy them) using alliances? This segment will cover the thorny
issues research directors face when they step outside the laboratory
walls.
Module 4
The Alliance Framework
Modern technology and
product development involves forming alliances with business partners. The
Alliance Framework is a state-of-the-art planning tool used by both sides
during the alliance creation process. It
significantly increases the quality of technology-based alliances while
significantly decreasing the time needed to reach a deal. The goal
is to create links between the business plans of both partners and the
key provisions of the alliance contract. The alliance framework deals
with all of the detonators in alliances including; the 3 alliances in 1
problem, wounded princes, useful implementation tools, and allocating intellectual
property rights in collaborative research agreements. It also
has application to internal linkages across key departments and business
units.
Module 5
Motivating Technical Professionals
Innovating organizations
have to meet organizational goals while providing intrinsically satisfying
work. Maslow and Herzberg’s work provide
the basis to understand human drive and organization motivators. The
role of alternate career paths (dual ladders) has become increasingly
important. But
the challenges of effectively managing contemporary knowledge workers
takes on new dimensions in an environment of greater opportunities
and external
connections via global communities of practice and lower institutional
loyalty. This segment is designed to update management on how
to attract, retain and motivate technical professionals.
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