The new rules of r&d, production and leadership
In R&D, speed counts first; all innovations have become short-term: think about how much time a new mobile phone model or car model stays on the market. Long cycles are a luxury that companies can no longer afford; speed is a condition for the survival of companies.
Equally important are the relationships between Research, on the one hand, and Production and Consumer, on the other. In the first case, the researcher must leave his laboratory and connect his bench to the laboratory of the factory. In the second, you can no longer be just a B2B company, but you need to involve the end customer in product choices; the creation of Focus Groups has become fundamental, which, in a world of marketing, are an important tool for acquiring feedback regarding new products.
Focus groups allow companies wishing to develop or distribute a new product to discuss, observe and /or examine it before it is made available to the public. This can provide relevant information on the acceptance of the product by its potential market.
The new rules of manufacturing value the creation of digital prototypes, which is critical: 3D models close the gap between engineering and manufacturing, allowing for rapid interaction between products. In addition, you need to listen to the machines: dedicated sensors can monitor operating conditions and minimize downtime.
Data, data & data: people need to be equipped with data to enable them to make intelligent decisions; an information dashboard, updated in real time, can give managers the information they need to constantly increase their productivity.
On the leadership front, we need to focus on high ideals: "At Apple, we believe that the purpose of our business must be not only to improve our position, but also to improve the lives of others" (Tim Cook). But we must not simulate, just to appear; in the age of social media, the currency of leadership is transparency.
Transparency is also relevant in relations with employees: it is necessary to be transparent to obtain maximum commitment from one's employees; it is necessary to communicate in a constant and coherent way what happens in the company and to have mechanisms to obtain effective feedback.
In addition, career paths need to be created; employee turnover is one of the main threats to growth. There is also a need to provide staff with many learning opportunities. If done right, the best ones won't go away easily.
Above all, the presence of a corporate culture is fundamental: it is necessary to be aligned on a set of basic values and on a shared vision, which puts everyone in the condition of being focused on the same mission, on the same project. And remember that happy staff makes happy customers.