December 12, 1997
RTI Contacts :
Rick King, [email protected], (919) 541-1226
Reid Maness, [email protected], (919) 541-7044
Benchmarking Tool Helps Companies Improve Their Innovation Practices
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC -- Research Triangle Institute has developed a new Internet-based assessment tool to help companies improve how they practice technology innovation. Innovation InsightsTM quantitatively measures how well the technical staff and management:
a) listen to customers,
b) share ideas & know-how within the company, and
c) use outside technology to leverage R&D.
It also reveals whether the company culture encourages innovation.
Innovation InsightsTM is a unique management and benchmarking tool that companies can use to collect an unprecedented amount of in-the-trenches data. Individual responses to questions about widely accepted best practices are analyzed to identify areas needing improvement and roadblocks to innovation. Innovation InsightsTM goes beyond simply reporting R&D dollars, counting patents, or surveying a single manager or two. Data is quickly and easily captured from technical staff across the company to reveal how people do their jobs and where they need help.
Each company receives a customized Web site incorporating a security system, resulting in a "virtual intranet site." Fast and friendly, Innovation InsightsTM requires virtually no staff to support it and takes only about 15 minutes to complete. The identity of individuals is protected to encourage candid responses. Also, in the process, users learn about innovation through success stories and gain access to Web links with helpful resources.
Working with technology managers who are committed to innovation, RTI has beta-tested Innovation InsightsTM with several major corporations, including Air Products, BOC Group, Dana Corporation, and Tenneco. "RTI has done a great job identifying the right questions and making them available in an appealing, interactive electronic format," says Jim Golden, Executive Director, Corporate Innovation and Technology at Tenneco. "Our strategy at Tenneco calls for increased emphasis on innovation and new product development, and I anticipate that Innovation Insights will be very useful in helping us track our progress."
Fred Mahler, Manager of Advanced Materials at Dana Corporation, comments "We believe in people finding a better way to develop new products and processes. Innovation Insights supports this commitment by evaluating our practices for information exchange, innovation, and entrepreneurship."
Innovation InsightsTM contains intriguing questions and scenarios about:
-- customer involvement
-- nurturing champions
-- internal information sharing
-- encouraging risk & intrapreneurship
-- pursuing new ideas & opportunities
-- "not-invented-here" attitudes
-- leveraging external technology
To further customize this assessment tool, RTI can add questions of particular importance to a company's specific operations. The data is then analyzed and a proprietary report identifying areas for management action is provided to each company via a secured Internet site. Benchmarking comparisons can be conducted by department, division, business unit, industry, and job type. As an added insight, companies can learn the difference between what management thinks is going on and what the staff is actually doing. RTI secures and maintains strict confidentiality of all information.
For more information about Innovation InsightsTM, contact the project manager, Rick King at 919-541-1226 or e-mail [email protected].
To try out Innovation InsightsTM, see: http://rti.interpath.net/innovation/DEMO.
Research Triangle Institute (www.rti.org) is an independent nonprofit organization that serves government and industry clients worldwide. With 1997 revenue of over $148 million and a staff of 1425, RTI conducts innovative research and R&D in advanced technologies, electronics, pharmaceuticals, environmental protection, public health, public- and private-sector policy, and statistics. Established in 1958 as the cornerstone research center in the Research Triangle Park, RTI provides technology management services (www.rti.org/technology) and is a world-class developer of surveys and innovative survey methods.
The Innovation InsightsTM Web site uses the GuestTrack personalization system to customize the presentation based on the participant's profile, as well as responses to individual questions. GuestTrack, Inc., (www.GuestTrack.com) provides Web personalization and database publishing software that allows Web site managers to create a one-to-one relationship with each member of their audience.
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