Idea management: restructuring technology-based research to help achieve corporate goals

In order for some technology-based companies to continue to compete, they must consider changes and improvements in the mechanism(s) by which new ideas are generated and transformed into putative products. The manner in which technology-based research is currently organized in most companies and the multiple demands of the duties assigned to the Group Leader often dictate that new product development initiation is the task to which he or she gives the least attention. A re-design of the technology-based business process of collecting ideas for novel and profitable products is implicit in SCIMAX (short for SCientific Idea Management and Assessment Extension). SCIMAX provides a mechanism for either acting on new ideas or storing them for future reference. Once a putative target is found to be commercially and scientifically valid (according to SCIMAX), as well as technically feasible (by the Exploratory Group), it can be presented to upper management for consideration as a legitimate target. Restructuring technology research to implement an idea management system such as SCIMAX would require a relatively minor effort on part of the corporate management.