Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
ScienceDirect
ScienceDirect
Available
online atonline
www.sciencedirect.com
Available
at www.sciencedirect.com
Procedia CIRP 00 (2019) 000–000
Procedia CIRP 00 (2019) 000–000
ScienceDirect
ScienceDirect
www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia
www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia
Procedia CIRP
00 (2017)
000–000
Procedia
CIRP 84
(2019) 826–831
www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia
29th
29th CIRP
CIRP Design
Design 2019
2019 (CIRP
(CIRP Design
Design 2019)
2019)
Design
agile
innovation
management
small
and
Design fields
fields of
of 28th
agile
innovation
management
in
small
and medium
medium sized
sized
CIRP
Design Conference,
May 2018, in
Nantes,
France
enterprises
enterprises
A new methodology
to
analyze
the
functional
and physical
architecturea of
a
a
a
a
Nadine
Niewöhner
*,
Laban
Asmar
,
Fabio
Wortmann
,
Daniel
Röltgen
,
Dr.-Ing.
Arno
and
a
a
a
a
Nadine
Niewöhner
*, Laban
, Fabio Wortmann
, Daniel
Röltgen
, Dr.-Ing.
Arno Kühn
Kühna and
existing
products
forAsmar
anProf.
assembly
oriented
product
family
identification
a
Dr.-Ing. Roman Dumitrescua
a
a
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Roman Dumitrescu
Fraunhofer
Research
Institute
for Mechatronic Systems
DesignAlain
IEM, Zukunftsmeile
Paderborn, Germany.
Paul
Stief
*, Jean-Yves
Dantan,
Etienne,1,1, 33102
Ali Siadat
Fraunhofer
Research
Institute
for Mechatronic Systems
Design IEM, Zukunftsmeile
33102
Paderborn, Germany.
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 5251 5465 403; fax: +49 5251 5465 102. E-mail address: nadine.niewoehner@iem.fraunhofer.de
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 5251 5465 403; fax: +49 5251 5465 102. E-mail address: nadine.niewoehner@iem.fraunhofer.de
École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, LCFC EA 4495, 4 Rue Augustin Fresnel, Metz 57078, France
*Abstract
Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 3 87 37 54 30; E-mail address: paul.stief@ensam.eu
Abstract
Digitalization is regarded as an essential driver of innovation and therefore has a great influence on innovation management. In this context,
Digitalization is regarded as an essential driver of innovation and therefore has a great influence on innovation management. In this context,
we identify challenges to which companies must respond as part of their innovation management. Concerning these challenges, agile methods
Abstract
we identify challenges to which companies must respond as part of their innovation management. Concerning these challenges, agile methods
are gaining in importance. Therefore, the submission focuses the analysis of the interaction of digitalization, agility and innovation
are gaining in importance. Therefore, the submission focuses the analysis of the interaction of digitalization, agility and innovation
management in small and medium sized enterprises. As a result, essential design fields were identified to come up with an agile, holistic
Inmanagement
today’s business
environment,
trend
towards more
variety and
customization
is unbroken.
Due to
the need of
in small
and mediumthe
sized
enterprises.
As a product
result, essential
design
fields were identified
to come
upthis
withdevelopment,
an agile, holistic
innovation management in SMEs.
agile
and reconfigurable
innovation
management production
in SMEs. systems emerged to cope with various products and product families. To design and optimize production
systems as well as to choose the optimal product matches, product analysis methods are needed. Indeed, most of the known methods aim to
©
Authors. Published
Published by
by Elsevier
B.V.
© 2019
2019aThe
The
Authors.
Elsevier
B.V.
©
2019
The
Authors.
Published
by Elsevier
B.V.
analyze
product
or one
product family
on the
physical level. Different product families, however, may differ largely in terms of the number and
Peer-review
under
responsibility
of
the
scientific
committee of
of the
the CIRP Design
Design Conference
Conference 2019.
2019
Peer-review
under
responsibility
of
the
scientific
committee
Peer-review
under responsibility
of the scientific
committee
of the CIRP
CIRP
DesignofConference
nature
of components.
