Standardize to Innovate...yes you read it right

Fast Company design has useful post on how standardization enables innovation by focusing on the similar, the shared and the common.

Standard Processes
Baptist Health System (BHS) in San Antonio, Texas, became part of an initiative designed by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to reduce costs and increase quality in acute care. A physician-led Clinical Improvement Council for Orthopedic Care at BHS transformed its approach to hip and knee replacement procedures.
Common Goals
Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, instilled a culture inside Apple that had nothing to do with the free-spirited and rebellious self-actualization that its TV and billboard ads proposed. From this surprising conformity, Apple achieves an extraordinary level of innovation and productivity that has transformed not one but several different industries, including computers, music, phone and home electronics.
Common Platforms
By 1970, Black & Decker’s consumer power tool portfolio was a hotchpotch of 122 different models, which between them had 30 different motors, 60 different motor housings and 104 different armatures. Black & Decker decided that it needed to rethink its entire approach to the design and development of its power tool portfolio. The next three years saw a massive reduction in variants, leading to just one motor, a huge reduction in space, facilities, resources and time needed to manage parts and equipment, faster production cycles and retooling times. Motor production labor costs were cut by 85%, armature costs by 80%, and failure rates fell from 6-10% to 1%.
Shared Values
Every potential new employee at the online retailer Zappos.com is screened not just for capabilities and experience but also for likely culture fit. As a new hire, they receive five weeks of training, are immersed in the company’s culture and taught the company’s 10 core values. Commitment to these values is so important to the company that it offers new recruits $4,000 to leave if they don’t share them.
Standard Interfaces
The Picatinny Rail allows soldiers to attach and detach weapon accessories like optics, lasers, bipods, and other hardware to the M-16A1 assault rifle. It has helped to more than double the longevity and functionality of the Armed Forces' standard issue weapons. The common interface provided by the rail has reduced the costs and simplified the logistics of equipping and supporting 1.5 million soldiers and 1.5 million reservists, and increased the rate of innovation and growth in the small arms and accessory industries. Most importantly, the rail has increased the functionality and efficacy of active-duty front line soldiers, providing them with a tool that can meet a variety of both specialized and general needs.