Knowledge and Process Management Volume 12 Number 3 pp 190–202 (2005)

Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/kpm.229

& Research Article

Developing a Sustainable Culture

of Innovation Management:
A Prescriptive Approach
Mohamed Zairi1* and Majed Al-Mashari2
1
European Centre for TQM, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK
2
IS Department, CCIS, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

This paper proposes an approach to innovation management, which produces seamlessness,

unleashes full creative potential, integrates activities, delivers superior performance, and
builds a sustainable culture. At the heart of World Class innovation is the role of senior man-
agement. This paper argues that senior managers have to exercise interest and commitment to
innovation activity and have to play a more transparent role in nurturing the development of a
sustainable innovation culture. Other critical aspects found through comprehensive research to
be inherent factors and key triggers of success are also covered in this paper with prescriptive
steps that can help in the establishment of sustainable innovation activity. Copyright # 2005
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

INTRODUCTION: THE ROLE Senior managers need to observe the discipline

OF SENIOR MANAGERS
Senior managers have to recognize that they are not
operationally involved in the implementation of
new product development (NPD) projects. They
have to be very clear about their role in monitoring
progress, stopping projects if they become too pro-
blematic and ensuring that what is being worked
on is to support strategic objectives. Research indi-
cates that senior managers tend very often to show
little interest in a project until it is at the prototype
stage. However, once a project is at the develop-
ment stage, senior managers can have a little
impact without upsetting the entire project. Inter-
fering with the progress of the project at a later
stage can demotivate the project team and create
a lot of frustration.
*Correspondence to: Mohamed Zairi, European Centre for TQM,
University of Bradford, Bradford BD9 4JL, UK.
E-mail:m.zairi@bradford.ac.uk
of NPD themselves by letting the team decide on
‘how’ in order to deliver ‘what’ the best outcome
needs to be. Senior managers can create the biggest
impact at the early stages of NPD, mainly idea for-
mulation, concept and feasibility. In reality, most
senior managers start to get excited about projects
at the capability/prototype stage.
The major role of senior managers in NPD
includes four main areas. Firstly, senior managers
exert leadership in the planning of the project
through clarity of vision, formulating and commu-
nicating strategy, and developing goals and out-
comes. Secondly, they have the responsibility of
following closely the implementation of projects
through proper gatekeeping, monitoring and
reviewing outcomes. Thirdly, they allow teams
enough flexibility to deal with issues, to carry out
execution of the project and use innovative ways
for achieving time-to-market measures. Finally,
teams have to be empowered by senior managers
to make decisions and own the projects and guide
them successfully. Senior managers cannot put

