the future of organizational problem solving world future society july 19, 2003 jack hipple,...
TRANSCRIPT
THE FUTURE OF ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEM SOLVING
World Future SocietyJuly 19, 2003
Jack Hipple, PrincipalInnovation-TRIZ, Inc.
www.innovation-triz.com
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
OVERVIEW AND TOPICS
Brief history of organizational problem solving
What’s changed?What’s different?New toolsOld tools used in new waysThe future and recommendations
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
THE HISTORY OF ORGANIZATIONALPROBLEM SOLVING TOOLS
Thomas Edison (early 1900’s) Mass trial and error
Osbourne and Parnes (1940’s, 50’s) Creative problem solving/”brainstorming”
Myers and Briggs (1950’s) “Styles” of approaching problems and people
Michael Kirton/KAI (1960’s) “Styles” of problem solving can be measured
TRIZ (1950’s/Russia, 1990’s US and West)Knowledge management/patent mapping
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
RECENT ORGANIZATIONALATTEMPTS AT “INNOVATION”
Early 1980’s to 1997 Do “different” things, focused on R&D function Joint with acquisitions and ventures Study of these programs published and presented in the
2000-2002 time frame 1995-2002
The arrival of quality, Six Sigma, statistical analysis, minimization of cost
2000-Present Low cost alone is not enough Innovation is important again Have we learned anything? Many of the presentations are like 20 year old reruns!
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.WHAT’S CHANGED?
OVERRIDING ISSUES
Globalization of businesses and marketsCross cultural teams and enterprisesAlliances of many different sorts
Acquisitions Mergers Joint ventures Temporary alliances and ventures
Temporary employees as well as alliances and ventures—loyalty is not there anymore
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? WHAT’S
DIFFERENT?
Learned Breakthrough problem solving and innovation is
not the sole responsibility of the research organization
Customer input Technology licensing and venturing
Different Cultural and business issues just discussed Recognition of the need for “knowledge
management”—cost of wheel reinvention is exhorbitant
In part driven by lack of long term personnel commitments
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.OLD TOOLS USED
PROACTIVLEY IN NEW WAYS
MBTI/related tools Used typically only for personal growth and
development of individuals Not normally used proactively in the
innovation and problem solving arenas Some concerns are legitimate Example: Different perspectives on the future
of health careDoctors/nurses/patients/insurers/government/ AARP
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
USING MBTI PROACTIVELY
Insuring total involvement (E/I)Impact vs. possibilities (S/iN)Data and economics as well as
human impact (T/F)Closure and additional thought (J/P)
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.OLD TOOLS USED
PROACTIVLEY IN NEW WAYS
Kirton KAI™/Buffalo BCPI™ Measures problem solving styles
(adaptive/innovative) Not normally used proactively in the
innovation and problem solving arenas Some concerns are legitimate Example: breakthrough vs. incremental
Kirton KAI is a registered trademark of M.J. Kirton, BCPI is a registered trademark of Gerard Puccio
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
USING PROACTIVLEY
Three subscalesOriginality
Long term vs. short termRule and group conformity
Importance of consensusEfficiency
Manner of problem solving
PLANNING, FUTURE FORECASTING, AND PROBLEM
SOLVING WITHOUT THESE TOOLS IS LESS THAN COMPLETE AND NON-
OPTIMUM
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
NEW TOOLS
TRIZPatent and knowledge mapping
software
I HAVE TO REMOVE CORES FROM A MILLION
GREEN PEPPERS….
How would I do this?
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
Processing Sweet PeppersProcessing Sweet Peppers
PATTERNS OF INVENTIONPATTERNS OF INVENTION
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.WHAT IS THE INVENTIVE
PRINCIPLE (OPERATOR) ?