This fact impedes
an efficient
comparison
and choice
appropriate2019
product family combinations for the production
system.
A
new
methodology
is
proposed
to
analyze
existing
products
in
view
of
their
functional
and physical architecture. The aim is to cluster
Keywords: agile, Innovation management, digitalization, small and medium sized companies, machinery and plant engineering
Keywords:
agile,
management,
smallfor
andthe
medium
sized companies,
machinery
and lines
plant and
engineering
these
products
in Innovation
new assembly
orienteddigitalization,
product families
optimization
of existing
assembly
the creation of future reconfigurable
assembly systems. Based on Datum Flow Chain, the physical structure of the products is analyzed. Functional subassemblies are identified, and
a functional analysis is performed. Moreover, a hybrid functional and physical architecture graph (HyFPAG) is the output which depicts the
similarity
between product families by providing design support to both,which
production
system
and product
designers. the
An transfer
illustrative
1. Introduction
has the
taskplanners
of planning
and controlling
of
1. Introduction
has the study
task on
of two
planning
and
controlling
the columns
transfer of
of
example
of a nail-clipper is used to explain the proposed methodology. Anwhich
industrial
families
of steering
ideas
intocase
innovations
[2].product
Therefore,
these
companies
need
ideas of
into
[2]. Therefore, these companies need
thyssenkrupp Presta France is then carried out to give a first industrial evaluation
theinnovations
proposed approach.
The role of innovation in achieving competitive advantages
methods that combine short cycle times with a high customer
© 2017
Published
Elsevier B.V.
TheThe
roleAuthors.
of innovation
in by
achieving
competitive advantages
methods that combine short cycle times with a high customer
is of significant
importance,
especially
in mechanical
and
plant
focus
[4]. Thus, 2018.
nowadays agile processes become an
Peer-review
under importance,
responsibilityespecially
of the scientific
committee and
of the
28th CIRP
Design
is of significant
in mechanical
plant
focus
[4].Conference
Thus, nowadays agile processes become an
engineering. Mechanical engineers regularly achieve high sales
engineering. Mechanical engineers regularly achieve high sales
shares with
new products
or even
market
innovations. Both of
Keywords:
Assembly;
Design method;
Family
identification
shares with
new products
or even
market
innovations. Both of
them, new products and market innovations are key figures for
them, new products and market innovations are key figures for
innovation success but also an indication of the short product
innovation success but also an indication of the short product
life cycles in the industry [1]. Due to the advancing
cycles in the industry [1]. Due to the advancing
1.life
Introduction
globalization
and digitalization not only the product life cycles
globalization and digitalization not only the product life cycles
but also the development and innovation cycles are getting
butDue
also tothe the
development
and innovation
are getting
development
in cycles
the
domain
of
shorter and
shorter.fast
The risk
of market failures
is also
increasing
shorter
and
shorter.
The
risk
of
market
failures
is
also
increasing
communication
andchanges
an ongoing
trend of
digitization
and
due to unexpected
in customer
requirements.
These
due to unexpected
changes in
customer are
requirements.
These
digitalization,
manufacturing
facing important
can, for example,
be theenterprises
result of breakthroughs
in
can,
for
example,
be
the
result
of
breakthroughs
in
challenges
in today’s
market[2].
environments:
continuing
technological
developments
The intensea competitive
technological
developments
[2]. The
intense competitive
tendency
reduction
of product
development
times and
pressure towards
poses great
challenges
especially
for small
and
pressure
poses
great
challenges
especially
small and
shortened
product
lifecycles.
In addition,
isfor
an increasing
medium-sized
companies
(SMEs)
with a there
limited
resource
base.
medium-sized
companies (SMEs)
limited
resource
base.
demand
of customization,
beingthe
atwith
the asame
time
a global
At the same
time, they form
backbone
of thein European
At
the
same
time,
they
form
the
backbone
of
the
European
competition
with competitors
all over the
trend,
economy. Nearly
99% of all companies
in world.
the EU This
are covered
economy.
