The organization and architecture of innovation : managing the flow of technology

Building on his pioneering work on the management of technology and innovation in his first book, Managing the Flow of Technology, Thomas J. Allen of MIT has joined with award-winning German architect Gunter Henn of HENN Architekten to produce a book that explores the combined use of two management tools to make the innovation process most effective: organizational structure and physical space. They present research demonstrating how organizational structure and physical space each affect communication among people--in this case, engineers, scientists, and others in technical organizations--and they illustrate how organizations can transform both to increase the transfer of technical knowledge and maximize the "communication for inspiration" that is central to the innovation process. Allen and Henn illustrate their points with discussions of well-known buildings around the world, including Audi's corporate headquarters, Steelcase's corporate design center, and the Corning Glass Becker building, as well as several of Gunter Henn's own projects, including the Skoda automotive factory in the Czech Republic and the Faculty for Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich. Allen and Henn then demonstrate the principles developed in their work by discussing in detail one example in which organizational structure and physical space were combined successfully to promote innovation with impressive results: HENN Architekten's Project House for the BMW Group Research and Innovation Centre in Munich, cited by Business Week (April 24, 2006) in naming BMW one of the world's most innovative companies.Professor Thomas Allen is the originator of the Allen curve. In the late 1970s, Tom Allen undertook a project to determine how the distance between engineers' offices coincided with the level of regular technical communication between them. The results of that research, now known as the Allen Curve, revealed a distinct correlation between distance and frequency of communication (i.e. the more distance there is between people -- 50 meters or more to be exact -- the less they will communicate). This principle has been incorporated into forward-thinking commercial design ever since, in, for example, The Decker Engineering Building in New York, the Steelcase Corporate Development Center in Michigan, and BMW's Research Center in Germany.

Business/Management

The Organization and Architecture of Innovation

Managing the Flow of Technology

Thomas J. Allen, Gunter W. Henn

"WOW! The collaboration between Allen and Henn is a unique synthesis of fundamental work on social networks, organizations, and innovation with fundamental ideas on physical space and architecture. The Organization and Architecture of Innovation is a deeply insightful book on how the social, organizational, and physical worlds interact to create the conditions for communication across boundaries. Unlike any other book that I know of, this book is rich with examples of putting research-based knowledge to work with demanding clients. This is a fabulous piece of work."
— Michael Tushman, Paul R. Lawrence Class of 1942 Professor, Harvard Business School

"For 40 years, researchers have recognized that communication is critical to innovation, and that architecture determines such communication. This book finally integrates understanding of architecture, communication, and innovation. Clearly and engagingly written, it synthesizes scholarly research and practical application to illustrate how architecture can be a hidden source of innovative advantage. Engaging cases and illustrations make it accessible to almost any audience. For its substance, it should be within easy reach of anyone interested in innovation."
— Andrew King, Associate Professor of Business Administration, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College

"this carefully researched and well-written book closes a hitherto existing and crucial gap in management textbooks. It is therefore highly recommended reading for scholars and students inall management sciences as well as for management practitioners on every level."
— Professor Hugo P. Tschirky, PhD, DBA, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Management, Technology, and Economics; Member of the European Institute of Technology and Innovation Management

Building on his pioneering work on the management of technology and innovation in his first book, Managing the Flow of Technology, Thomas J. Allen of MIT has joined with award-winning German architect Gunter Henn of HENN Architekten to produce a book that explores the combined use of two management tools to make the innovation process most effective: organizational structure and physical space. The authors present research demonstrating how organizational structure and physical space each affect communication among people—in this case, engineers, scientists, and others in technical organizations—and they illustrate how organizations can transform both to increase the transfer of technical knowledge and maximize the "communication for inspiration" that is central to the innovation process. Allen and Henn illustrate their points with discussions of well-known buildings around the world such as Steelcase's corporate design center, the Corning Glass Decker building, as well as several of Gunter Henn's own projects, including the Skoda automotive factory in the Czech Republic and the Faculty for Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich. Allen and Henn then demonstrate the principles developed in their work by discussing in detail one example in which organizational structure and physical space were combined successfully to promote innovation with impressive results: HENN Architekten's Project House for the BMW Group Research and Innovation Centre in Munich, cited by Business Week (April 24, 2006) in naming BMW one of the world's most innovative companies.

