Feedback based Innovation Environments Experiences with Innovation and Learning Organisation Principles in an Industrial Setting

Transcription

1 Feedback based Innovation Environments Experiences with Innovation and Learning Organisation Principles in an Industrial Setting EuroSPI Workshop 1: Creating Environments Supporting Innovation and Improvement Martin Neumann, Kolbenschmidt Pierburg AG, Germany Andreas Riel, Grenoble Institute of Technology, France Grenoble, September 1st, 2010

2 Innovation Management at Pierburg and Pierburg Pump Technology Selection as main service of the Innovation Management The Innovation Management at Pierburg and PPT is the central department for: monitoring supporting the generation evaluating, selecting and filtering of inventions and technical product ideas Central tool of the idea generation process is the Innovation Database Transfer of good ideas to the advanced engineering Ideas and inventions, which pass successfully the selection process, are transferred from the Innovation Management to the advanced engineering in a prepared form Start of the advanced development process by the advanced engineering department Support of advanced development process by providing market and patent researches, competitor data, etc. Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

3 Innovation Management at Pierburg and Pierburg Pump Technology Current integration of the Innovation Management Innovation Management Advanced Development Process ALL innovatios collect, examine, evaluate, select the product ideas Direct exchange of customer information Definition of project Concept Preparation of quotation Sample Verification Disposal Serie s startup Tool: Innovation Database Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

4 Innovation Management at Pierburg and Pierburg Pump Technology Main tool: Innovation Database The Innovation Database is available via intranet and helps collecting, evaluating and selecting inventions and technical product ideas. Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

5 Innovation Management at Pierburg and Pierburg Pump Technology Selection of ideas within the Innovation Database Pre-selection Basically the idea contributor is responsible for the distinction between idea and invention. The technical aspect of the innovation is important and represents a first stop criterion. A further pre-selection by patent attorneys will filter innovations without prospect on success at an early stage. Processing and distribution are simplified and shortened. Evaluation A ranking of the ideas and inventions is executed on basis of the experts evaluations in cooperation with the advanced engineering. The evaluation criteria of the experts are: technology, patents and strategy, substitution, customer needs and product life cycle, market, sales, invest and budget, start of production, resources. Reduction of the cycle times of new product developments and advancements by the possibility of the admission of all employees into the process Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

6 Innovation Management at Pierburg and Pierburg Pump Technology Distinction between invention and technical product idea or question Technical character Technical Not technical Technical problem Without solution Idea Specific suggestion of solution New solution Invention Solution already known Violation? yes Idea set to red in Innovation Database (implementation prohibited because of current patent situation ) no Idea is kept in the Innovation Database Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

7 Innovation Management at Pierburg and Pierburg Pump Technology Workflow in processing notifications of inventions (Part 1) Notification of invention Supplement Input in Innovation Database By way of a written form If the patent application is urgent,! After completing mandatory! idea contributor has to Manual printout fields: automatic printout contact patent attorneys in parallel. Send to patent attorneys after signing 1. Estimation by patent attorneys concerning patentability Responsible superior decides about utilization yes Notice of utilization to inventor no Release Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

8 Innovation Management at Pierburg and Pierburg Pump Technology Workflow in processing notifications of inventions (Part 2) Research and examination by patent attorneys Patentable? yes no Preparation of application for a patent Violation? no yes Idea set to red in Innovation Database (implementation prohibited because of current patent situation ) Notification of invention is kept in the Innovation Database as idea Evaluation by inventor Filing of a national prior application Simultaneous processing of Innovation Database Application related: forwarding within department Development related: forwarding to Advanced Engineering Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

9 Innovation Management at Pierburg and Pierburg Pump Technology The process cycle of the Innovation Database 0.1 Classification 1.0 Draft 2.0 Pre-selection 7.1 Implementing 7.2 Deferred 7.3 Declined Implemented 3.0 Coordination of experts 4.0 Evaluation 5.0 Preliminary decision 6.0 Decision-making 7.0 Overall evaluation completed PPT specific part of workflow Idea* contributor Classify idea Prepare Idea Forward idea Innovation Manager Make pre-selection Innovation Manager Classify idea Select experts Team of experts Evaluation of idea Innovation Manager Present idea selection Generate evaluation Formulate decision Innovation Manager Scan ideas Propose idea again * Inventions and technical product ideas are here summarized mentioned as idea ** Patent Attorneys are not involved in decisions concerning innovations Coordination with development division Coordination with development division Patent Attorneys** work on invention notification All ideas are visible Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

10 Practical experiences with Innovation Management Advantages of the current Innovation Management Methodology Protection of inventions and technical product ideas Prioritization Communication / Transparency Continuity Strategic Orientation Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

11 Practical experiences with Innovation Management Weaknesses of the existing Innovation Management Innovation Management is mainly dominated by the Innovation Database Main focus on the organization of inventions Idea generation lives from a core group of employees as idea contributors By using only ideas and information from well-known sources within the company there could be the threat of stagnation Actual Innovation Management does not fulfill the aspect of a learning organization which continuously increases the core knowledge Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

12 Towards a learning organization environment Improvement Approach Two kinds of approaches should be verified to implement a group-wide innovation management system and standardized advanced development process throughout all divisions at KSPG: 1. The application of knowledge management, in particular knowledge mining techniques, as well as 2. the enlargement of idea sources by taking into account input from external market stakeholders rather than only internal idea contributors. By the implementation of an industrial organization with supports innovation within a standardized advanced development process aspects the realization of learning organization principles - beside the application of knowledge management / knowledge mining techniques - should be the long-term aim of the Innovation Management at Kolbenschmidt Pierburg. Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

13 Towards a learning organization environment Improvement Approach for Innovation Management: Meta-process for a role- and teambased learning organization model Success Initial situation 0 Core competence team Product trend 1 Success like 1. Learning curve = Number of realized projects based on interdepartmental core competencies 2. New developments Product Product trend 2 trend n t Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

14 Towards a learning organization environment Improvement Approach for Innovation Management: Initiation of learning core competence teams All ideas All employees Core competence team Formation of the team: Distributed team with customer involvement Find solution and learn Innovation Database CC = Core competence CC1 Idea pool CC2 Innovation Management Identification of product trends from the idea pool (and/or other sources) Building core competence team Assign the patent attorneys to do a patent research as basis for the solution Publishing solutions to offer a leaning possibility Feedback to core competence team Cycle is started repetitively by new product trend Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

15 Summary Idea Generation and Innovation Management have to be improved by using learning organization principles Idea sources Internal Stakeholders External Stakeholders Innovation Database Maximizing the quality and quantity of ideas through the enlargement of idea sources Assuring that inventions turn into innovations and commercial market success Kolbenschmidt Pierburg

16 Thank you for your attention!