Organizing for Manufacturing Innovation: The Case of Flexible Manufacturing Systems

Reports research which aimed to find the organizational conditions required for companies considering innovating their operating core by adopting any advanced manufacturing technology, and implementing and operating this technology effectively. Describes a model of the organization of manufacturing innovation which was used in longitudinal case studies of the adoption, implementation and early operation of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), to analyse these processes and to find the conditions affecting their level of success. It appears that the activities, innovation roles, organizational arrangements and slack resources which are required according to the model determine most of the success of the innovation process. Concludes that the model contributes to our understanding of how to organize and manage complex processes such as manufacturing innovation.