Orchestrating industrial development
by Jens O. Riis
International Journal of Technology Management (IJTM), Vol. 23, No. 4, 2002

Abstract: Short-term and long-term initiatives are different in nature; yet they are mutually interrelated and need to be combined. To provide a better understanding of this relationship, a classification model is proposed that is based on the observation that at any point in time different improvement initiatives are in progress. They have different owners, objects of study, and time horizons. Three types of initiatives will be introduced as a rather simple way of mapping parallel and serial improvement initiatives, and a few examples will show some of the implications of using this categorisation. A manufacturing vision may serve as a way of triggering new improvement initiatives, stopping existing ones, and orchestrating the portfolio of ongoing improvement and innovation activities. This will be discussed in view of an effort to involve managers and employees in a joint development process to the effect that the developed vision represents a shared mental picture of the company's future production. An industrial case example will demonstrate a company's improvement effort and the way in which it has orchestrated its various initiatives. The paper concludes with a set of propositions about aligning different improvement initiatives and about orchestrating industrial development.

Online publication date: Wed, 09-Jul-2003

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