How to become top business schoolStrategies to achieve top business school: Setting KRA and KPI for effective implementation
Top Business School (TBS) is an advanced management centre providing latest management knowledge for the industry and community. The TBS is part effort to upgrade the business school to international level. It links a group of multi-departmental, multi-disciplinary, and multi-purposes academics and industrialists from local, regional, and global context. The TBS has a wealth of expertise and experience in management. It is unique in a sense that it particularly emphasise an integrated view of different functions of a business; linking strategic planning, finance and accounting, operations, human resource, distribution, marketing, and service; in both industries and community to solve industrial problems and serve community needs. It aims to be a leading academic institution in the global stage. It is specially formed to support industrial companies by providing a focus for both conceptual and practical research, a forum for industry-academic discussion, a professional interface with industry and a range of industrially related programmes and services such as workshops, training and consultations. It delivers a wide range of industry-based programme to enhance the performance of industries and businesses, and help to transform many local SME into global players.
The mission of TBS
One of the major missions of the TBS is to increase the competitiveness of the industries and businesses by enhancing their management capability in producing value-added products and services in today’s global market. In order to satisfy the above mission, the TBS aims to contribute to the development of manufacturing and service industry by:
· Conducting leading edge research to support industry and community in the process of modernising and improving management knowledge
· Enhancing the knowledge in management from a practical point of view through collaboration with the community and industry
· Promoting high value-added management concepts and activities to facilitate a shift from labour-intensive to automation through efficient utilisation of human potential and capability
· Increasing the number of able people in business and community through innovative industry-based/community-based programmes
· Creating tools and techniques to improve the performance of businesses and industries.
Industries that are working with the TBS
Working with TBS, companies will benefit from a range of activities. TBS prepares to deliver its research outputs in accessible, useable formats so that industrial companies can gain practical benefits. The research outputs will be disseminated through publications, workbooks, software and consultation manual.
TBS prepares to work closely with companies to identify areas for improvement. TBS will work through the use of a quick ‘diagnostic’ method to identify key problems and opportunities. TBS consultation teams have substantial industrial experience and will draw in expertise from external sources if necessary depending on the companies’ needs.
TBS’s networking
TBS will maintain close contact with the local academic community and industry, and establish and maintain extensive international networks, which engage industrialists, academics and policy makers. It draws together a range of human expertise in areas of strategy, operations, technology, and policy. TBS will support new ideas, and promote new ways of doing thing through local, national and international networking.
Local networking: maintain a strong link with other faculties or research centres within UPM such as the engineering faculty and advanced technology research centre. Work with local governmental agencies and companies from regional industrial areas.
National networking: maintain a strong link with other research centres, institutions, and universities in the country. Maintain a link with the policy maker and non-governmental organisation. Interest, support and challenge from industry will always be a fundamental part of TBS’s national networking policy. Working with these professional bodies requires a professional mindset, confident, and competence back by our professors, lecturers, and research capability.
International networking: maintain a strong link with international academic communities from UK, USA, China, Japan, Korea, South East Asian countries, etc. Interact with multinational companies that have their operations in Malaysia. TBS prepares to work with many parts of the world and maintains the strong international presence. This will consists of a constant dialogue with researchers and industrialists around the world.
Industrialists and companies who work closely with TBS will benefit through enlarging their networking capability, interacting with academic and research communities from local and overseas, keeping track with the latest development in new management philosophy and technology, knowing the latest development in management research, enhancing knowledge in system, human and workplace interfaces, through a range of activities organised by TBS.
Consultancy and executive training program
TBS approach is very different to conventional consultancy, involving working collaboratively with industrialists, often based on applied research outputs, and focusing on transferring knowledge as well as delivering business results. We provide new ideas and approaches engage directly with industry, governments and other agencies via consultancy, executive education and events.
Small Business Hub (SBH)
TBS works with small-sized businesses in developing expertise and human potential needed to increase their competitiveness. Building on extensive research into the needs of smaller firms, TBS uses a range of innovative tools and techniques to appraise all aspects of a company. TBS approach provides unbiased views of each business and identifies possible changes required, making the best use of scarce human potential.
