Revolution or evolution?: The role of knowledge and organization in the establishment and growth of R & D at Corning

Abstract

The rise of R & D, as it is usually told, is a story of revolution: that the coming of science to industry wiped away the irrational patterns of invention and ruthless competition and ushered in a new rational scientific order. However, the history of Corning Incorporated suggests a different view. Rather than being a revolution, R & D evolved over two decades at Corning. During this evolution, Arthur and Alanson Houghton relied on different kinds of knowledge — direct experience, craft skills, as well as science — to create new products and processes.To provide an overview of how different kinds of knowledge can be leveraged for innovation, we draw on Six Sigma methodology to create a SIPOC (Supplier-Input-Process-Output-Customer) diagram of the innovation process. Moreover, to promote innovation, the Houghtons also employed different organizational arrangements including using consultants, employing experts, creating separate companies, and establishing departments inside the company. Eventually, the company did hire scientists and establish a Chemical Department in 1908, but we would argue that this tradition of using different forms of knowledge and experimenting with organizational arrangements preceded the Chemical Department and continues to inform how R & D is practiced today at Corning.