*** 9612126 Azadivar The goal of this project is an in-depth understanding of the social, behavioral and related barriers for small manufacturing companies in managing the innovation process from the conception of an idea to its successful implementation. Based on these findings, techniques will be developed that will assist individuals and organizations in the decisions within the innovation process that require integration of social and behavioral factors as well as financial and technological considerations. These techniques will be evaluated and refined with Manufacturing Learning Center (MLC) members and their impact evaluated on MLC members' innovation process results. The techniques identified through this project will be integrated into the learning experience of the student interns with MLC as well as shared through publications and workshops. This work should offer a broader understanding of the social and behavioral barriers to innovation in small manufacturing firms as well as providing management techniques to minimize these barriers to the innovation process in these types of organizations. ***