TBS designs methods that enable companies to:
develop human potential and capabilities
assess current and future strengths and weaknesses and the changes needed to improve competitiveness
prioritise the areas that need to be focused
identify the basis on which they should compete
develop appropriate strategy for the future
produce a practical action plan to build the capabilities needed
Managers in smaller companies have very little time to spare from running their businesses. TBS approach has therefore been designed to be straightforward, efficient and results-oriented, using the minimum level of time and resources. TBS methods could contribute in three ways:
through industrial training workshop and consultation
by experienced facilitators working directly with the company
through tailored education programs
TBS takes a collaborative approach, working closely with each company in order to transfer know-how and build capabilities. The interventions result in improved financial performance, strengthened capabilities and increased operational performance.
KRA: setting-up of Small Business Hub in 9 months, forming of high caliber team of small business consultation, increased suitable program/event for small businesses, increased number of satisfied small businesses, number of small businesses helped, customer satisfaction, performance improvement of small businesses, increased income generated from helping small businesses, on-going improvement of effective industrial training workshop and consultation, On-going improvement of professor/lecturer capability to serve the small businesses, on-going improvement of tailored education program for small businesses, etc.
KPI: analyzing effectiveness of tailored education program, introduced new industrial program every 6 months, number of small firms contacted, number of meetings, presentations, proposal to small firms, number of workshops organized, number of small firms participated in training workshop, etc.
Public Sector Support Group (PCSG)
TBS works with governments to develop policies to support innovation and strong industrial growth. TBS helps public sectors via tailored consultancy engagements and executive education courses.
Policy implementation: Facilitating the development of intervention programs to achieve defined policy outcomes, based on stakeholder engagement and international best practice. TBS helps to enhance implementation capabilities of the public sector.
Technology strategy: Identifying technologies required to deliver future societal and market needs to inform the prioritisation of research and investment:
TBS can help governments to support the growth of manufacturing SMEs by:
developing strategies for business support programmes
providing education, tools and mentoring to support the development of manufacturing business support agencies
KRA: setting-up the PCSG in 9 months, number of consultation projects completed, customer satisfaction of quality of projects, income generated from PCSG consultation projects and education courses, etc.
KPI: number of agency contacted, number of agency participated, etc.
Economies, Social and Industrial Support Team (ESIST)
Many developing countries seek to grow the industrial sector of their economies to provide dignified employment for an expanding population and to generate economic growth. TBS helps the emerging economies to develop: strategies and policies to build competitive industries; education programs to enhance leadership and capabilities; and business support programs to support innovation, employment and growth
KRA: setting-up the ESIST in 9 months, involvement in economics/social/industrial planning, number of proposal completed, number of proposal implemented, effectiveness of the proposal strategies and methods, etc.
KPI: number of discussion/meetings/presentation
Business Managers Club (BMC)
Educating business managers
TBS is educating business and technical leaders. Working with the industrialists, TBS develops postgraduate and industry education programs, designed to deliver the range of knowledge, skills and capabilities needed to support industrial development.
KRA: setting-up the BMC in 9 months, development of effective education program for business managers in 9 months, 500 business managers joined the club in 9 months, customer satisfaction, improved ability to deal with business managers in 9 months, increased number of satisfied business managers, etc.
KPI: number of business managers contacted, number of cold call/presentation/presentation, number of business managers trained this year, 10% increased in membership every year, etc.
SME Community (SMEC)
Forming of the SME community and supporting SMEs businesses
Through SME community concept, TBS will have a close working relationship with SMEs. Members in the community can access to TBS’s operational, technical and strategic expertise, with support geared to the specific needs of small and medium-sized companies. TBS offers practical solutions to industrial problems and help companies gain the knowledge and skills needed to remain competitive in an increasingly global market place. Members of SME community pay a discounted charge for services, training programs and workshops organized by TBS.
Forming of SME Community Networking Groups can:
Keep SMEs informed of key technical and management issues and industry developments.
Enable SMEs meet their peers in an informal setting (usually over dinner at a University events) to facilitate business relationships.
