Triggering Radical Process Innovation. Process innovation at operational manufacturing division

Abstract

ABSTRACT Innovation is mostly associated with product innovation; leaving process innovation in the shadows. Firms in general have less explicitly defined tools and methods for process innovation. Process innovation is important, and firms should pay attention to it and focus on the triggering phase, as it is where the possibility to impact is greatest. The purpose of this case study is to explore the triggering of manufacturing process innovation at Operational Manufacturing Division (OMD) by identifying activities and success factors. The thesis results in decreasing the gap between product and process innovation. Findings show several different activities to utilize, and discovers a challenge for firms to determine the most suitable activities for every unique situation. The case study also identifies four managerial paradoxes firms must consider to trigger innovation in a beneficial manner. The forth paradox emerged from this thesis and highlights the trade-off around how many activities a firm should utilize for each unique situation. The paradoxes reach beyond a simple process and provide OMD with recommendations for how to trigger radical process innovations in a better way with support from the Decision Tree framework. In turn, the Decision Tree framework facilitates the process of deciding which and how many activities to utilize when triggering radical process innovation.