Fourth Generation R D: Managing Knowledge, Technology, and Innovation - Hardcover

Praise for Fourth Generation R&D "A sweeping and insightful analysis of an architecture for innovation in the knowledge economy. Technologists, strategists, and organizational architects will all find this book worth reading, as will students of the modern organization." --John Seely Brown Chief Scientist, Xerox Corporation "The new realities of competition beg a new approach to innovation and R Fourth Generation R&D answers that challenge. With lucid arguments and detailed case studies, Fourth Generation R&D sketches a powerful new paradigm for planning and managing innovation. Every manager concerned with innovation and its role as a strategic resource--that's to say, every manager--will profit from this new understanding." Lawrence Wilkinson President, Global Business Network "Fourth Generation R&D is a tour de force. Its sweep, depth, and use of graphics are all truly remarkable (not to mention its command of the literature on innovation). The distinctions it draws between continuous and discontinuous innovation--and between tacit and explicit knowledge--are fundamental." --John Yochelson President, The Council on Competitiveness

Mastery of innovation and R&D is critical to survival in today?s hypercompetitive business environment. It involves years of patient (and impatient) investigation, punctuated by moments of inspiration. It positions uncontrollable creativity side by side with disciplined business process. And it is, for most companies, tremendously difficult to achieve. Now, for the first time, one book shows you how to balance these seemingly contradictory requirements to develop a coherent approach to some of the most challenging business problems your company faces. Fourth Generation R&D defines a comprehensive, state-of-the-art model for the practice of innovation and R&D management. In this breakthrough book, renowned R&D professionals William L. Miller and Langdon Morris fully describe the essential qualities, factors, methods, and business processes that enable successful innovators to consistently outperform everyone else. They offer detailed case studies on the advanced innovation practices of seven world leaders?Ford, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Motorola, NASA, Nike, and Xerox?as well as dozens of specific examples from many other organizations in high technology, manufacturing, and consumer products. The authors will teach you the many qualities that all of these innovations have in common and how to apply a single business process to achieve similar results in your own organization. They include over 100 diagrams and photographs, hundreds of references, and pages of detailed questions to be asked at each stage of implementation in order to help your organization become effective at innovation. Writing with clear prose and using a careful structure, the authors explain:

• How to master the linkage between strategy, innovation, and R&D
• Why conventional market research is not sufficient?and what is
• How to use the Internet as a critical component of the innovation process
• The vital difference between tacit and explicit knowledge, and how to combine them for effective knowledge management
• How new organizational models used in leading organizations are critical to Success
• The differences between continuous and discontinuous innovation, and how to make your organization effective at both

Offering a successful framework for using R&D to drive innovation throughout an entire organization, Fourth Generation R&D is essential reading for everyone in R&D, marketing, strategic planning, product design, and product development.