Nearly 99% of
all companies
in the
EU are
which
is inducing
development
from
tocovered
micro
by the EU
definitionthe
of SMEs
[3]. Against
thismacro
background,
the
by the EUresults
definitiondiminished
of SMEs [3].
this background,
the
markets,
lotAgainst
due
to augmenting
traditional SMEsinmust
act in order
tosizes
remain
competitive
on the
traditional
SMEs(high-volume
must act in order
to remain competitive
on[1].
the
product
to low-volume
production)
market.varieties
A systematic
innovation
management
is required,
market.
A
systematic
innovation
management
is
required,
To cope with this augmenting variety as well as to be able to
important and meaningful role in the product development. A
important and meaningful role in the product development. A
recently conducted report by the Association of German
recently conducted report by the Association of German
Engineers shows that there is a high interest in agile methods in
Engineers shows that there is a high interest in agile methods in
product development [5]. Many companies are experimenting
product development [5]. Many companies are experimenting
and even working with them. Agile methods are, however,
andtheeven
working
with them.
Agile methods
are, however,
of
product
range
characteristics
manufactured
initially
designed
forand
software
development,
i.e. for and/or
virtual
initially
designed
for
software
development,
i.e.
for virtual
assembled
this system.
this context,
the methods
main challenge
in
products. in
Therefore
the Intransfer
of the
and the
products. and
Therefore theis transfer
of theto methods
and
the
modelling
now
cope with
single
associated waysanalysis
of thinking
to not
the only
development
of physical
associateda limited
ways ofproduct
thinking
to the
development
of families,
physical
products,
range
or existing
product
products is still a big
challenge
[5].
The discussion
about the
products
is
still
a
big
challenge
[5].
The
discussion
about
the
but
also to be able
to analyze andnot
to only
compare
products
to define
consequences
of digitalization
concerns
research,
but
consequences
of
digitalization
not
only
concerns
research,
but
new
product
families.
It can be observed
that classical
existing
has also
reached
the enterprise
level. Trends
such as "Internet
has alsofamilies
reachedare
theregrouped
enterprise level.
Trends
such as
"Internet
product
function
of clients
or features.
of Things", "Smart
Services",in"Cloud
Working"
and
"Crowd
of Things",
"Smart Services",
"Cloud
Working"
and "Crowd
However,
product
families
hardly
to find.
Sourcing"assembly
indicateoriented
new possibilities
for are
development.
In
Sourcing"
indicatefamily
new level,
possibilities
for
development.
In
On theitproduct
products
differ
mainly
in two
practice,
is becoming
increasingly
apparent
that
innovations
practice,
it is becoming increasingly
that innovations
main
characteristics:
number ofapparent
components
andbut
(ii) the
are not
only based (i)ontheincremental
developments,
are
are
not
only
based
on
incremental
developments,
but are
type
of components
(e.g.
electronical).
increasingly
referred
to mechanical,
as disruptiveelectrical,
innovations
[6]. These
increasingly
referred to asconsidering
disruptive innovations
[6].
These
Classical
methodologies
products
refer
to innovations
that have "turned mainly
stable single
markets
upside
refer
to
innovations
that
have
"turned
stable
markets
upside
or
solitary,
already business
existing product
families
analyze
down".
Established
models, value
chains
and the
the
down". structure
Established
models,
value chains
the
product
on a business
physical level
(components
level)and
which
identify
in the existing
causes difficulties regarding an efficient definition and
2212-8271 possible
© 2019 The optimization
Authors. Publishedpotentials
by Elsevier B.V.
2212-8271 ©system,
2019 The it
Authors.
Publishedtobyhave
Elsevier
B.V. knowledge
production
is important
a precise
comparison
Peer-review under responsibility
of the scientific
committee
of the CIRP Design Conference
2019 of different product families. Addressing this
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the CIRP Design Conference 2019
2212-8271©©2017
2019The
The
Authors.
Published
by Elsevier
2212-8271
Authors.
Published
by Elsevier
B.V. B.V.
Peer-review
under
responsibility
of scientific
the scientific
committee
theCIRP
CIRP
Design
Conference
2019.
Peer-review
under
responsibility
of the
committee
of the of
28th
Design
Conference
2018.
