Experimenting in the unknown: lessons from the Manhattan project

Thomas Gillier and Sylvain Lenfle
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Thomas Gillier: MTS - Management Technologique et Strategique - EESC-GEM Grenoble Ecole de Management
Sylvain Lenfle: CRG I3 - Centre de recherche en gestion i3 - X - École polytechnique - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris - Université Paris-Saclay - I3 - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Working paper serie RMT - Grenoble Ecole de Management from HAL

Abstract: Experimentation is of paramount importance in innovation. On this topic, the seminal book of Prof. Thomke entitled "experimentation matters" has received a warm welcome from innovation scholars and practitioners. Unfortunately, the companies still have major difficulties to organize experimentations in situation of high uncertainty. This research aims at verifying the validity of Thomke's principles in such situation. For doing this, this research studies the exemplary experimentations carried out by the Manhattan Project to create the first implosion type fission bomb. Our findings show that the Thomke's organizational principles by are ill adapted to manage experiment in the unknown. In particular, the lack of theoretical knowledge, the crisis of the scientific instruments and the absence of pre-established organizations are critical aspects. Finally, research avenues for experimenting in the unknown are formulated.

Keywords: radical innovation; exploration; project; unknown; expérimentation; innovation radicale; exploration; inconnu. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ino
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