Developing the Innovative Technical Organization – How to Implement a Systems Approach to Strategy

A proven systems approach to driving innovation and strategy in complex technical organizations

The call for corporate innovation is often celebrated in theory, but innovation is rarely achieved at scale within established technical organizations. Developing the Innovative Technical Organization: How to Implement a Systems Approach to Strategy addresses this challenge by exploring how the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) successfully elevated its impact through a rigorously designed and executed strategy system.

The authors, all current or former senior leaders at APL, detail APL’s decade-long journey of strategy development and implementation, from articulating a long-range vision to building a sustainable annual cycle that ensures accountability, alignment, and full enterprise engagement. Rich with practical lessons, cultural insights, and stories of both setbacks and successes, this work goes beyond case anecdotes to present a comprehensive methodology. Written as a strategy guidebook, it will enable readers to adapt this systems approach to their own organizations, ensuring that innovation is not the exception but the expectation.

Applicable to technical organizations across the for-profit, nonprofit, and government sectors, this essential guide to embedding innovation into strategy and sustaining impact in the face of evolving challenges introduces:

• A full-cycle system linking vision, strategy articulation, decision-making, innovation, and accountability processes.
• Methods to align resources with strategic priorities to maximize organizational agility.
• Cultural and communications lessons learned in engaging middle management and staff in innovation initiatives.
• Detailed examples of innovation experiments and their influence on organizational transformation.
• Strategy-driven, innovative results attributed to implementing this systems approach at APL.

Developing the Innovative Technical Organization is a must-read for executives, senior managers, and decision-makers in technical organizations, particularly those seeking to scale innovation and implement strategy in complex environments. It is recommended for graduate-level courses in engineering management, business strategy, and organizational leadership, and is also a valuable reference for consultants and policymakers.

RONALD R. LUMAN, DSc, is a Senior Adviser, former Chief of Staff, and former Assistant Director for Strategy at APL.

TIMOTHY J. GALPIN, PhD, is the former Chief Strategy Officer and Assistant Director for Programs at APL.

JERRY A. KRILL, PhD, is APL’s Assistant Director for Science and Technology and Chief Technology Officer.

ERIK W. JOHNSON, MBA, is APL’s Chief of Staff and former Managing Executive of its Force Projection Sector.

ANN E. KEDIA, MS, is the Chief Communications Officer at APL and former Vice President at T. Rowe Price.

BRIANA D. VECCHIO-PAGÁN, PhD, is Program Manager for Innovation and Collaboration at APL.

With a foreword by Admiral James Stavridis, USN (RET)