Managing the Innovation and Improvement Dilemma in High Technology Organizations-Evidence from Multiple Case Studies

摘要

Organizations functioning in fast paced environments are confronted with dual demands of innovation and improvement. Over emphasizing improvement over innovation or visa-versa can lead to several forms of traps. The purpose of this research is to examine this dilemma at various levels of the organization. We a-dopt a grounded theory building approach using case studies to understand this multi-level phenomenon. Our case studies across four divisions involve eleven projects and examine two research questions: First, we examine the mechanisms employed at the strategic level to ensure the right balance of innovation and improvement efforts. Second, we investigate the organizational characteristics that enable aligning decisions across strategic and project levels. Findings from this research reveal innovation-improvement decision risk as the factor influencing the balancing decision. Practices such as metric alignment and disciplined project management enable aligning decisions across these levels. Implications of these results to theory and practice are discussed.