10.1016/j.procir.2019.04.295
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Nadine Niewöhner et al. / Procedia CIRP 84 (2019) 826–831
N.Niewöhner et al./ Procedia CIRP 00 (2019) 000–000
dominance of companies that have dominated the market will
then be radically challenged [7]. Therefore, companies need to
cover both, incremental and disruptive innovations. It is
therefore becoming apparent that companies need systematic,
holistic innovation management in order to meet the challenges
of digitalization in the most effective way. The aim of this paper
is to identify design fields as a basis for an agile holistic
innovation management in SMEs.
2. Interaction of innovation management in SMEs, agility
and digitalization
To identify design fields for a holistic innovation
management for SMEs it is important to understand the impact
of agility and digitalization and their interactions (see Fig. 1).
The three influencing factors innovations in SMEs, agility and
digitization are examined in more detail below.
Fig. 1. Three areas of influence of a holistic innovation management in
SME.
2.1. The impact of digitalization
The arrival of information technology has changed competition
and innovation strategy in the past 50 years. Before the arrival
of digitalization, many products were merely mechanical.
Along the value chain, many activities were based on manual
processes and verbal communication. This already changed
with the first IT wave in the 1960-1970 years. The increasing
computer support and automation of activities quickly led to a
noticeable increase in productivity. The spread of the Internet
in the 1980s and 1990s was able to reinforce this effect once
again by coordinating and integrating activities across value
chains. However, these considerable productivity and growth
increases in almost all industries left the products themselves
largely unaffected. Products are first influenced by the current
third wave of information technology. Enormous progress in
computing power, the expansion of wireless networks and the
increasing miniaturization are making our products constantly
827
smarter. Due to the increased integration of sensors, processors,
software and network technology, our products are
increasingly developing into intelligent networked products
and even complex technical systems [8]. Products and
machines are in constant interaction with their environment and
provide information about their own condition. On the basis of
these infinite data streams, completely new possibilities for
business models suddenly emerge. It is no longer just a matter
of marketing products. The generated data and the continuous
data transfer between manufacturers, products and customers
opens up a wide range of new services. These can occur in the
form of smart service systems, i.e. a combination of product
and data-based service, or as a stand-alone service offering. It
is thus becoming apparent that digitization is changing the
object of innovation, from purely mechanical products to
complex multidisciplinary systems. The intelligent use of the
generated data also leads to a stronger service orientation (see
Figure 2). In order to meet these new requirements, the
development of new products and thus innovation management
must change. Another important influence of digitalization on
innovation management is the shortening of product life cycles.
On the one hand, this can be explained by rapid technological
change. On the other hand, there is the increasing use of
software and electronics, which are updated much more
frequently than the mechanics of a system. While mechanical
components often remain unchanged for several years,
electronic components rarely last longer than 18 months. The
life cycles of software components are often even shorter.
Software components are often not subject to the same
restrictions as electronic and mechanical components, their
production is associated with less effort. Furthermore, updating
and integration into the product are significantly less
complicated. This ultimately results in even shorter innovation
cycles and an "innovation-cycle dilemma". It describes the
challenge of synchronizing the innovation cycles of various
disciplines such as mechanics, electronics and software [9].
Figure 2 shows the interaction of all previously determined
effects of digitalization as well as characteristics of agile
methods that can support the innovation management in
handling current challenges. The individual aspects of agile
methods will be discussed in more detail in the next section.
2.2. The impacts of agile approaches
In the context of development processes, agility refers in
particular to the ability of a development team to react quickly
and flexible to unexpected changes in a dynamic environment
[10]. However, the topic of agility is becoming increasingly
important for other areas as digitalization progresses. Various
studies confirm a positive correlation between agile methods
and the innovative ability of companies or the probability of
success of innovations. A study on the dissemination and use
of agile methods by the German Association for Project
Management indicates that 80% of the companies surveyed
achieved improvements in results and efficiency through the
use of agile methods [11]. An important advantage of agile
innovation processes is the possibility of flexibly managing the
limited predictability of innovations. Planning a project in
advance, from start to finish, in detail is often complicated
828
Nadine Niewöhner et al. / Procedia CIRP 84 (2019) 826–831
N. Niewöhner et al./ Procedia CIRP 00 (2019) 000–000
because of missing information and uncertainties at the start.