“Slowly raise pressure and suddenly reduce it”
A path to a solutionAn approach to solving a problemA direction towards an answer
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
• Removing stems from bell peppersRemoving stems from bell peppers
• Removing shells form sunflower seedsRemoving shells form sunflower seeds
• Cleaning filtersCleaning filters
• Unpacking parts wrapped in protective Unpacking parts wrapped in protective paperpaper
• Splitting diamonds along micro-cracksSplitting diamonds along micro-cracks
(+27 years after pepper patent)(+27 years after pepper patent)
• Producing sugar powder from sugar crystalsProducing sugar powder from sugar crystals
• Explosive depulpingExplosive depulping
PATTERNS OF INVENTIONPATTERNS OF INVENTION
HOW WOULD THINGS BE DIFFERENT IF INDUSTRIAL DIAMOND GRINDING TECHNOLOLGY HAD BEEN AVAILABLE 27 YEARS EALIER?
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.Lean Times: With Airbus on Its Tail , Boeing Is Rethinking How It Builds Planes
Old Hay Loaders, New Resins Play Roles as Firm Tries To Build Faster, Cheaper
Hitting a `Rescue Me' ButtonBy J. Lynn Lunsford
09/05/2001 The Wall Street Journal (Copyright (c) 2001, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
RENTON, Wash. -- Not far from the steady blatt-blatt of the rivet guns on its 757 assembly line just outside Seattlesits what Boeing Co. calls its moonshine shop: The people here distill work-saving ideas into contraptions thatmake it easier to build jets.Consider the hay loader next to an almost-completed 757. Normally, this cross between a ladder and a metal-spiked conveyor belt would be dumping bales of hay onto waiting trucks. But to veteran mechanic Robert Harms,the hay loader is the perfect way to get bulky passenger seats from the factory floor up 13 feet to the door of aplane without having to use an overhead crane. "It might look funny, but when you see it work, you wonderwhy we didn't do it this way all along," he says.Moonshine shops -- so named because they work outside traditional channels and use whatever materials areavailable -- are the essence of Boeing Chairman Phil Condit's campaign to boost profits by driving out costlymanufacturing techniques and the decades-old thinking behind them. From using materials developed for militaryaircraft to putting its big planes onto moving assembly lines for the first time, Boeing is retooling itself to confronttougher times.Boeing's struggle to streamline the making of one of the biggest and most complicated industrial products mirrorswhat's happening on factory floors across the country, as manufacturers confront the economic slowdown. Thedifference for Boeing is that it's trying to accomplish this while still cranking out planes, not in the downtimebetween models.Boeing executives are counting on this revamp to enable the company's commercial-airplane division to continueposting double-digit profit margins despite the slowing world economy and sharp decline in aircraft orders fromthe major airlines. At the same time, Europe's Airbus is increasingly becoming a formidable competitor. At the endof July, Airbus had a backlog of 1,602 orders, compared with 1,451 for Boeing, according to the companies.
THE CAVIAR EGGS AND BALL BEARING STORY
THE CONTACT LENS STORY
“I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow”
Woodrow Wilson
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.LESSONS FOR
ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING
Always look in parallel universes
Never assume your problem is unique because it probably isn’t
Don’t talk to just your customers—who might put them out of business?
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.COMMENT ON PARTNERSHIPS
AND JOINT VENTURES
Frequently based on a joint commercial approach to solving a unique problem
At recent IRI/PDMA meeting on joint ventures: “What assessments are done prior to entering a
working partnership?
4 answers: “Nothing” 1 answer: “Take my fellow VP to lunch and see
if we get along”Organizational culture can be measured
and openly discussed
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Large sums of money generating itLow sums of money to collect it in a
retrievable fashionNew software tools from many
companies Storage and retrieval Searching and retrieval Some based on the TRIZ generic principles Patent mapping
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
KEYS TO SUCCESS
For data to be retrieved, it must be entered
Willingness to admit that “it might have already been done”
“Six months in the lab will save at least an hour in the library”
®Innovation-TRIZ, 2002
INNOVATION-TRIZ,INC.
THE FUTURE….A CHECKLIST
Proactive measurement and use of: Cultural and individual differences
Within organizational teamsWithin joint ventures and
collaborations Knowledge of parallel universes Past knowledge Ability to capture new knowledge