Enlightened Experimentation: The New Imperative for Innovation.

Enlightened Experimentation: The New Imperative for Innovation; Stefan Thomke; Harvard Business Review, Feb. 2001, pp. 67-75.

This article, by a Harvard Business School associate professor of technology and operations management, contends that because new technologies are making it

easier than ever to conduct complex experiments cheaply and quickly, companies need to completely rethink the way they conduct their R&D. Stefan Thomke argues that "enlightened experimentation" affects everything, from the development process itself--including the way an R&D organization is structured--to how new knowledge is created. Consequently, companies trying to be more innovative face managerial as well as technical challenges. Drawing on his research in the pharmaceutical, automotive and software industries, Thomke introduces four rules for enlightened experimentation: organize for rapid experimentation; fail early and often, but avoid mistakes; anticipate and exploit early information; and combine new and old technologies.

His article uses examples from Millennium Pharmaceuticals, BMW, IDEO, 3M, Toyota, and Eli Lilly to explain each rule. It also suggests how this system of experimentation will affect other industries and examines the implications for knowledge workers.