The Development Factory: Unlocking the Potential of Process Innovation

Description

Gary Pisano argues that the development of distinctive and superior process technologies is a key source of competitive advantage. In a multi-year study of international pharmaceutical firms (with references to a variety of other industries), he challenges the widely held product/process life cycle view of competition, which suggests that industries tend to emphasize either product innovation or process innovation. He also offers a set of recommendations for the practices and approaches that can be used to unlock the potential of process development. In doing so, he provides a window into the more general phenomenon of how organizations create, select, and implement new capabilities.

Gary P. Pisano is the Harry E. Figgle Jr. Professor of Business Administration and Head of the Technology and Operations Management unit at Harvard Business School.