Thomas J. Allen is the Howard W. Johnson Professor of Management at the Sloan School of Management and Professor of Engineering Systems in the Engineering School, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Gunter W. Henn is professor of architectural design at the Technical University in Dresden, Germany, and visiting professor at the Sloan School of Management and at the Department of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge,
MA, USA. He is also head of Henn Architekten, an architecture and consulting company in Munich and Berlin,Germany.

Building on his pioneering work on the management of technology and innovation in his first book, Managing the Flow of Technology, Thomas J. Allen of MIT has joined with award-winning German architect Gunter Henn of HENN Architekten to produce a book that explores the combined use of two management tools to make the innovation process most organizational structure and physical space. They present research demonstrating how organizational structure and physical space each affect communication among peoplein this case, engineers, scientists, and others in technical organizationsand they illustrate how organizations can transform both to increase the transfer of technical knowledge and maximize the communication for inspiration that is central to the innovation process. Allen and Henn illustrate their points with discussions of well-known buildings around the world, including Audis corporate headquarters, Steelcases corporate design center, and the Corning Glass Becker building, as well as several of Gunter Henns own projects, including the Skoda automotive factory in the Czech Republic and the Faculty for Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich. Allen and Henn then demonstrate the principles developed in their work by discussing in detail one example in which organizational structure and physical space were combined successfully to promote innovation with impressive HENN Architektens Project House for the BMW Group Research and Innovation Centre in Munich, cited by Business Week (April 24, 2006) in naming BMW one of the worlds most innovative companies. Professor Thomas Allen is the originator of the Allen curve. In the late 1970s, Tom Allen undertook a project to determine how the distance between engineers offices coincided with the level of regular technical communication between them. The results of that research, now known as the Allen Curve, revealed a distinct correlation between distance and frequency of communication (i.e. the more distance there is between people 50 meters or more to be exact the less they will communicate). This principle has been incorporated into forward-thinking commercial design ever since, in, for example, The Decker Engineering Building in New York, the Steelcase Corporate Development Center in Michigan, and BMWs Research Center in Germany. 0750682361......Page 1 Copyright Page......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 About the Authors......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 Chapter 1.Organization and Architecture......Page 18 Types of Communication......Page 38 The Evolution of Organizational Structure......Page 41 The Trumpet Model of the Product Development Process and Physical Space......Page 55 Chapter 3. The Flow of Communication in Space......Page 62 The Role Played by Physical Space......Page 73 The Conflguration of Physical Space May Hinder Interaction......Page 82 The Steelcase Example......Page 85 The Corning Example......Page 91 Chapter 4. Increasing Awareness......Page 96 Centers of Gravity and Awareness......Page 99 Influencing Centers of Gravity......Page 101 Skoda Assembly Plant—Awareness of Quality......Page 105 Technical University of Munich—Awareness of Learning......Page 111 Chapter 5. Two Management Tools Employed Together......Page 120 The BMW Projekthaus in Munich......Page 125 Reflecting Back......Page 137 References......Page 140 Index......Page 142 "Building on his pioneering work on the management of technology and innovation in his first book, Managing the Flow of Technology, Thomas J. Allen of MIT has joined with award-winning German architect Gunter Henn of HENN Architekten to produce a book that explores the combined use of two management tools to make the innovation process most effective: organizational structure and physical space. The authors present research demonstrating how organizational structure and physical space each affect communication among people - in this case, engineers, scientists, and others in technical organizations - and they illustrate how organizations can transform both to increase the transfer of technical knowledge and maximize the "communication for inspiration" that is central to the innovation process."--Jacket.