The Secret of Success : The Double Helix of Formal and Informal Structures in an R&D Laboratory / Polly S. Rizova.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rizova, Polly S., Author.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (200 p.) : 10 tables, 6 figures

Place of Publication:

Stanford, CA : Stanford University Press, [2022]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The Secret of Success is a fascinating exploration of the enigma of technological innovation. It provides a new paradigm for academic scholars and a manifesto for managers on how to release the latent talent of research teams for optimal effect. Based on an investigation conducted in the R&D laboratory of a Fortune 500 company, the book synthesizes interviews with sophisticated quantitative techniques to provide insights into how knowledge travels and how it is used in technical organizations to aid innovation. The author offers a new perspective on the factors that need to be taken into account when managing R&D projects, and examines particularly how these factors should be mobilized and combined in the quest for success. The book suggests that the informal advice relations need to be reinforced through, and not thwarted by, the formal structure. This is compulsory reading for anyone interested in the central problems of research and design in the knowledge industries of the twenty-first century.

Contents:

Frontmatter

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Figures

List of Tables

Abbreviations

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 Technological Innovation Today: Old Wine in New Bottles?

Chapter 2 Success in Technically Innovative Projects: Four Critical Factors

Chapter 3 Beyond the Formal and Informal Divide

Chapter4 Illustrations from the Field: Three Cases of Success and Failure

Chapter 5 The Lessons of Success

Appendix 1 Summary of the Projects

Appendix 2 Applying Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies to the Study of Technical Projects

Notes

References

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 31. Jan 2022)

ISBN:

1-5036-2638-5

OCLC:

1294426507