Many findings that determine the further progress of the project
can only be collected in the course of the project, resulting in
constant changes driving the project [12].
3
business, which means that strategically planned innovation
activities receive less attention. In addition, increasing
digitalization means that we are increasingly confronted with
disruptive innovations [7]. The particular challenge lies in the
simultaneous management of incremental and disruptive
innovations. It is important to create new possibilities through
exploration as well as to exploit existing possibilities through
exploitation [14]. While the strategy of exploiting with the
optimization of existing market services rather focuses on
efficiency, productivity and stability, the strategy of
exploration focuses on growth and flexibility (see Figure 3).
Fig. 2. The impact of digitalization and attributes of agile methods.
Furthermore, a special feature of agile methods is their
strong customer orientation. This is achieved by providing the
first functional prototypes as early as possible and at regular
intervals for the validation of customer requirements. In this
way, any deviations or changes in the requirements can be
integrated directly into the development process. This
significantly reduces the risk of developing a product that does
not benefit the customer [5]. The iterative approach and the
high flexibility of agile methods are particularly suitable for
developments in times of rapid technological change. Since the
origin of agile approaches comes from software engineering,
the increased use of software components also favors the use
of agile methods. Agile methods also meet the challenge of
increased service orientation through their strong customer
orientation. All in all, it is becoming apparent that agile
methods provide suitable approaches to take into account the
effects of digitalization (see Figure 2).
2.3. Innovations in SME
Despite high pressure to innovate, many small and mediumsized companies are unable to establish strategic innovation
management in their day-to-day business. Compared to large
companies, SMEs face specific challenges. Limited financial
and human resources are among the typical characteristics of
SMEs, which mean that decisions need to be taken more
deliberately and systematically [13]. Few SMEs can afford to
provide one person or even an entire department to manage
innovation alone. These tasks usually have to be carried out by
employees in parallel with day-to-day business. The current
good to very good economic situation strengthens the strong
commitment of resources and the concentration on day-to-day
Fig. 3. Balance between exploitation and exploration, in reference to
Weibler/Keller.
In particular, it is about searching, finding new ways and
means, experimenting with the new, and rethinking previous
approaches. In addition to autonomy and decentralization,
exploration also include the agility of processes. Within the
strategy of exploitation, the focus is on formalization, centrality
and control. Fundamentally, it must be considered that the two
strategies are also based on different cultural characteristics of
risk behavior. In Exploitation, safety thinking prevails and
builds on the advantages of stability and standardization.
Exploration is based on the assumption that there is a
significantly higher willingness to take risks; advantages are
achieved through high adaptability and flexibility [15]. The
ability of a company to manage both explorative and
explicative processes is also described as ambidexterity. In
order to drive the development of incremental innovations as
well as not to neglect disruptive innovations, an ambidextrous
organization is required. Current approaches to this are, for
example, the establishment of independent innovation units
that can work independently of day-to-day business. The
advantage of this is the avoidance of barriers to thinking and
innovation and independent resources. The use of agile process
4
Nadine Niewöhner et al. / Procedia CIRP 84 (2019) 826–831
N.Niewöhner et al./ Procedia CIRP 00 (2019) 000–000
models supports the development of radical innovations more
than classical process models. Although there is no to-do list
that makes the company an ambidextrous organization, an
important building block lies in the strategic orientation and
thus the definition of characteristic features that support more
incremental or more radical innovations [16].