Copyright # 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Knowledge and Process Management
rigid rules and discard options that the teams put
forward.
In NPD projects, employment can be accom-
plished in several ways. Firstly, competencies
have to be built in people, and long-term capabil-
ities in processes and use of state-of-the-art technol-
ogies have also to be established. Another factor is
building strategic robustness from the point of
view of brand development (products) and supply
chain (process) and their effective communication
and understanding, so that there are ‘no unpleasant
surprises’ midway through the NPD process.
Furthermore, early involvement of people, parti-
cularly at the feasibility stage, is important to
ensure that the right projects with the right targets
are to be worked on. Finally, gatekeeping has to be
adhered to in a disciplined manner, through objec-
tive assessment. Projects need to be reviewed on
their degree of fit to strategic objectives, and in so
far as the projects are sound, they have to be
allowed to proceed forward. Interference with the
projects’ progress can only be justifiably made if
there are changes in strategy, market or technology.
In the context of NPD and using a disciplined
approach to innovation based on process, phases
and gates, senior management are to control the
effective implementation of strategic goals and
ensure that selected projects will deliver the set
goals. The execution of the strategic goals, however,
should be left to the teams who can be made
accountable for the management aspects of projects.
Gate abuse has to be measured so that senior man-
agers will start to subscribe to a rigid standard of
discipline and only interfere with projects if reasons
are given previously to justify the need.
The conflict between functional line management
positions and process working is authorized by
gatekeepers. Once a project is authorized to pro-
ceed, functional areas which ought to be repre-
sented at the right levels and with right
knowledge levels should not impede the progress
of the project. Objectives of the functional areas
should in fact be measured in terms of their contri-
butions to innovation activity.
Gatekeeping effectiveness should be measured in
terms of quality of decision-making, particularly at
the earliest stages of NPD, and also in terms of reso-
luteness in culling projects off at the early stages.
STRATEGIC INTEGRATION
OF INNOVATION
Innovation activity should not be a bolt on activity
to a corporate strategy. In fact corporate strategy
which is defined in terms of long-, medium- and
A Sustainable Culture of Innovation Management
RESEARCH ARTICLE
short-term goals should result from the interface
of a series of sub-strategies including marketing
strategy, customer development strategy, commer-
cial strategy and supply chain strategy.
As Figure 1 illustrates, corporate goals should
represent a blend of targets, where some of those
are measured in terms of innovation activity.
The deployment of the corporate strategy should
take place at all levels in order to achieve goal con-
gruence and real alignment to deliver optimized
value to the end customer, and consequently, finan-
cial and competitive benefits to the organization.
At the strategic level, the integration of innova-
tion activity should be represented in terms of an
aggregate project plan, a blend of areas, which
are aimed to deliver discontinuities, major
improvements and maintenance to existing brands.
This level is to be managed by senior managers at
director level. The tactical level is the specific pro-
ject selection and implementation and progress is
reviewed on a regular basis through a gatekeeping
system by senior managers including director level.
Operational integration of innovation is the use
of the funnel and the management of projects using
process gates and lists of deliverables until the suc-
cessful launch. This is to be followed by a post-
launch review to ensure that corporate targets
have been met and successful completion will trig-
ger the whole innovation deployment process to
ensure that innovation becomes a continuous activ-
ity through the injection of new learning, the reali-
zation that there are opportunities to be exploited,
the threat of competitive gaps, the exploitation of
new technology and know-how and the further
needs of the vision (which is medium to long
term in nature).
Effective competitiveness will only come if the
needs of the market (voice of the consumer) are
addressed simultaneously with the needs of the
process (capability). Effective competitiveness can
only come from building an ability to handle chan-
ging demand and offering flexibility and respon-
siveness catering for the requirements of different
customer basis and different markets.
The integration of brand development and sup-
ply chain at the feasibility stage of the innovation
process has to be stressed to start at the highest
level possible by closing the gap between the var-
ious strategies at the corporate level having repre-
sentation at the right level and at all stages, and
working through goal congruence and sharing
similar sets of objectives such as the following:
 Brand development seeks to introduce new-
ness, uniqueness and complexity to the market
consumer.
191
RESEARCH ARTICLE Knowledge and Process Management

