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Okay, we can accept it: Too much of anything good really becomes, well, too much. There are the obvious examples: Wind sprints (unless you don't care about having knees in 10 years), reality TV shows (after the first season or so), yellow silk neckties. But can a company do too much of that often-powerful transformer of efficiency and quality, process management? To the point of processing out the great driver of American global business success -- innovation?

Yes, says Prof. Mary Benner of the Wharton School of Business. Her research, with Dr. Michael Tushman from the Harvard Business School, has shown that that the same process management programs that have helped business increase quality and efficiency while driving down card also drive out the kind of radical innovation that moves technology forward -- "the next cool thing." Benner found that companies that were heavily invested in process management relied more on exploitation of known technologies for new product development than exploration of very new areas, thus risking falling behind their competitors. This may not be as much of an issue for a mature company and industry, when products are more or less ubiquitous, and it's all about cost. But for a company in an industry that constantly undergoes rapid change with multiple competitors, too much process management stifles creativity and flexibility. Does she advocate throwing out your Six Sigma, Balanced Scorecard, or other process management initiatives? No -- but she does advocate a more balanced approach that requires thought and stewardship by upper managers.

Tune in to this informative podcast interview with Tom Parish that might shake up the conventional wisdom, but might also help your business stay strong in the face of tough and global competition.

Resources

Is Process Management An Impediment To Innovation? Wharton Professor Mary J. Benner Says Yes

TQM, ISO 9000, Six Sigma: Do Process Management Programs Discourage Innovation?

Dr. Mary J. Benner, Faculty Web Site

Bio

Mary J. Benner, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. She has held a number of consulting and managerial positions, most recently at Honeywell Inc., before joining the faculty at the Wharton School. Her research focuses on organization theory; strategy; technology and innovation; organizational change; and process management. Dr. Benner is currently exploring how process management practices and institutional pressures affect organizations’ innovation, adaptation, and technological change.

Production Credits

Dana Farver, Executive Producer, Communities Editor-in-Chief
Tom Parish, Audio Producer, Show Host
Kimberly Stone, Web Development Manager
Scott Ebner, Web Developer