Standardization and innovation: A multipriority approach

Processes standardization is one of the most acceptable practices used to improve performance, including efficiency, quality and the prevention of errors in organization. In order to succeed, organizations must be innovative and also provide high-quality products and services; they must prevent errors from occurring while dealing with time pressure and other resource limitations. This chapter focuses on dual-priority situations involving standardization and innovation and explores ways to reach a balance between those factors. Standardization creates an organizational climate that emphasizes precision, accuracy and focused-oriented processes. Naveh and Erez suggest a simultaneous implementation of contradictory managerial practices that encourage both innovation and standardization. In a longitudinal study, they showed that the implementation of opposing management practices, such as a combination of the ISO 9001 quality management standard and teamwork, enables both innovation and adherence to standardization.