The innovation gap (survey of innovation in US and European manufacturing companies)

Citation

(2009), "The innovation gap (survey of innovation in US and European manufacturing companies)", Strategic Direction, Vol. 25 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/sd.2009.05625bad.005

The innovation gap (survey of innovation in US and European manufacturing companies)

Article Type: Abstracts From: Strategic Direction, Volume 25, Issue 2

Brousell D.R. Managing Automation, September 2008, Vol. 23 No. 9, Start page: 20, No of pages: 6

Purpose – Reports the findings of a survey, conducted among readers of Managing Automation (MA) and Manufacturing Executive (ME) magazines who work for US and European manufacturers, to reveal serious mismatches between the theory and practice of innovation and its management over time. Design/methodology/approach – The innovation survey was conducted in June 2008, in collaboration with futurethink (www.getfuturethink.com), the New York-based innovation consultancy, involving approximately 300 US manufacturers and over 170 European manufacturers to gather information on how their companies generate new ideas, develop innovation strategies, and manage innovation processes. Notes that the survey series was originally launched in the USA in 2007 and was extended to the European market for the first time in 2008 via ME, MA’s European counterpart. Findings – The results were found to be similar for US and European manufacturers in revealing gaps between innovation strategy and execution, with almost an equal majority of US companies (57.2 percent in 2008 and 56.7 percent in 2007) and European companies (59.9 percent) confirming that their innovation efforts are driven by insights about customer needs. Reveals, however, that over 40 percent of respondents to both polls indicate that they are not even sure that a set of metrics for innovation exists within their companies. Concludes that longer-term commitment is the key to unlocking the potential of innovation in many companies and, if manufacturers can find a way to manage the process better, then the promise of innovation may become a reality. Originality/value – Builds on an earlier innovation survey of US companies and extends it to European companies to provide useful insights into the innovativeness of manufacturing companies. ISSN: 0895-3805 Reference: 37AX404

Keywords: European Union, Innovation, Manufacturing systems, Organizations, Surveys, Technology-led strategy, United States of America