KRA: setting-up SMEC in 9 months, forming of SME problem solving team in 9 months, improved capability of professor/lecturer in 9 months, development of SME management toolbox in 9 months, increased number of satisfied SMEs, etc.
KPI: number of SMEs contacted, number of cold call/meeting/presentation, number of SME trained/consulted this year, 10% increased in membership every year, etc.
Industrial War-Game (IWG)
Industrial war-game is designed to improve industrial relevant of students’ case study projects. There is a range of opportunities for companies to become involved in the student projects. The host company benefits from the input of a very high calibre student, or team of students and will receive a report and presentation on the project at its completion.
All project opportunities listed here are undertaken as part of taught academic courses delivered by the TBS. The projects make valuable contributions to the learning of students undertaking an MBA.
Students will typically undertake the project at a company location, which for practical purposes needs to be based in Malaysia.
KRA: setting-up IWG in 9 months, designing IWG project in 9 months, frequency of organizing the IWG, improved students capability through IWG, etc.
KPI: number of activities that lead to the launching and organizing of IWG, number of IWG organized, number of students trained, etc.
GLC Service and Support (GLCSS)
TBS aims to build human potential and capabilities in GLC. TBS can help with the critical need of GLC by studying and consulting GLC. TBS works closely with GLC in a complex corporate environment.
KRA: setting-up of GLCSS in 9 months, improved ability to deal with GLC, frequency and quality of services/support provided to GLC, increased number of satisfied GLC, number of GLC service/support project completed, etc.
KPI: number of GLC contacted, number of meeting/presentation, etc.
Executive Education (EED)
Executive education courses develop new capabilities for companies to deliver business benefits. TBS configures tailored made programs to meet the specific needs of the community and industries. TBS works closely with the industries, making extensive use of experiential and problem based learning as well as making extensive use of relevant case studies. Programs and workshops can be delivered wherever is deemed most appropriate to the needs of the industries.
KRA: setting-up of EED in 9 months, number of EED courses organized, number of firms participated/helped, etc.
KPI: number of firms approached, number of meeting/presentation, etc.
Corporate Development Program (CDP)
TBS assists companies to grow and to increase their competitiveness, and thereby helps industry to create wealth more effectively. TBS team can conduct a training needs analysis. TBS can then provide in-depth development and mentoring to recommended personnel at appropriate levels to ensure that needs are addressed. TBS can also provide one-to-one coaching on specific strategic and operational issues, and longer-term mentoring support for leaders and potential leaders in the industries.
KRA: setting-up CDP in 9 months, number of CDP projects completed, etc.
KPI: number of firms approached, number of meeting/presentation, etc.
Knowledge Transfer Program (KTP)
KTP helps industries in three ways:
raise industrial performance using academic knowledge and expertise
develop graduates through challenging business improvement projects
develop long term industrial-academic relationships
The TBS does this by:
helping to raise the skill base of community and industry;
developing innovative tools and techniques; and
transferring know-how to the community and industry.
KRA: setting-up KTP in 9 months, number of firms involved increased, etc.
KPI: number of firms approached, number of meeting/presentation, etc.
New Human Management Centre (NHMC)
A new human management centre is designed to foster world class research in human governance. The centre works closely to develop Easter value in management such as Confucian, Taoism, etc. Its also help enhancing human ‘six sense’ in management. It needs to encourage close collaboration between the researchers and practitioners to realise this objective.
KRA: set-up the NHMC within 10 months. Set-up small group to discuss various human issues in management. Staffing the centre.
KPI: stages of setting up the centre must be monitored. A schedule of how the centre should be set up.
Services to SMEs
TBS develops tools, educational programs, and consultancy work to support and service SMEs. This can be done in the form of a SME Business Support Agency. The agency develops a structured, flexible, and SME-appropriate method for SME. The purpose is to identify and prioritise the key issues facing the business and develop appropriate, prioritised action plans.
The agency helps the SME to define its:
Aims and mission
Financial and market goals
Basis of competition
Plans for implementation
The agency helps in capability assessment
The purpose of the agency is to diagnose the causes of under-performance of, and enable the development of an action plan to improve, key capabilities.
The agency helps in capability development
The purpose of the agency is to enable SMEs to build effective capabilities aligned with their Business Strategy.
