R&D culture change – A case study

Abstract

What follows may be regarded as a part of the unfolding story of the proliferation of statistical engineering and statistical thinking in human endeavors, generally broad but specifically here in industry. Narrated is a case study importantly of organizational culture change, confessedly in microcosm, but nonetheless informative to many who are weary of various degrees of passivity toward the immense potential offered by universal absorbing and acting upon statistical engineering principles. In three short years and in the face of the pandemic, not-invented-here attitudes, and deeply embedded dislikes for matters statistical, the practice of research and development at one R&D organization went from instar to adult. It won’t return. To be sure, there is and always will be room for improvement and further expansion, a statistical engineering characteristic that is both inspiring and challenging. Procedural matters such as initial contacts, some plant trials and quasi-successful training efforts, and eventually design of experiment successes breeding other successes are discussed. More important, however, is the way knowledge of and action on statistical engineering changed the way people work, think, and interact. The statistical engineering problem-solving process was followed throughout.