A Philosophy for Innovation: The Role of Unconventional Individuals in Innovation Success

Recognition and reconciliation of differences in interpretation of misalignments when collaborative technologies are introduced into new product development teams

Enterprise system programs: Goal setting and cooperation in the integration team

Key Characteristics (KC) are used by many engineering companies, including aerospace, to manage the risk of variation in complex products. Effective KC implementation improves the quality of the product, reduces manufacturing variation, and reduces cost of design and manufacturing. This thesis analyzes several KC practices at the core of Variation Risk Management. Two KC identification approaches are discussed and findings from a series of benchmark studies are reviewed. The KC Maturity Model, which identifies twenty-two practices for KC implementation, is explicitly explained and the relationships between KC practices are discussed. Through a series of benchmark studies, it was identified that high and low volume companies have different levels of implementation success. High and low volume KC implementation is examined using company assessments. The findings about implementation successes and deficiencies are coupled into support, identification, assessment, and mitigation practices. The importance of cross-functional teams for KC implementation is another significant finding which evolved through the research. Thesis Supervisor: Anna Thornton Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Analysis of key characteristic methods and enablers used in variation risk management

The business community has frequently complained about the poor quality of college graduates' communication skills, with information systems and computer science graduates often criticized most severely. The purpose of this research was to investigate and analyze the communication skills of information systems (IS) personnel in terms of current and desired skill levels as perceived by their managers. This paper presents a survey of IS managers which revealed findings concerning: (1) the perceived importance of communication skills to technical professionals, (2) the perceived communication skills levels of these employees as compared to those of employees in nontechnical fields, and (3) the expected levels of communication skills of college graduates in technical fields. For example, the findings reconfirm the need for more communication skills education and training for IS students. The findings and their implications for graduates and professionals in technical fields are discussed.

Communication skills of technical professionals: a report for schools of business administration

Despite forecasts of the increasing use of cross-functional project teams in industry, too little is known about how such teams function and how they might come to function more effectively. One organization, a small manufacturing firm in the Southeast, and members of a selected cross-functional project team consented to have a researcher present during the life cycle of a single project. Reflections based on the resulting case study highlight three overarching areas of concern in cross-functional designs: first, equity as an evolving blueprint for project-team work; secondly, trust as the foundation upon which solid progress depends; and thirdly, authority as the visible framework of the process and products of the team's work. >

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel1/47/2431/00068428.pdf

L. Loehr

Papers

Between silence and voice: communicating in cross-functional project teams