KRA: number of services provided
KPI: number of firms approached, number of meeting/presentation, continuous improvement program, etc.
Corporate Partnership (CP)
As a TBS corporate partner, companies will enjoy a close working relationship with TBS in research, education and practice. Corporate partnerships provide access to strategic, technical and business expertise, geared to the specific needs of large companies. Partnerships are tailored to the needs and interests of each company or business unit. All partners receive the following benefits:
Access to wider industry networks, providing the chance to meet people with similar interests.
Access to a password-protected online resource including research material
Regular electronic newsletter with updates on current issues and the latest research
Invitation to partners' networking events
KRA: developing long term corporate partnership, number of corporate partner, etc.
KPI: number of corporations approached, number of meeting/presentation, etc.
TPS services
TBS provides a wide range of services to the community and industry. It works with companies to address key business issues, providing an external perspective and a structured approach that ensures important decisions are rigorously addressed.
KRA: number of services provided
KPI: number of firms approached, number of meeting/presentation, etc.
Tailored education and training packages
TBS tailor-made training packages help companies to think through the issues to be addressed and develop relevant solutions. It can provide technical and management education using proven tools and techniques. These programs include:
human skills and capability development
in-house courses tailored to each company's needs
long-term professional development programmes
In addition, TBS offers a wide range of workshops, courses and conferences.
KRA: number of packages offered, number of firms benefited, how the firms are benefited, improvement in performance, etc.
KPI: number of firms approached, number of meeting/presentation, etc.
Luncheon Talk in centre of the capital city
TBS organises Luncheon Talk / Morning Talk in the centre of the capital city (KL). ‘Management Today’ is the main theme of this program. It provides free presentations that open to the local business community and all staff and students of TPS. ‘Management Today’ introduces participants to many aspects of management and provides networking opportunities over refreshments.
KRA: number of luncheon talk organized, number of participants, benefits gained from the participants, customer satisfaction, etc.
KPI: number of firms approached, number of meeting/presentation, etc.
TEACHING
A distinctive approach in TBS
Linking teaching to practice
TBS takes a distinctive approach to link teaching to real industrial practice by carrying out practical teaching methodology (SCL, PBL, workshop) to enhance capability, including:
· Promoting the current ‘human focus’ in management that promote Eastern value and culture in management
· Maintaining a high level of community/industrial involvement
· Developing and promoting a coherent view of manufacturing and service business from both the strategic and operation perspectives
· Creating human oriented tools and techniques to improve the operational performance of manufacturing and service businesses
· Pursuing the application of latest technology in support of the management and development of innovative new products and services
· Growing the body of knowledge in management to facilitate the shift from labour-intensive economy to knowledge- or capital-intensive economy
· Producing managers (at undergraduates, postgraduates, and post-experience levels) that are outstanding, down-to-earth, and practically oriented people.
Human, Equipment, and Environmental Interface
In TBS, students study the design, installation, and improvement of integrated systems of human, machine, and workplace by drawing upon specialised knowledge and skills in the physical, behavioural and social sciences, together with the principles and methods of management to specify, predict, and evaluate the results to be obtained from such systems.
Focus on a real world perspective rather than on an academic disciplinary perspective.
In TBS, students focus on building theory from practice. The academic boundary distinctions among multiple disciplines will gradually disappear and migrate to a setting that is defined by business processes rather than discipline. What is important to us is our impact on business results rather than on particular disciplines. The diverse disciplinary theories, concepts, and knowledge becomes valuable when it is applied and we see its instrumentality for achieving positive business results.
MBA program at TBS is industrially oriented
The course content of MBA at TBS is putting theory into practice. In our MBA course, students develop invaluable skills in leadership, problem solving, team working, communication which ensure they are highly valued by future employers (the industry). The MBA course demands hard work, teamwork and initiative. The course generates a high level of capability, resulting in a strong individual.
In addition to taught courses, students have to take part in a major project that enables them to develop a detailed business plan. Students also benefit from a series of structured industrial visits and skills sessions to develop professional and leadership skills.
