The DNA of a high-performing manufacturing organization : improving operations capability through performance measurement

Abstract

The Broad Institute of MIT, Harvard, and the Whitehead Institute, contains the world's highest-throughput genome sequencing center, which contributed approximately one third of the sequence for the Human Genome Project (HGP) completed in 2003. Broad's Genome Sequencing Operations Group has acquired a cost leadership position within the genome sequencing industry through its competitive advantage in developing and implementing innovative, industrial-scale process technologies. Yet, this group has the opportunity to further improve its position as a leader in the genome sequencing industry by improving its operations capability to levels of world-class manufacturing organizations in other industries. At the highest level, Broad's management team sponsors Leaders for Manufacturing (LFM) internships as a long-term investment to improve the operations capability of its Genome Sequencing Group. Employees at Broad ultimately learn about leading-edge operations tools and principles through their exposure to LFM interns and their projects.

(cont.) While these investments have led to some significant operations improvements, the Genome Sequencing Group has not yet transformed into an organization that strives for operational excellence in the same way that world-class manufacturing organizations do. Thus, the primary goal of this thesis is to provide a methodology to transform the Genome Sequencing Group's culture and catalyze the development of its operations capability. Just as DNA contains the genetic instructions specifying the biological development of an organism, a performance measurement system contains the instructions that guide the development of an entire organization. Performance measurement systems provide the explicit incentive and accountability mechanisms necessary to motivate employees to achieve operational excellence. While training programs and exposure to leading-edge thinking are valid approaches to achieving operations improvements, these limited initiatives are simply not enough. The implementation of a performance measurement system at Broad would significantly enhance the results of Broad's current approach to developing the operations capability of its workforce.