Innovative Solutions Critical to the Survival and Success of Federal Agencies and Their Contractors

INNOVIM today announced that the new Vice President of Business Development, William Harris, will present a research paper titled “Incremental Innovation and Risk: A Balancing Act for Federal Contractors” at the upcoming Engaged Management Scholarship Conference to be held in September, in Tampa, Florida.

Competitive Advantage
Competitive Advantage

The research work examines why there are deterrents to implementation of innovative solutions even though they have been found to be a critical factor for the success of both federal agencies and their contractors. Mr. Harris’s study found that this was due to the following issues:

· Initial and ongoing federal projects face cost-reduction pressures
· Contractors/contracting companies must attain sufficient margins and ensure competitive advantage
· Public and private innovation approaches have differing drivers and benefits

The paper points out that incremental or evolutionary innovation, conceptualized along a continuum works well for ongoing or sustainment activities. However, radical innovation may pose unacceptable risks for both federal agencies and contractors in such situations. Success hinges on managers taking deliberate action, accepting levels of uncertainty, and encouraging a risk-taking climate. Mr. Harris uncovers the interrelationship challenges that are characterized and explained through underlying theories and translated into a practical framework.

The Engaged Management Scholarship Conference is a premier international conference for doctoral students, alumni, academics and practitioners involved in practice-inspired evidence-based research.

William Harris has a wealth of experience as a Business Development Executive Director, Capture Manager, Six Sigma Champion & Master Expert (Black Belt), Program Manager, and Systems & Software Engineer. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics/Computer Science from Missouri State University, a Masters degree in Business Administration (Engineering Management) from the University of Dallas, and is currently a Doctoral candidate in Engineering Management from the University of Maryland University College.