Convergence of judgments in technological innovation audit: A case study application in a sheet metal processing equipment manufacturer

As part of their technology strategy formulation, firms need ways to evaluate their internal technological innovation capability more effectively. Traditionally, staff meetings with personnel involved in the innovation process are used to manage the implementation of these self-assessments. The effectiveness of these meetings may be compromised by the presence of dominant personalities, by time pressures, or by bias imposed through organizational hierarchy. In this study, a technological innovation audit that encourages participation of the staff involved in innovative developments is proposed. The audit is composed of a list of statements aimed at assessing the capability of a firm to make such technological innovations. The audit is online for a predefined period of time, allowing participants to answer anonymously, make comments and check other participants' answers. They then repeat the process, altering answers as desired, as in an adapted Real Time Delphi survey. This new form of audit has been tested in a medium-sized producer of sheet metal processing equipment, and has proven to be a useful approach in firms with no formal innovation department or team. It provides a solid basis for the identification of inner strengths and weaknesses in the technological innovation process, and also offers a bottom up view free from social pressures.