3. Design fields of agile innovation management in small
and medium sized enterprises
From the explanations of the previous sections it can be
deduced that SMEs need an agile, ambidextrous innovation
management in order to remain competitive in times of
digitalization. However, only a few SMEs have formalized and
defined innovation processes or corresponding innovation
management. There are numerous definitions of the innovation
process and innovation management in the literature, but there
is no uniform definition. In general, innovation management
can be understood as the totality of all innovation activities of
a company and their organization [17]. In order to obtain a
holistic picture of all innovation management activities, we
have defined a total of six fields of action that must be taken
into account in connection with innovations (see Figure 4). The
first three design fields are as follows: Impulses for innovation,
idea generation and idea implementation. They cover the entire
innovation process from the source of an idea to its concrete
implementation in the company. However, this is not a purely
stringent procedure, but may involve iterations. In these design
fields it is particularly important to keep an eye on the rapid
technological change as well as to keep a strong customer
orientation. At this point, particularly agile procedure models
are suitable for carrying out the tasks within the first three
design fields. Their iterative approach and high flexibility
allow them to react quickly in the early phases of idea
development in times of rapid technological changes und high
frequency in changes of customer needs. The other three design
fields innovation organization, culture and strategy are
arranged parallel to the first three design fields, since they do
not represent a single process step, but framework conditions
of innovation management, which should be fulfilled during
each phase. There are various tasks to be fulfilled in each of the
fields of action. These are described in more detail below:
Fig. 4. The six design fields of innovation management.
Impulses for innovations: The design field comprises all
activities that ensure that basic knowledge is generated, on the
basis of which ideas can be developed. For a systematic ideafinding process, appropriate know-how in various areas is
829
indispensable. Where are the possible sources and triggers for
innovative ideas? Which technologies are currently on the
advance? Which problems occupy customers the most and
what are our competitors currently doing? Answers to these
questions form a sound basis for generating innovative ideas in
the next step, which are not only based on sudden ideas, but
have also been systematically generated by looking at the
corporate environment. Accordingly, the design field impulses
for innovation includes the tasks of analyzing the market,
identifying customer needs, technology potentials, internal
optimization potentials as well as the task of promoting
impulses from outside. These tasks play a particularly
important role in times of digitalization in order to be able to
take the previously described influences into account
appropriately. In order to counter the change of the innovation
object, it is important not only to observe and analyze the
activities of other market participants, it is also elementary to
identify broad technological potentials. Only in this way can
technological innovations and the associated effects on one's
own market performance and the business model be identified
early enough and reacted to.
Idea generation: Idea generation is about generating
innovative ideas. Based on the knowledge of the design field
impulses for innovations concrete ideas are generated now. The
creativity of the people involved in the idea-finding process
plays an important role. Every person possesses a basic level of
natural creativity, which, however, decreases in the course of
life. In childhood, everyone possesses creative qualities,
regardless of their degree and characteristics. Most children
like to paint pictures, or think up stories about their Lego
figures, without any concrete instructions as to what they
should paint or what the story should be about. With the further
course of the education up to the professional life this natural
creativity sinks. So how can we ensure that our creative
performance increases again despite the loss of natural
creativity? Here, the systematic use of creativity techniques
offers a solution approach that can decisively improve the
process of brainstorming. Furthermore, there are several
methods to provide idea generation that have a strong customer
orientation. These are very helpful to face the impacts of
digitalization of increasing service orientation and frequent
changes in customer needs. In the next step, the most promising
ideas must be systematically selected from the mass of ideas in
order to specify them more precisely in the next phase, the
implementation of ideas. The selection of ideas can also be
carried out agile in several iterations. Thus the best idea is
determined step by step. In order to further follow the idea of
strong customer orientation, customer reviews can also be
integrated into the process at this point.
Idea implementation: The implementation of ideas
involves the successive concretization of a favored innovation
idea. Essentially, this includes two tasks: the validation of the
idea and the planning of its implementation. As already
motivated, it is particularly important to develop innovative
ideas as close as possible to the customer. Feedback should be
obtained as early as possible so that changes in requirements
can be implemented quickly and cost-effectively. As the
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Nadine Niewöhner et al. / Procedia CIRP 84 (2019) 826–831
N. Niewöhner et al./ Procedia CIRP 00 (2019) 000–000
development process progresses, necessary changes can
become more time-consuming and costly. Questions to be
clarified in this phase are for example: What does the business
model for our idea look like? Which business plan is the basis
for this? But also questions as to whether there are possibilities
for financial support for individual project phases need to be
clarified in this context. At this point, agile approaches are
appropriate for validation. The customer is consulted as early
as possible with the first minimum functional prototypes. The
customer feedback is used to improve and further develop the
prototype step by step. In this way, market performance is
validated iteratively by customer needs.