MARKETING
STRATEGY

CORPORATE SUPPLY ANNUAL

CUSTOMER STRATEGY CHAIN BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY REVIEW
STRATEGY

MANUFACTURING
STRATEGY

AGGREGATE
STRATEGIC INTEGRATION PROJECT
OF INNOVATION ACTIVITY PLAN

TACTICAL INTEGRATION OF GATEKEEPING

INNOVATION

OPERATIONAL INTEGRATION OF MANAGING

INNOVATION PROCESS
GATE

SUCCESSFUL LAUNCHES
PROJECT
TEAM

POST-LAUNCH REVIEWS

Figure 1 Strategic integration of innovation activity

 Supply chain (logistics and planning) has the
task of ensuring quality, increasing productivity,
reducing costs and speed effectiveness.
 Manufacturing/engineering as a function inno-
vates through process improvement, process
development and technological exploitation.
The overall challenge, however, is to achieve
time-to-market through the effective management
of the innovation portfolio and the launching of
major discontinuities. There is also a need to
resolve the innovation goal conflict between supply
chain and brand development.
Brand development is concerned with identify-
ing and fulfilling consumer needs which will give
the organization a unique position and a healthy
market share. As Figure 2 illustrates, the line of
questioning is: the consumer needs it; excellent
opportunity; competitors are doing it; nobody
has thought of it; it is required by our corporate
strategy.
Supply chain, on the other hand, is concerned
with building robustness in the organization so
that it can respond effectively, flexibly and compe-
titively. The lines of questions could include need
to optimize the process, need to control, focus on
quality, cost, delivery and long-term process cap-
ability.
As Figure 3 illustrates, effective conflict resolu-
tion for new innovations has to integrate market
and consumer needs with the internal capabilities,
in order to deliver the expected competitive results.
Supply chain, for instance, has different stake-
holders (Figure 4), including the needs of supply
chain (logistics and planning), the needs of brand
development and the corporate needs. A sound

192 M. Zairi and M. Al-Mashari

Knowledge and Process Management RESEARCH ARTICLE

IMPLEMENTATION
CREATE PHASE
PHASE (HARDNESS)
(SOFTNESS)

Need to delight customer Volumes/Capacity issues

Need to be creative Materials/Supplier issues

Focus on market share Technology/Tooling issues

Short -term project success Planning & Scheduling issues

Newness & Uniqueness Know-how/Manpower issues

Competitor Reaction Focus on Quality, Cost, Delivery

Part of the Strategy Long-term process capabilities

Figure 2 The conflict between supply chain and brand development

manufacturing strategy will be based on reaching a  effectiveness in dealing with complexity;

happy compromise.
The measurement of the innovation strategy
should, therefore, be measured in terms of ’the
happy compromise’ status, which reconciles the
softness aspects of innovation with the hardness
elements (Figure 5).
The strength of integration between brand devel-
opment and supply chain should be measured so
that there is willingness and commitment from
both parties to work in harmony in achieving the
corporate strategy.
Examples of brand development measures are:
 no NPD/period of time;
 new product launches—size of opportunity;
 NPD cost effectiveness;
 NPD project timeliness;
 speed of launches;
 percentage of discontinuities as a percentage of
total new product launches; and
 rate of technological exploitation
Examples of supply chain measures are:
 changeover Time;
 responsiveness;
 flexibility;
 volume vs. value measures;
 rate of technological exploitation; and
 process capability
While it is more straightforward to measure the
impact of brand development on bottom-line
results, this is not so easily the case with the supply
chain. In order to get Senior Executives locked in
and committed to innovation, measurement has
to take place to assess impact on the bottom line
in terms of innovation and not just areas of cost,
quality and delivery. There are two possible scenar-
ios to consider here:
(A) Supply chain producing low innovative
brands (relaunches) at high speed, low cost
and high volume. In this case, impact on the
bottom line is low because the product is
mature, does not command a premium price,
or low cost targets cannot be translated in
terms of benefits to consumers.
(B) Supply chain producing highly innovative
brands (breakthroughs, major improvements).
In this case, impact on the bottom line is
high because the product is new, commands
a premium price, or has lots of benefits to
consumers.

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RESEARCH ARTICLE Knowledge and Process Management

CONCEPT
IDEA FEASIBILITY CAPABILITY ROLL -OUT
PHASE

MARKET,
CONSUMER
NEEDS

PROJECT
FOCUS &
DISCIPLINE
TEAM WORK
& TOOLS

QUALITY FOCUS &

CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
RELIABILITY, DRIVE
CONSISTENCY &
PROCESS EFFECTIVENESS
UNDERSTANDING
& CAPABILITY