MBA students are also trained with practical exercises with industry-based projects. Students are working in small groups on a wide range of real problems
The MBA program in TBS is not just an academic course. The emphasis is on learning by doing and students will be solving real problems in live industrial situations.
Practical Students Projects
Practical Students Projects work in collaborating companies takes up 30% of the course and forms the backbone of MBA. Subject areas range from finance, marketing to human potential development. Each project deals with a live issue relevant to the company. The work is supervised by the company concerned and students behave as if you were a company employee. At the end of each project the student group explains its findings in a formal presentation and follows this up with a comprehensive written report.
Company Visits
Company Visits are carefully chosen either to relate to a specific topic or to give a general view of an industrial process.
A typical company visit includes:
a presentation by the company, covering its background history, markets, strategy and operations;
a talk related to the current course module or to the company's special area of expertise;
a factory tour;
a question and answer session with the company management.
By the end of the course students will have built up the expertise to walk around a factory and assess areas of strengths and weaknesses in its operations related to its particular industry sector.
Industrial Projects
The course aims to combine theory with the application of this theory through a series of structured industrial projects.
One week Industrial project
Early in the course, students in groups of about eight take part in one week industrial project in a company. The project teaches them how to gather and process information in a company, and how to generate and present a coherent picture, both as an oral presentation and as a written report.
Two weeks Industrial project
Students in groups work in a company for periods of two weeks to solve a real problem. An academic staff oversees the project and has regular contact with the students, and they have a supervisor in the company, but they are expected to be self-sufficient to a high degree.
Four weeks Industrial project
Upon completion of the two week project, students pursue on a four week project. This is generally in a different sector to the two week project, and aims to enable the team to tackle a more substantial, often strategic, issue.
Management Skills Development Project
The skills development project is a structured series of practical workshops designed to develop some of the personal skills critical for success in industry and related employment.
Contents
The skills program is delivered via a series of workshops. Typical sessions include:
Business communications: the essential principles underlying all successful communication, stressing particularly the importance of structure, clarity and logical development and substantiation of the argument.
Executive Presentation: building on the communications session this workshop addresses the specific skills needed to make successful presentations to groups of people.
Project Management: much of business is increasingly conducted by people working in flexible project teams. This session addresses the fundamental skills and processes to ensure successful implementation.
Time Management: the skills and processes used to help determine priorities and to set personal objectives in busy, complex work environments.
Teams-work: this session focuses on understanding and identifying the different skills, personalities and motivations which individuals bring to a team, and the ways in which they can be harnessed to optimum effect.
Human potential development: in this session, students are developing capability beyond their normal capability. They are trained to dare to go beyond the limit.
Major project
The Major Project aims to integrate various management areas of the course. The main components of the project are the development of a viable solution to a genuine problem or issue, in tandem with understanding the market and producing a comprehensive business plan. The business also includes a detailed analysis of the financial viability of the product.
On completion, students should have:
applied their skills to solve technical and managerial problems
applied their skills to develop solutions which are fit for the intended users, appropriately styled and clearly explained visually
explored issues relating to environmental, economic and social
gained experience in market
applied their knowledge in financial analysis to develop a robust business model for their proposed business plans
developed their skills in producing a compelling and believable business plan
Covering a wide range of industrial sectors
Throughout the MBA course, students visit 20 firms, representing a diverse sector of industry in Malaysia. This may include electronics and electrical, telecommunication, computer, automotive, food processes, furniture, and FMCG.
Expected learning outcomes
On completion, students should be able to:
Demonstrate a broad understanding of the sectoral nature of the industry in Malaysia.
Critically describe the organisation and practices in selected companies in particular sectors.
Compare the organisations and practices to the taught content of MBA.
Critically assess a business or industry
RESEARCH
Practical research that focuses on Eastern values
The field of Management is undergoing a fundamental change from focusing on Western philosophy and tools to Eastern values and human systems. The recognition of human potential from the Eastern value perspective has led to a greatly increased interest in research.
