Advanced technology design, people and organisation: experience of Australian industrial collaboration

Examines the experience of Australian industrial collaborative projects. Identifies some of the people and organizational issues which surround the design, development and application of advanced technology. Uses the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s Division of Manufacturing Technology, General Motors-Holden’s Automotive Limited, James Hardie Irrigation and the Hoover Press Shop in Sydney to illustrate the political nature of collaborative projects and to highlight the processes involved in transferring research innovation into programmes of organizational change. Distils five key lessons from the case studies: first, that the design of appropriate technology is more effective when technical and organizational issues are developed and implemented together; second, that account should be taken of the number of geographical locations, size and complexity of proposed projects; third, that continuity of leadership and personnel is important; fourth, that funding arrangements should be clarified from the outset and short-term budget justifications minimized; and fifth, that industrial collaborations require continual interpersonal effort and open communication.