Figure 3 Innovation conflict resolution between SC and BD

As Figure 6 illustrates, the real challenge for the
supply chain is to challenge the status quo by
adding the need to ensure high quality, high
productivity, low cost, and to measure innovation
effectiveness.
EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE INNOVATION PROCESS
It has to be recognized that the new culture of inno-
vation based on the ‘funnel’ approach which uses
gates and gatekeepers can only be made to work
and become sustainable if there is behaviour mod-
ification. While the theory seems to be absorbed
effectively, the real challenge is whether the recog-
nized discipline is going to be observed during pro-
ject management.
There are various challenges that need to be
observed if there is going to be effective implemen-
tation of the funnel approach, thus resulting in
achieving time-to-market product launches. The
documentation used for the process has to be based
on a ‘language’ that people can identify with. For
instance, which would people prefer: deliverables,
checklists, critical success factors: The documenta-
tion has to be simple, practical and enabling rather
than creating further bureaucratic stacks.
IT support will not do the project for the team. IT
is a powerful tool, but will only give out quality
information if there is quality input. In addition,
IT support can be considered as the umbilical
cord, which will ensure that the integration
between supply chain, brand development and
the other stakeholders is very effective. IT systems
will also enable project teams to compile the history
of the projects and track progress online.
If the new culture of innovation is to remain sus-
tainable, the emphasis ought to be on strengthening
the process (process-based) and not focusing on
individual projects (projected). It has to be recog-
nized that a robust innovation process will produce
successful projects time and time again and will
help deliver time-to-market targets through the
injection of new learning, compression of time, par-
allel working, etc.
The required discipline for the innovation
process will have to come not only from the
project teams but also the gatekeepers. Effective

194 M. Zairi and M. Al-Mashari

Knowledge and Process Management RESEARCH ARTICLE

Needs of Supply Needs of

Chain Marketing &
Development

Trial runs,
Long runs, experiments,
no interruptions, new tooling,
cost new materials
effectiveness,
quality &
speed

Process improvement,
building flexibility
capability &
THE HAPPY COMPROMISE
responsiveness – USING A SOUND
MANUFACTURING
STRATEGY

Corporate needs for

competitiveness

Figure 4 The stakeholders in the manufacturing process

innovation process management can only result
from effective management through frequent
reviews at the right levels, in the right format and
at the right gates.
Effective implementation of the ‘funnel’ will
have to result from proper planning and a compre-
hensive strategy. Awareness and training on the
new approach are required at all levels. Innovation
activity is business activity, and therefore people
should be conversant with the same language and
only one language.
Effective communication of the corporate strat-
egy and the goals being pursued will undoubtedly
achieve congruence and real alignment. Once peo-
ple know why certain projects have a sense of
urgency in them, they will stop questioning and
obstructing. Use of videos, posters, case studies
and interactive computer packages on the ‘funnel
approach’ will start the process of behaviour mod-
ification so much needed for effective and sustain-
able competitive performance.
Exxon Chemicals, for example, used a pocket-
sized guide to their gate-based innovation
process for project teams. They also have a similar
guide for gatekeepers. This is a very powerful
approach to creating discipline and ensuring
that people speak a similar language and follow
the guidelines.
Organizing innovation fairs and innovation days
is also reported to review the level of progress in
developing a culture of innovation, successes and
future challenges and also to share learning and
experience.
Furthermore, in-process measurement is
needed to review the flow of projects through
the gates, the rate of progress, the timeliness,
cost, quality and success of launches and also
the discipline of gatekeeping. This is perhaps
the most powerful way of ensuring that the disci-
pline gets adhered to. Measurement prevents
complacency, prompts improvement and brings
about discipline.

A Sustainable Culture of Innovation Management 195

RESEARCH ARTICLE Knowledge and Process Management

BRAND DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGY
CONSUMER/MARKET LED