Conceptual research
TBS aims to develop an appropriate debate and to assist managers in meeting the challenges in today’s global environment. Thus, we believe it is necessary to conduct research that is not immediately linked to commercial practicality: theory building. Such research is typically conducted in collaboration with industrial partners. Sometimes, such research must be done without the constraints of immediate practicality. In addition, the centre will also focus on the most recent research trend and especially in rapidly developing areas. Such research will focus on contemporary management issues and to ensure that radical concepts are tested in the field with the industrialists and then debated in conferences with the academic communities. Examples of these radical concepts that evolve recently are Confucian’s philosophy of administration, human governance, Eastern management system.
Supervision of postgraduate research
TBS provides supervision of research project for Masters and PhD programs for those who wish to pursue their studies to a more advanced level. The research aims to achieve the highest quality outputs and thus a highly selected group of graduate students embark on research work which integrates management studies with engineering, finance, economics, marketing, human resource, computer sciences, and other technology and science related disciplines. In addition, TBS also organises a wide range of research related activities, such as conferences, industrial-academic collaboration workshops, academic forums, research group discussion sessions, etc. to assimilate the students into our research community and enhance our research culture.
Areas of research - working towards better performance through exploring human potential in the following research topics:
i. Balanced scorecard
ii. Strategic roadmapping
Researching balanced scorecard
Balanced scorecard (BSC) has been widely used in today’s businesses. However, a recent phenomenon in soft aspect of management has forced industrial managers to improve their companies’ competitive advantage through considering various human potential and capabilities in adopting Western tools and systems.
Currently, there is considerable interest in balanced scorecard among academics and practitioners from the Easter communities. The practitioners have tried various performance measurement tools developed by consultants and their own management teams to measure the success of their business. However, the failure remained high. Research is needed to explore human potential and capability that can enrich the Western designed balanced scorecard system.
Balanced Scorecard is defined as the process of quantifying the efficiency and effectiveness of purposeful action (Neely et al., 1996). BSC has been widely used by senior managers as a mean to monitor business performance, checking progress and investigating areas for improvement (Gunasekaran et al., 2001). Few managers have also used performance measurement to access business health, stimulate learning, and improve communications (Neely et al., 1996). As a result, BSC remains a powerful management tool in industrial organisations today.
Traditional BSC systems are highly influenced by the used of financial and non-financial measures, such as Return on Investment (ROI). The performance measures developed from costing and accounting systems have been heavily criticised in the literature (Banks and Wheelwright, 1979; Fry and Cox, 1989; Hall, 1983; Hayes and Garvin, 1982). The financial measures discussed in these texts were regarded as promoting short term benefits and encouraging local optimisation. They rather emphasise on minimising variance rather than continuous improvement (Johnson and Kaplan 1987; Lynch and Cross, 1991). In addition, these financial measures have also been criticised for lack of strategic focus and long term competitive advantage (Kaplan and Norton, 1992; Skinner, 1974). Brewer and Speh (2000) defended that ultimately companies must succeed in their financial performance. They recognise that the financial measures can be conceptualised as a system of check and balance. They further argued that success in non-financial measures does not guarantee financial success and non-financial performance without financial success is a signal of flawed strategy. They remind top level managers to avoid this flawed understanding and start questioning the argument that non-financial indicators drive financial success. In an attempt to overcome different criticisms, improved performance measurement systems have been developed by many researchers to reflect different views from different levels in the organisation (Cross and Lynch, 1988-89), to link final results with their determinants (Fitzgerald et al, 1991), and to provide a more balanced view between financial and non-financial measures (Kaplan and Norton, 1993; Keegan et al., 1989). As a result, managers are turning to focus on key performance indicators (KPI) that combined both the financial and non-financial dimensions.
The development of a balanced performance measurement system in a company plays an important role in formulating and clarifying plans and strategies and setting targets for employees, project teams and business units (Neely et al., 1996). A balanced performance measurement system should also ensure that a limited and manageable number of key performance measures are used. This trend has resulted in the development of many performance measurement systems, such as a balanced scorecard, which is based on the assumption that a firm’s measurement system should enable its managers to answer the following questions:
· How do we look to our shareholders (financial perspective)?
· What must we excel at (internal business perspective)?
· How do our customers see us (customer perspective)?
· How can we continue to innovate and create value (innovation and learning perspective)?
