Continuity and change

Technologies, like computer simulation and modeling and others that in recent years have simplified certain engineering functions, have altered the economics of product development.

But as you've read in this magazine and elsewhere, while many of the new tools have become easier to use, they have not reached the point of plug-and-play. Companies and their engineers have worked to adopt and integrate these new technologies into their organizations, in order to take full advantage of their performance and to pass along value and savings to customers.

In his book, Experimentation Matters, Stefan H. Thomke, a Harvard Business School associate professor of technology and operations management, writes that companies using new tools must be agile enough to adopt a new mindset when it conies to doing business. That is, for companies to be more innovative, the challenges are not just technical, but also managerial.

Changing processes and organization, and management of innovation, Thomke writes, can help a company reach its potential. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is in the middle of a process to unlock its potential by using available tools and encouraging its leaders to provide a vision of what ASME can achieve.

A three-pronged program driven by ASME's Board of Governors-who include President Reginald I. Vachon, Past-President Susan H. Skemp, President-Nominee Harry Armen, and Executive Director Virgil R. Carter-and the staff-based Executive Management Committee is working to meet an ambitious goal on a tight deadline.

The initiative encompasses a reorganization study conducted by a consultant, Arthur D. Little, that is looking at ASME to determine the most effective staff and membership structure. Currently, ASME is divided into five councils and 36 technical divisions, plus one subdivision. The goal is to figure out an organization to best support the needs of ASME members and the profession of mechanical engineering. Also under way is a survey to identify current markets and others where ASME's influence should extend. Third, a Balanced Scorecard tool is being used to tie the budget together with the strategy and performance of the organization.

The results of these three undertakings will be presented to the Board of Governors during the current fiscal year, which started July 1.

In a statement posted on ASME's Web site (www.asme.org/change/), Vachon, Skemp, and Carter write: "This forward-looking process pulls together the necessary tools for an analysis that will generate recommendations to enhance ASME's operational structure. ... The goal is to develop a more agile, responsive, and accountable organization."

Updated information on the progress of this endeavor, as well as an opportunity to comment, can be found on the Society's Web site.

"Managers and their organizations are poised to confront the challenges of introducing new experimentation technologies into their innovation systems and unlock their potential," Thomke wrote in his book (scheduled for release late last month by Harvard Business School Press). "Indeed, many companies have really just begun exploiting this new power. The next decade will bring advances in knowledge, products, and technologies that are possible because of the changing economics of experimentation. And as these technologies are transforming how innovation happens, the success of this revolution will be measured in the value they create for companies and the lives they improve."

JOHN G. FALCIONI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF John Falcioni can be reached by e-mail at falcionij@asme.org.

Copyright American Society of Mechanical Engineers Aug 2003
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