* MAINTENANCE

* IMPROVEMENTS

* BREAKTHROUGHS

WHAT HOW

INNOVATION STRATEGY CONCEPT

IDEA
(THE HAPPY COMPROMISE) PHASE
FEASTBILITY CAPABILITY

* MAINTENANCE

* IMPROVEMENTS

* BREAKTHROUGHS

TECHNOLOGY/PROCESS LED
MANUFACTURING
STRATEGY

Figure 5 Integration of SC and BD through a happy compromise

Also, the use of quality tools and techniques will
help create an interdependency between the var-
ious activities, an ethos of continuous improvement
through Plan–Do–Check–Act and a commitment to
excellence. The application of total quality manage-
ment (TQM) will help ensure that the culture of
innovation is developing in a positive way. IBM,
Rank Xerox, Rover and Exxon, for instance,
use quality improvement teams to assess the
strengths and weaknesses of the innovation process
and make recommendations for action where
appropriate.
AUDITING THE INTEGRATION OF SUPPLY
CHAIN AND BRAND DEVELOPMENT
It has to recognized that the effective integration
of supply chain and brand development is not
just a question of having a list of deliverables,
co-option and creating the right to say ‘no’. Effec-
tive integration can only result through a long-
term strategy of having key elements embedded
in the culture including, amongst other systems,
tools and techniques measurement, team
building, empowerment, clear understanding of

196 M. Zairi and M. Al-Mashari

Knowledge and Process Management
Figure 6 Supply chain real impact on bottom line
business requirements, customer focus and tech-
nological competence.
If it is assumed that quick and regular changes in
personnel, particularly in the area of brand devel-
opment, will be ongoing, and in order to maintain
effective integration between supply chain and
brand development, regular audits can be carried
out to ensure that there is total harmony and
smooth project progress.
As Figure 7 illustrates, it is possible to develop a
matrix based on the whats (all the deliverables)
which have to be observed during the feasibility
stage and a list of all the enablers (hows). Perhaps
annually this assessment can be carried out by ask-
ing all the teams that have worked on projects to
rate the relevance of each deliverable to the project,
and the level of support/leak received from each
enabler.
This will enable the organizations concerned to
put into effect an action plan for reprioritizing the
list of deliverables in relation to the total project
portfolio and also to develop missing enablers or
remove anything which hinders project progress.
PRODUCT VERSUS TECHNOLOGY-BASED
APPROACH TO INNOVATION
Effective competitiveness has to result from having
a good interface between brand development strat-
egy (what does the market need—what do we
need to offer?) and manufacturing strategy (what
technologies can we exploit—what breakthroughs
A Sustainable Culture of Innovation Management
RESEARCH ARTICLE
can we introduce into the market-place?). In other
words, a healthy competitive strategy will take into
account the voice of the process (long-term capabil-
ity). Pursuing only one of the two avenues may
either deliver small, incremental series of impacts
or infrequent series of big impacts.
Figure 8 shows a brand development process
which is very pervasive in many industries driven
by consumer needs and involving various stake-
holders to deliver what is required. In this scenario,
the focus is on branding and building market share.
Figure 9 shows another scenario, which is
based on process/technology development for
providing capability and a technical edge over the
competition. The focus is on building a technical
advantage.
The disadvantage of the first approach is that
there may be a market and consumer needs but
perhaps the ability to fulfil those needs may be
lacking or at very best just adequate. The disadvan-
tage of the latter approach, on the other hand, is
that there may by a pioneering technology which
has been very costly and without an identified mar-
ket, customer interest or the opportunity to achieve
effective ROI.
The two approaches to innovation are not in
contradiction or conflict but are very much com-
plementary. Taking the short-term product route
is essential; profits and market share are the life-
blood of any business and therefore there has to
be a proper mix of innovations which are capable
of giving the right levels of competitive perfor-
mance. On the other hand, the long-term process
197
RESEARCH ARTICLE Knowledge and Process Management

