October 2015 07 Pete Hoffman Vice president Intellectual Property Management Novel ideas matter In a fiercely competitive global marketplace, innovative solutions from employees can be the difference The competition is fierce. Our customers tell us we need to help them succeed in changing markets and environments full of competitive challenges. They want more value, capability and reliability, and they want it more quickly and more affordably, and with more certainty of delivery. And if we don’t provide it, others will. This requires innovation. And that’s more than just a good idea, or even bringing a good idea to life. Innovation means combining the diverse talent on the Boeing team with the broad-ranging requirements our customers have, and using our intellectual capital to create gamechanging products and services that make the world better. According to independent evaluators, Boeing’s intellectual property portfolio is one of the top, if not the best, in the business of aerospace and defense. We’ve worked hard over the past 99 years to get to this point, and we intend on strengthening this legacy. Innovation is much more than creating something new or better. What we create must be “captured,” or documented, and protected, so we own and control that innovation. Then, worksites have created inventions that helped improve their processes—and that merited seeking patent protection. Boeing may be known across the world for its engineering marvels, but this story demonstrates that novel and valuable ideas can come from anyone and everyone. It also reflects the power of working as “One Boeing,” where colleagues work across geographical and organizational barriers to develop better solutions that lead to higher-quality, safer, faster, more effective and more affordable products, services and processes. Our customers have been speaking. We are listening. It’s not going to be easy, but all of us at Boeing must continue to look hard for the answers. And the more we learn from one another, the easier it becomes. Every day, each one of us is faced with at least a few big challenges. Technical or not, turn to your co-workers first for solutions. Search the Boeing Web or ask a question on inSite. If you’ve figured out a novel solution, capture it by filing an invention disclosure. Or if you’ve already got a solution that you think might work for another program, reach out to that program. The value of your solution could make a world of difference for Boeing—and its ability to compete in its second century—in the fiercely competitive world marketplace. n photo: Bob ferguson | Boeing what makes an idea truly valuable is how widespread it is adopted and can be replicated. Invention combined with replication not only drives innovation but also strengthens competitiveness. It works something like this: If you run into a problem, chances are good that someone at the company already has figured out a solution. If not, and you come up with a novel approach or idea, that’s great. It’s called an invention. And chances are someone else around Boeing might run into the same problem and would benefit from your invention. When that teammate uses your idea to solve a problem, that’s when replication happens. The ability to reuse solutions is an important characteristic that helps set a large, diverse company like Boeing apart from others. We come up with ideas to grind away at difficult challenges and exciting opportunities alike, each step improving upon the last one. Through the process we make a difference in the world. Our breadth and depth of expertise is one of our competitive advantages. This issue of Frontiers features an article about how people at production Leadership Message
Frontiers October 2015 Issue
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