Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | H | Human Resource Planning

Innovation at Whirlpool: embedment and sustainability.

Article Excerpt
At the 2004 HRPS Corporate Sponsor Forum, Nancy Tennant Snyder teamed with Gary Hamel to present the innovation story at Whirlpool Corporation. At the time, Dr. Snyder was Whirlpool's Corporate Vice President of Core Competencies and Leadership Development and Global Vice President of Innovation. Dr. Hamel was a visiting professor of Strategic and International Management at the London Business School, chairman of Strategos, and director of the Woodside Institute. In 2006, Dr. Snyder returned to the HRPS stage, this time at the Annual Global Conference in Tucson, Arizona. Her topic: the sustainability of a large-scale innovation initiative. The business roadway is littered with stalled projects, but Whirlpool is still on the innovation track--requiring hard work and a huge ongoing commitment to stay the course.

Whirlpool is the largest worldwide appliance maker. With 80,000 employees, it manufactures such brands as KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Maytag, Roper, Bauknecht, and is the leading supplier for Kenmore. The company was most recently in the news for its acquisition of Maytag. Its 2005 revenue totaled over $14 billion, with sales up 8 percent over 2004. It leads an $80 billion industry as number 1 in global share and number I as a global brand.

2004: Beginning and Embedding

Whirlpool's innovation journey began in 1999 and was driven by the concept of embedding innovation as a competency everywhere and in everyone. Company leaders...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!