Accelerating Technology Transition Bridging the Valley of Death for Materials and Processes in Defense Systems (2004) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
1 Creating a Culture for Innovation and Rapid Technology Transition
1 Creating a Culture for Innovation and Rapid Technology Transition
Pages 8-23
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 8... ...
. Many ongoing programs are designed to facilitate technology transition to the defense sector and there are many success stories.
|
From page 9... ...
Just recently, the independent committee investigating the disaster involving the space shuttle Columbia highlighted the importance of institutional culture in its findings, pointing to the self-protective culture of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as playing a key role in the disaster.3 Another issue that is particularly relevant for the transition of technology to the defense sector is the problem of introducing new technology into existing systems.
|
From page 10... ...
He quoted William Souder, author of Managing New Product Innovations,4 in presenting a list of traits with a strong negative correlation to technology acceleration: · Degree to which jobs are narrowly defined; · Degree to which authorities are perceived to be narrowly defined; · Degree to which information flows are perceived to be top down in a hierarchy; · Degree to which loyalty and obedience are perceived to be required; · Degree to which rules, policies, and hierarchical organizational levels are perceived to be the character of the organization. In contrast, Tippens also presented the following list of traits that create a culture for technology acceleration: · Constant adjustment of tasks through "viral" cross-functional interaction; · A sense of responsibility that replaces unquestioned authority and a shared commitment to success that exceeds defined functional roles; · Communication that flows in all directions without regard to hierarchy; · Emotional commitment to milestone achievement that overrides complex rules and policies; and · Originality and creativity that are valued over short-term economic efficiency.
|
From page 11... ...
Ultimately, however, the successful transition of new technology will depend on the ability of managers to narrow the focus to technologies for which there is a compelling need and adequate business case, and on champions who will remove barriers, garner support, and ensure successful implementation and acceptance. The importance of leadership was a recurring workshop theme.
|
From page 12... ...
These attributes are consistent with those identified by other workshop speakers as being essential for rapid technology transition. Iterative processes and collaboration are consistent with fostering communication and involving end users in the development process.
|
From page 13... ...
When East Coast corporate leaders traveled to PARC, they noted disapprovingly the beanbag chairs, the endless volleyball games, and the laidback management style of Bob Taylor. Unfortunately, Xerox executives rejected the promising personal computer technologies at PARC, as well as the work styles and lifestyles they observed there.8 Success stories in the literature and those presented at the workshop are similar in terms of the factors identified as essential to achieving rapid and successful technology transition.
|
From page 14... ...
acknowledged the importance of champions: "Transition success was highly dependent on the individual DARPA program managers, industry program managers, and Service contracting agents acting as a product champion team."11 The report concludes: "It is likely that any structure or procedure that limits the program manager's sense of responsibility or options to transition his or her products will negatively affect the Agency's rate of transition."12 MAKING THE BUSINESS CASE Joseph Tippens, Universal Chemical Technologies, argued that there is a strong and unique business case for materials science, which can help the DoD meet its goals in several areas, beginning with the weight reduction of systems and subsystems and leading to improved mobility, survivability, and lethality, while also offering significant capital and operating and maintenance cost savings. Michael McGrath, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation)
|
From page 15... ...
SOURCE: J Tippens, Universal Chemical Technologies, Inc., Technology Transition from Small Business Industry, briefing presented at the Workshop on Accelerating Technology Transition, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., November 24, 2003.
|
From page 16... ...
Accelerating Materials Development In his presentation at the workshop, Robert Schafrik emphasized the need to drastically reduce development times for new materials, saying that a decade is too long to mature new materials technology. As summarized in Table 1.2, he reported that typical development times range between 2 and 20 years.
|
From page 17... ...
to obtain accurate estimates of material properties and an understanding of microstructure evolution, as well as realistic estimates of the behavior of realistic samples, with typical defects and long-term behavior in harsh environments. Figure 1.4c characterizes the future development process as being fully integrated, with design practice, materials development, and manufacturing all integrated in a seamless computational environment, leading to production scale-up.
|
From page 18... ...
The composition of the team reflects a major issue raised by participants at the Workshop on Accelerating Technology Transition regarding partnership between creators and end users of new technology. Once the definition of the endpoint was agreed, AIM-C partners tackled the concept of a window of opportunity.
|
From page 19... ...
A speaker from the private sector, Joseph Tippens, suggested that the DoD has the opportunity to leverage billions of dollars of private equity and venture capital. He encouraged dual-use commercial development rather than technology development for isolated military applications, pointing out that it is possible to leverage technology platforms on hundreds of systems across all service branches as well.
|
From page 20... ...
SOURCE: J Tippens, Universal Chemical Technologies, Inc., Technology Transition from Small Business Industry, briefing presented at the Workshop on Accelerating Technology Transition, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., November 24, 2003.
|
From page 21... ...
A central theme of the workshop was the importance of creating a culture that fosters innovation, rapid development, and accelerated technology transition. Success stories from industry, sports, and the defense sector point to flexibility, a willingness to take risks, open communication without regard to hierarchy, a sense of responsibility that displaces the need for top-down authority, and a commitment to success that exceeds functional roles as being key elements of the desired culture.
|
From page 22... ...
Success stories from commercial, sports, and defense industries suggest that the characteristics of such a culture include the following: · Acceptance of risk, anticipation of failure, and plans for alternatives; · A flexible environment with the ability to accommodate change during the development process; · Open communication in all directions without regard to hierarchy; · A widespread sense of responsibility and commitment to success that exceed defined functional roles; · Valuing of innovation over short-term economic efficiency; and · A passionate focus on the end-user's needs. Evaluating and implementing the following actions will enable the DoD to create a culture that fosters rapid development and breaks down barriers to rapid technology transition: · Introduce flexibility that reduces budget lead times and provides consistent funding during the technology development stage through full maturity,
|
From page 23... ...
Investments in materials processes and technology will offer the DoD the opportunity to leverage materials technology for defense systems across all service branches.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.