Yang-Yang Zhao

A framework for benchmarking competency assessment models

This paper discusses the need for competent systems engineers, the differences between nine current ways of assessing competencies competency models and the difficulty of comparing the competency models due to the different ways each model groups the competencies. The paper then introduces a competency model maturity framework CMMF for benchmarking competency models of systems engineers. The paper benchmarks the nine models using the CMMF and a surprising finding was an error of omission in all nine models. The paper shows that the CMMF can also be used as the basis for developing an original model for a specific organization in a specific time and place and concludes with suggestions for future research. ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 15

Simplifying solving complex problems

Perceptions of complexity from the Holistic Thinking Perspectives (HTP) [3] indicate that there is a dichotomy on the subject of how to solve the problems associated with complex systems. While some authors opine the need for new tools and techniques to solve the problems, others show the same problems being remedied successfully. This paper examines the situation, discusses and resolves the dichotomy with reference to the Hitchins-Kasser-Massie Framework (HKMF) and the HTPs. Building on prior work the paper then maps the management of complex problems that seems to work in the real world into a notional process. The paper concludes that (1) complexity can be, and is being, managed successfully if the correct paradigms are applied and (2) the various single-pass processes for solving non-complex systems are subsets of the existing Multiple-Iteration Problem-Solving Process.

Technology licensing and innovation performance: evidence from Chinese latecomers in high-tech industries

As a catalyst for endogenous technological change, inward technology licensing (ITL) can improve a firm’s innovation performance. This paper investigates the effect of learning by licensing and choice of licensed-in technologies on innovation performance. We extend the ITL strategy to the latecomer context, addressing two critical factors: (1) number of licenses and (2) age of licensed-in technology. We hypothesize about the relationship of the licensee’s innovation performance with the number of licenses and age of licensed-in technology, as well as the moderating effect of the licensee’s absorptive capacity. Based on a sample of 154 Chinese high-tech firms, empirical evidence is found in support of our arguments. This study is the first to consider the significance of the age of licensed-in technology to innovation performance and found that the number of licenses has a curvilinear (an inverted U) relationship with innovation performance. We also confirmed the significant moderating effect of absorptive capacity on the above two relationships.

Developing the stakeholder requirements definition process — A journey of customization

Although high oil prices have attributed bad habits in a matter of “doing things right” rather than “doing the right things” in subsea productions, a continuous price drop renewed the need for cost cutting in recent years. This has been the case for subsea companies, where previous research found significant cost and schedule overruns due to late design changes. A large amount of these late design changes has been a result of poor understanding of stakeholder needs in the early phase of the requirement engineering. To address this issue, we firstly investigated the case subsea companys current practices and found no formal governing process for capturing stakeholder needs and defining them as requirements. We then adopted the systems engineering theory from requirement engineering, agile engineering and associated ISO 15288 and ISO 29148 standards to customize a stakeholder requirement definition process within the company context. In consideration of the companys existing best practices, we further illustrated the customization in a complex system development using advanced subsea product development as an example.

Wicked problems: Wicked solutions

Wicked Problems are considered impossible to solve using the current problem-solving paradigm. The contribution of this paper is to dissolve the problem of solving Wicked Problems by introducing an alternative paradigm, namely considering Wicked Situations instead of Wicked Problems. This perspective change enables the extremely ill-structured problems in Wicked Situations to be converted to well-structured problems and remedied via iterations of the Multiple-Iteration Problem-Solving Process [1]. The paper ends with a brief discussion on the implications of the paradigm shift to speeding up new product development for complex systems.

Knowledge roadmap across design and engineering: An user-centric didactic approach

A divide between design and engineering in both knowledge management literature and industrial practices has received the renewed attention. The knowledge gap has caused extended usage of resources for tracking the correct information and verifying requirements during a system design or redesign process to date. The late-design changes, due to missing information or new requirements in developing a system, therefore cannot be resolved with agility through existing informational and knowledge management processes. This study tackles the knowledge sharing gap between the two critical knowledge owners-designers and project engineers for systems development. Based on extensive industrial interviews, we firstly captured the essence of the knowledge sharing gap, and then creatively used an user-centric didactic approach to convey their expected information flows into a roadmap for the intended system -the Design Roadmap.

New insight into technology licensing strategy and innovation performance: Evidence from Chinese latecomers in high-tech industries

As a catalyst for endogenous technological change, inward technology licensing can improve firms innovation performance. This paper investigates the effect of learning by licensing and strategic choice of technology licensed in on subsequent innovation performance. We extend the inward technology licensing strategy to the latecomer context, addressing two critical factors: (1) number of licenses and (2) age of technology licensed in. We hypothesize about the relationship of the licensees innovation performance with number of licenses and age of technology licensed in, as well as the moderating effect of the licensees absorptive capability. Based on a sample of 154 Chinese firms from four high-tech industries, empirical evidence is found to support our arguments.