The 15th Edge Debate: 11th December 2002

Innovation: is there a business process?

The case for the business process has been powerfully made with the recent Fairclough Review - re-thinking construction innovation and research. Critically this differentiates between innovation and research and yet for most of us this is still a lesson we need to learn. Fairclough's own experience in the computer industry is that innovation is the driving force behind the business.

If we are to respond to our customers' expectations for performance improvement, as articulated by Peter Rogers's Strategic Forum, then we will need to be innovative. This cannot be delivered as an ad hoc process and needs to be managed as part of our core business processes.

Invited speakers were:

Paper 1:

Richard Saxon - Director BDP, Chairman, BE

Paper 2: The TROX Route for Innovation

David Leatherbarrow - MD Trox GmbH, UK and South-East Asia

Paper 3:

Mike Murray - Visiting Professor in Innovation in Design and Construction, Loughborough University

The debate was chaired by Michael Dickson, Chairman, Buro Happold and the newly appointed Chairman of NewCRISP who has been charged with the implementation of the Fairclough Recommendations.

Action points generated on the night.