What
How

Senior Management Support

Performance Measurement

Learning through Sharing

Effective Communication

Innovation for Results

Best Practice Adoption
Tools and Techniques

Supplier Involvement
Project Management

Competitive Impact
Sales Involvement

Process Discipline

Goal Congruence

Prioritization for
Briefly Clarify

Quality Focus
Enable

Deliverable

Figure 7 Auditing the integration of SC and BD

route is to build the ability to continue to deliver petitive edge. The PLOT (pilot, learn, optimize
big innovations to existing and new markets and transfer) approach can be used for technology
and to ensure that there is uniqueness and pre- adoption.
vent competitors from copying the technology.
Figure 10 compares the two approaches, using
criteria such as outlook, focus, objective, mea- LINKING-IN OTHER STAKEHOLDERS
sures and frequency.
The interface with research could enhance the Although the integration of supply chain with
performance of either of the two scenarios. In brand development will go a long way towards
the first instance, existing technologies can be achieving time-to-market, it has to be recognized
converted into commercial success if there is that other stakeholders will enhance the opportu-
close liaison and a good working relationship nity for creating a seamless working relationship
between scientists, and process engineers can and smoothness in the transfer of projects
help provide new manufacturing facilities and from one phase to the other. In particular,
process capability that will given a technical com- customer development (trade management) can

198 M. Zairi and M. Al-Mashari

Knowledge and Process Management RESEARCH ARTICLE

Innovation Process Road Map

RESEARCH Demand Variable

Brand Development Strategy

DEVELOPMENT
SUPPLY CHAIN

MARKETING
Product
Innovation

CUSTOMER DEV

CONSUMER NEEDS

Figure 8. Product-based approach to innovation in FMCG

Innovation Process Road Map

OFFERING VARIABLE:
MANUFACTURING STRATEGY
RESEARCH

PROCESS DESIGN /
MANAGEMENT
MANUFACTURING
ENGINEERING

PROCESS
Product
ENGINEERING
Innovation

MANUFACTURING
FACILITY

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT

Figure 9 Process technology-based approach to innovation in FMCG

play a critical role in many different aspects. It interface with the trade until launch day,
can be through the provision of intelligence on scheduling of deliveries and securing the right
consumers, customers or strategies. Another role volumes. Figure 11 illustrates the various roles
is the early input on customer acceptance of of customer development throughout the NPD
the brand under development; also continuous process.

A Sustainable Culture of Innovation Management 199

RESEARCH ARTICLE Knowledge and Process Management

PROCESS PRODUCT
ROUTES ROUTES

Long term capability Short term, speedy OUTLOOK

& flexibility innovations
arrangement

Internal External FOCUS

(Voice of process) (Voice of customer)

Deals with offering Deals with demand OBJECTIVE

(process capability) (market
requirements)

- flexibility Consumer satisfaction

- market share
MEASURES
- quality, cost, speed
ROI - market penetration
- sales volume

Technological Market dominance, OUTCOME

competitive superiority
advantage

Least frequent route More frequent route FREQUENCY

- breakthroughs - support SIZE OF

- improvement
- platform
INNOVATION

Figure 10 A comparision between process-based and product-based approaches to innovation in FMCG

DRIVERS FOR BD As far as marketing is concerned, size of innova-

There is a very urgent need to develop a prioritiza-
tion matrix for project selection where projects’
merits and features can be weighed against each
critical success factor from the corporate strategy.
Strong correlations mean top-priority projects;
low correlations mean areas which are not critical
to the business.
Key roles and responsibilities are best deter-
mined through building a matrix that can establish
a link between the expected deliverables and pro-
cess ownership. Role determination is critical at
the feasibility stage; individuals can be expected
to assume a key role, a support role or an observer
role. Unless the list of deliverables is complete and
comprehensive in terms of what is expected, it will
always be difficult to develop discipline and a
sense of urgency.
DELIVERABLES OF FEASIBILITY STAGE
The feasibility stage of BD can result in several deli-
verables, in terms of marketing, benchmarking,
innovation and continuous improvement.
tion, justifications of innovation (brand extension,
maintenance or just interference) are examples of
deliverables.
On the other hand, benchmarking aims to establish
several questions, such as how good are we at the
moment? What can we possibly do? Where is the
benchmark? What is the impact of innovation on
closing a negative gap or protecting a positive one?
The innovation intended impact (III) is used to
avoid a hit-and-miss approach. This can be
achieved through a philosophy of less is more.
Focus ought to be on big ideas, delivering bigger
benefits globally.
Supply chain continuous improvement versus
continuous learning is a huge deliverable career of
BD. A focus on quality, cost or delivery alone may
generate effectiveness and not necessarily help
establish competitiveness. The supply chain needs
to manage the conflict of long runs, high quality
yield at low cost in a consistent manner, versus
ability to change on a frequent basis from mass
production to mass customization, technological
exploitation and the management of complexity,
and building robustness and process capability.

