Hamel Gary, Getz Gary
Strategos, Chicago, USA.
Harv Bus Rev. 2004 Jul-Aug;82(7-8):76-84, 186.
Everyone knows that corporate growth--true growth, not just agglomeration--springs from innovation. And the common wisdom is that companies must spend lavishly on R&D if they are to innovate at all. But in these fiscally cautious times, where every line item of every budget in every company is under intense scrutiny, many organizations are doing just the opposite. They tighten their belts, subject nascent product-development programs to rigorous screening, and train R&D staffers to think in business terms so the researchers will be better able to decide whether an idea for a product or service is worth pursuing in the first place. Such efficiency measures are commendable, say authors Gary Hamel and Gary Getz. But frugality is not a growth strategy, they point out, and, in truth, there is very little correlation between corporate performance and the amount spent on innovation. Companies like Southwest, Cemex, and Shell Chemicals have shown that businesses don't have to spend a fortune on R&D to reap the benefits of innovation. To produce more growth per dollar invested, companies must produce more innovation per dollar invested. Hamel and Getz explain how businesses can dramatically improve their innovation yields. They offer these five imperatives: Increase the number of innovators among existing employees (whatever their job titles) by involving them in innovation processes and events. Focus on developing truly radical ideas--ones that change customers' expectations and behaviors and industry economics--not just incremental ideas. Look for innovation sources outside the organization, as well as inside. Increase the learning from small, low-risk experiments. And commit to long-term, consistent development efforts.
每个人都知道企业增长——真正的增长,而非仅仅是规模扩张——源自创新。人们普遍认为,公司若想有所创新,就必须在研发上投入大量资金。但在当前财政谨慎的时期,每家公司的每一项预算细目都受到严格审查,许多组织却反其道而行之。他们勒紧裤腰带,对新出现的产品开发项目进行严格筛选,并培训研发人员从商业角度思考,以便研究人员能更好地首先判断一个产品或服务的想法是否值得追求。作者加里·哈默尔(Gary Hamel)和加里·盖茨(Gary Getz)表示,这些效率措施值得称赞。但他们指出,节俭并非增长战略,事实上,企业业绩与在创新上的投入金额之间几乎没有关联。像西南航空、西麦斯(Cemex)和壳牌化学公司这样的企业表明,企业不必在研发上投入巨资就能收获创新的益处。为了每投入一美元产生更多增长,公司必须每投入一美元产生更多创新。哈默尔和盖茨解释了企业如何能大幅提高其创新产出。他们提出了以下五条要务:通过让现有员工(无论其职衔如何)参与创新流程和活动,增加创新者的数量。专注于开发真正激进的想法——那些能改变客户期望和行为以及行业经济状况的想法,而不仅仅是渐进式的想法。既要在组织内部寻找创新源,也要在外部寻找。增加从小型、低风险实验中获得的学习。并致力于长期、持续的发展努力。