Balanced scorecard developed by Kaplan and Norton (1996) from Harvard Business School is particularly preferred among the American’s executives and is being widely promoted in the Asia Pacific region.
The identification of a research gap
In general, BSC have been focused on the hard aspect of scientific management. It is lacking in terms of the soft aspect of management such as the human potential, capability, value, and integrity.
The full value of Balanced Scorecard can hardly be realised if it is used in a wrong way. It requires a feature that can build-in the process into the organisation’s daily operating system and integrate with human and organisation as a whole system. The balanced scorecard could work well under a specific environmental context, e.g. values, culture, etc. in order for it to work in an organic organisational context. In this sense, it is believed that the ‘soft’ aspect of management such as human potential issues is important but was neglected by the Western concept. Thus, a research is needed to refine the existing balanced scorecard system.
Balanced scorecard system over emphasised on the hard aspect of KPI and KRA mechanism ignoring other key processes such as human potential management. A lack of focused on the human potential management such as the cultural environment, teamwork, value, human potential and other soft system issues could reduce the effectiveness of the system and always resulted in discontinuity of usage, misuse and low performance.
A potential solution is to fit the process into the current organisational system organically. An organic organisation has less mechanistic design and contained more consideration on human social’s needs (Burns and Stalker, 1961). A consideration of how to integrate the process into the people’s system is vital. From a top-down perspective, the top-level managers imposed the process but may not be followed by the lower level personnel. From a bottom-up perspective, where the evidences of success to be communicated upwards and horizontally in an organisation, but could be time consuming. Combining top-down and bottom-up approaches could improve the success rate of people and process integration. In addition, the value of human potential working in multi-management layer team is not fully realised in the balanced scorecard system. Thus, a proper human development step that involved capability development of operational personnel should be incorporated into the system. As a result of the weaknesses of the balanced scorecard, further research and development of the system is required.
In this proposal, I suggest an improved process that incorporated the ‘soft’ aspect of the human potential management issues such as values, culture, intuition, team-building features. In this sense, the existing balanced scorecard system is enriched with the soft aspect of human resource management and developed into a more organic system that suit human nature. These are the necessary steps to fully realise the benefits of the process and bring the system forward.
Researching strategic roadmapping
The issue of technology management is becoming increasingly important and critical in delivering competitive advantage to companies. The effective management of technology requires appropriate methods or systems such as a strategic roadmapping technique, which can support the development and implementation of integrated strategic business, product and technology plans. A gap is identified within a few implementation problems of the process in practical settings, especially concerning human resource management issues. A research is needed to overcome the problems and fill this gap.
The management of technology is becoming increasingly important in today global competitive environment (Gaynor, 1996). However, there is lack of effective tools for effective technology management. Consequently many technological investment projects, such as on robotics, computer integrated manufacturing, and flexible manufacturing systems had failed (Gregory, 1995). The failure is not due to the technologies itself, but because the interfaces between technology and human. As a result, companies today are aware of the importance of technology strategy and concern about how to deploy and manage technology and human interfaces to support the goals of the business. Clearly, there is a need to understand the potential of existing and new technologies, integrate and exploit human potential to provide new capabilities, products and process in the context of business and corporate strategy. Furthermore in a fast changing technological age, the frequent interaction between human, manufacturers and scientists to provide innovative capabilities is getting important. Periodical technological review may be changing from annual to day-to-day basis. Companies’ managers need to build-in the technology management process into their daily operating system and routine in order to ensure critical changes are closely monitored. In order to do that, there is an increasing industrial focus on management tools or methods that can satisfy the above needs. An important aspect of such a method is that it encourages collective discussion among managers from different functional departments such as commercial and technology, and linkages between technology resources and company objectives. A technology roadmap process is an example of such a method that can be used for exploring and communicating the linkages between technological resources, company products, and business requirement.
Current issues and challenges within the technology roadmap process
Based on a literature survey on TRM process application that facilitated by the T-plan in various industries, a few implementation issues were reviewed and analysed. These can be summarised in the following points:
1. Many companies had stopped using the process after having tried it for just once, and the reasons are not well understood.