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CONSUMER

CONCEPT / CAPABILITY ROLL OUT POST-

FEASIBILITY LAUNCH
IDEA REVIEW
GENERATION

CUSTOMER

CUSTOMER SAMPLE & VOLUME SALES

IDEAS / ACCEPTANCE CUSTOMER DETERMINATION PERFORMANCE
INTELLIGENCE RECEPTABILITY FEED BACK DISTRIBUTION CUSTOMER
ON CONSUMER &
ACCEPTANCE SCHEDULED SATISFACTION
BEHAVIOUR DELIVERIES
REACTION,
CHOICE

ROLE OF CUSTOMER
DEVELOPMENT (TRADE
MANAGEMENT)

Figure 11 The role of customer management innovation

A CULTURE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT  discipline and methods (process);

 tools and techniques;
Project management has to reflect a culture of con-  progress review and reporting mechanisms;
tinuous innovation rather than one-off projects. It  measurement;
has to encompass:  post-launch evaluation; and
 recommended learning.
 clear objectives and their effective communica-
tion;
 senior management role;
 brief completeness and clarity; TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
 team selection and role specification;
 quality management concepts; Various tools can be used. Amongst the most per-
 project leadership; vasive ones found in world-class organizations are

A Sustainable Culture of Innovation Management 201

RESEARCH ARTICLE
What
EFFECTIVE
INNOVATION
Innovation Project Teams
What
Figure 12 Effective innovation through the role of transfer teams
DFMA, FMEA, Taguchi, simultaneous engineering,
naive listening, sequential recycling, market
research, QFD, SPC and digitized artwork/
design.
TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
TQM helps develop a sustainable culture of inno-
vation. It helps create a culture focusing on the
customer/consumer. The establishment of a value
chain through internal customer–supplier inter-
faces is enabled by TQM. Also, the business pro-
cess can be improved through PDCA. TQM can
lead to making innovation projects the output
from the process. TQM establishes the culture of
team working, measurement, management by
fact through the use of tools and techniques, and
the shift from continuous improvement to contin-
uous learning using benchmarking as an effective
tool.
TEAM ASPECTS
Innovation activity is a corporate-wide activity and
therefore ought to be equated with what the busi-
ness wants to achieve overall. There could be a
whole structure of teams assuming different sets
of activities and passing the baton to other teams
to carry the innovation activity forward.
202
Knowledge and Process Management
What
How
Concept teams could be teams of innovators
(poets) regardless of job functions, brought
together to generate ideas.
Feasibility teams are cross-functional teams who
have the responsibility of scrutinizing a large num-
ber of ideas and refining those which could poten-
tially become winning projects. Development
transfer teams are technical innovative teams,
who could bring about modifications and new
technical elements to the brands or the processes
concerned (Figure 12). Innovation project teams
execute the project briefs and implement the ideas
until the launch of the tangible products.
CONCLUSION
Developing a culture of sustainable innovation is
achievable through away days (brand develop-
ment-led forums and engineering/supply chain-
led forums). Partnership events could be win–win
strategies with suppliers, where learning is estab-
lished through sharing with customers. Sustainable
innovation culture requires innovation, education
and training on a continuous basis, co-location and
secondments, innovation networking, and reward
and recognition for innovation. Processes that sup-
port this development could be IT (through building
history of projects, communication with information
and management by facts) and HRM (through train-
ing, selection and employee development).
M. Zairi and M. Al-Mashari