Statistical Leadership in Business and Industry: At the Forefront of Technology

• Activity Number: 270
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 14, 2002 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Quality & Productivity*
• Author(s): William Alexander*+ and David Coleman*+ and Frederick Faltin*+ and Lynne Hare*+
• Affiliation(s): Capital One Financial Corporation and Manufacturing Systems & Technology Platform and Quantitative Management Consulting and Kraft Foods, Inc.
• Keywords: Statistical leadership ; Technology development

Abstract

Statisticians have played key roles in support of key technological advances in business, industrial and research settings. For example, statistically designed experiments have been used in developing and improving many of our modern day products--from new polymers to food products to TV programming. Our changing environment (e.g., the advance of statistically-based initiatives such as Six Sigma, information technology, globalization, the accessibility of massive data sets) present both opportunities and challenges. For example, the increasingly information-technology-based environment enables us to aspire to become key developers in the next generation of products and services. Statisticians need to exercise appropriate leadership in order to be able make significant contributions in this area. The objective of this panel discussion is to provide an assessment of statistical leadership in new technology development. The panelists will share their experiences on topics such as: examples of statistical leadership in technology development; the changes in leadership roles over the past decade; the major forces behind these changes; and lessons learned.