Innovation organization: The central question that arises
in the field of innovation organization is the question of what
the structural framework conditions must be like in order to
successfully carry out innovation projects. How should the
innovation process be designed? Are agile or classical process
models more suitable? Are innovative ideas developed within
our company boundaries? Further organizational questions
relate to the management of knowledge and ideas. How are
ideas documented in our company and how do I know which
colleague is dealing with which topics? These questions are just
as much a part of the topic of innovation organization as the
questions about the time available for innovations after they
have been created. As can already be seen in the design fields
presented so far, agile approaches support the handling of some
challenges in times of digitalization. They enable the
companies to react quickly and flexible to unexpected changes
in a dynamic environment.
Innovation culture: A successful innovation process is not
only based on knowledge and experience, but requires an
appropriate environment in which innovative ideas can arise
and grow. The culture of innovation is, in a sense, the breeding
ground for innovations. But what exactly does this mean? The
innovation culture is part of the corporate culture and describes
the basic attitude and the common understanding around
innovations. It comprises the values, norms and behaviors of
the company and thus also determines how innovations are
carried by both managers and employees. But what does an
innovation-promoting culture look like and how can it be
designed? An important building block here is internal
communication. This does not only mean the purely technical
level, but also the private level. A feel-good atmosphere at the
workplace and a pronounced sense of community have positive
effects on the work result in every respect, not just on the ability
to innovate. Further factors to consider are the question of a
creativity-enhancing environment, incentives for innovative
thinking and acting as well as the handling of possibly
necessary competence building. Especially in SMES’s with a
high concentration on day-to-day business these factors are
rarely considered and actively influenced. However, it is
crucial to offer the employees an innovation friendly culture to
enable and to motivate them to come up with great ideas. This
is the baseline for not only generate incremental innovations by
through further development of existing market performances
but to come up with disruptive Innovations.
5
Innovation strategy: To ensure that innovation activities
are not without purpose, an innovation strategy is necessary.
Every company has a strategy, even if it is not always explicitly
formulated. Basically, the corporate strategy describes the
direction in which the company will move in the future. In
order to achieve this vision of the company's future, the
corporate strategy sets guidelines that guide day-to-day actions.
Within this orientation framework, there are individual
strategic goals and programs or measures that lead to the
achievement of these goals. The innovation strategy can be
understood as a path of activities and innovation goals. These,
like all other strategic goals and activities, move within the set
guidelines and support the achievement of the corporate vision.
As previously described, an important strategic question in
innovation management is whether a company should
strategically focus its innovation activities on exploiting and
thus generating incremental innovations, or on exploring and
thus developing radical innovations. The challenge is not to
decide on a strategy but to implement both in the best possible
way and thus become an ambidextrous organization. This
balancing act is often difficult for SMEs that are particularly
oriented towards day-to-day business, but it is elementary in
order to remain successful in times of digitalization and
increasingly disruptive innovations.
4. Conclusion and outlook:
Due to the advancing globalization and digitalization, SMEs
need to face various challenges in their innovation
management. Concerning these challenges, agile methods are
gaining in importance. Against this background the submission
focused on the analysis of the interaction of the innovation
management in SMEs, digitalization and agility. As a result of
the analysis, essential design fields for an agile, holistic
innovation management in SMEs were identified. It became
apparent, that SMEs need to be an ambidextrous organization
to handle exploration and exploitation. The design fields form
the basis for the development of a holistic innovation
management for SMEs. In this context, they will be used to
define a detailed plan of action that covers actions for the
different tasks of every design field and lead to a holistic
innovation management for SMEs. The development of an
initial roadmap has already been successfully carried out with
various companies. The current design of innovation
management was first recorded and analysed in workshops. All
identified tasks and measures were assigned to one of the six
design fields. In this way it was possible to check to which
extent the current innovation management already covers all
fields of action or if there are still gaps. Further measures were
then developed on the basis of the identified gaps, challenges
and potential in the innovation process. An initial roadmap was
thus filled by assigning the measures to the fields of action and
prioritizing them over time.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
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