2. It is difficult to keep the record up-to-date on an ongoing basis.
3. It is difficult at the initial start-up stage of the process.
4. It is difficult to build a comprehensive and robust roadmap.
5. There are too many alternative roadmap formats available, the selection criteria are not well understood and the used of tacit knowledge in selection is more preferred over codified knowledge causing difficulty in understanding how one format is better over another.
6. The process was facilitated by experienced and well trained academics from the university. Industrial managers who participated in the research had not initially equipped with the relevant process knowledge, and thus a knowledge gap exist which caused misinterpretation and confusion.
7. In addition to the 6 above, there is lack of formal education procedures in the process as a result the managers took time to grasp the fundamental concepts of new knowledge.
The identification of a research gap
The full value of TRM process can only be realised if it is used continuously and the information is kept current. This requires a feature that can build-in the process into the organisation’s daily operating system. A careful consideration to add this feature is important to ensure the process could integrate with other parts of the organisation, compliment with other systems, and work well under a specific environmental context, e.g. values, culture, etc. in order for it to be used on an ongoing basis. In this sense, it was believed that the ‘soft’ aspect of the technology roadmap process such as human potential issues is important but was neglected by the Western model. Thus, a research is needed to refine the existing roadmapping process.
For example, top-level managers’ support and involvement could enhance enthusiasm for use of the process, ensure resources are made available, improve involvement and workshop attendance, and removed administrative and other barriers. The existing TRM process brought together people from marketing/commercial and technology functions, but not top-level managers. As a result, the danger of the process was that it would be done in isolation of the needs of the company. The process may resulted in many impressive technology roadmaps and potential strategies but either irrelevant to the business needs or neglected by the management. Due to low involvement, the management lack of understanding of their roles and positions and resulted in lack of interests and delayed necessary actions identified by the process. Consequently, it is difficult to build-in the process into the existing company system and use it on an ongoing basis.
For another example, linking operational issues to strategic making process has been important but far too often the TRM process over emphasised on the hard aspect of visible coordination and information sharing ignoring other key processes such as human resource management. A lack of focused on the human resource management such as the cultural environment, teamwork, value, human potential and other soft system issues could reduce the effectiveness of the process and always resulted in discontinuity of usage. That was the reason why ownership of the process output, i.e. roadmap, is critical. Phaal et al (2004) suggested using a well-trained person to manage the TRM process in order to increase process ownership however it has not been proven successful. A potential solution is to fit the process into the current organisational system organically. An organic organisation has less mechanistic design and contained more consideration on human social’s needs (Burns and Stalker, 1961). A consideration of how to integrate the process into the people’s system is vital. From a top-down perspective, the top-level managers imposed the process but may not be followed by the lower level personnel. From a bottom-up perspective, where the evidences of success to be communicated upwards and horizontally in an organisation, but could be time consuming. Combining top-down and bottom-up approaches could improve the success rate of people and process integration. In addition, the value of human potential working in multi-management layer team is not fully realised in the TRM process. Thus, a proper team-building step that involved top-level managers with operational personnel should be incorporated into the process. As a result of the weaknesses of the TRM process, further development of the process is required.
In general, key benefits of strategic roadmapping technique are the sharing of knowledge and the development of a common vision of where the company is going. These benefits can hardly be obtained by the Western process that facilitated by a prescript and ‘hard’ approach, i.e. T-plan alone. The process needs to be integrated with the ‘soft’ aspects of management such as human resource management issues. Among the issues identified in this text are the top-level managers’ involvement and support, multi-disciplinary and -management layers team building step, training, and post-process arrangement. However, the existing TRM process has been successfully tested in a number of industries and poses some useful experiences and a few important features. Thus, grounded on the existing TRM process, I suggest a new way of seeing the problem that incorporating the ‘soft’ aspect of human potential management into the process to make it a better approach.
In this proposal, I suggest an improved process that incorporated the ‘soft’ aspect of the human potential management issues such as values, culture, intuition, team-building features, the top-level management involvement, and the post-process arrangement. In this sense, the existing TRM process is enriched with the soft aspect of human resource management and developed into a more organic and flexible system that suit human nature.
