Innovation in the Workplace - Coursework Example

Innovation in the Workplace Your Name Institution Date of Submission 1. Introduction A day can hardly pass before you come across this word. It is one of those words that are attracting a lot of attention in the corporate world. It has many advocates both schools and at the work place. “Innovation” is the word. Many reports that are being released in these days encourage people to be innovative. Higher centers of learning are also persuading and doing all they can to develop academicians, as well as, innovators. Innovation is the order of the day. All companies are moving towards that. In this age, a company that will not innovate will not survive the harsh realities of the industry. This research essay will focus on the same topic, “innovation.” It will dig deep into what it is, and why many people are supporting it. By the end of this paper, it the reader should be able to make a decision on whether innovation is something worth fighting for, or not. It is a detailed report that will not leave any stone unturned. 2. Meaning of Innovation It is essential to get the meaning of this word, before going deep into details. What is innovation? Smith, 2003, defines it as a process of creating something new, which has not existed in the past. He says that if anyone can be able to figure out a solution to an existing problem, and come up with his own unique way of solving it, he has innovated (p. 34). Beirne, 2013, does not depute the above definition. However he builds on it by saying that innovation is simply whatever process that leads to a new idea, product, or improves on current ideas and products, leading to a more effective and better situation (p. 137). With these two definitions, one can be able to explain the meaning of innovation in the work place. A simple elucidation would be, innovation in the work place is the creation of new ideas, or products that will result in efficiency and effectiveness in the work place. 3. Innovation in the work place (How to encourage innovation) You may never find a company that will reject innovation in this modern world. Every company is looking for innovative staff. Talent hunting is on the rise as firms try to get hold of the most innovative minds in the world [Wer04]. However, innovation is proving to be more difficult than the common suggestions that have been running their businesses. No looks like it is about to give up; they have realized that employees will become more productive if they are allowed to be innovative, rather than if they are left to continue with the old structured way of thinking. Innovation can succeed in a firm that is ever evolving [Gre03]. On the other hand, people should not over-focus on this subject. It is vital that leaders learn to balance between their investments, goals of the company, and the potential outcome of whatever they are doing. This requires a leader who is not only able to lead people in the right direction, but one who also has the ability to create a combination of talent, focus and processes that will help the company gain a competitive edge in the market. This is not something that can be achieved in a single day. It takes a lot of time to prepare and set the company towards this direction. The following are the major steps that can be taken by leaders to promote and develop innovation in their work place: a. Hire correctly- As much as company advocate for innovation, it should be noted that innovation does not just come from everyone. On the other hand, while many people may innovate, not all innovations may turn out to be relevant o the company’s business. Companies should hence focus on hiring people who are talented to specific fields, which are related to the business of the firm [Mar13]. Such people are more likely to innovate in those fields, than anyone else. Passion should also be considered during hiring. Many innovators build up on their passions. They always come up with solutions after spending a lot of time doing whatever they enjoy doing. b. Create a structured mind of innovation- Many people have argued that structured mind sets are the main killers of innovation [Ins13]. This is a misconception. The only way to measure success is through structured way of thinking. Employees that are structured towards innovation will spend more time thinking about it, than those that are not [Mar13]. Companies should look for ways to influence the psychology of their staff towards desiring innovation. c. Motivate People- If employees are not motivated in their work, they will see no reason for innovation. Leaders should learn to keep their employees motivated. Workers should always be looking forward to the next working day, because they enjoy their work. This will open their minds to new ideas and this how innovation will be achieved. d. Create Environment for Innovation- Employees who spend all their lives at the same work place may never innovate. Member of staff should be allowed to go for exchange programs with other companies to learn more skills and gain new experiences[Ins13]. They should also be given time off from normal work and engage in team building activities, and games that help them relax their minds. This is because innovation does not happen under a stressing environment, it needs a relaxed mind. A day out in the garden or by the beach would help too. During such days, people can talk about what ideas they have, and just brainstorm on what they can do make the company better [OEC11]. This is how the seed of innovation starts growing in a company. e. Reduce Limits- When people are working under too much restriction, their minds become tied around whatever they are doing [Lex00]. Leaders should learn to reduce limits at their work place and encourage their employees to be creative. Delegation can also help since employees will get a chance to exercise their own creativity and make independent decisions. f. Offer Trainings- There are many people who don’t understand how innovations come about, and what it actually is. Companies can conduct seasonal trainings, where they call veteran entrepreneurs, and innovators to talk about their stories [Lex00]. Motivational speakers can also be invited during such times to top up the cream. Such sessions refresh and motivate employees to start thinking about their abilities, and what they can do to also join the train of innovators [Gre03]. g. Facilitate Innovation- Sometimes employees could have nice ideas, but lack the necessary resources to develop these ideas into real innovations. Companies that are hungry for new ideas and products should offer support to such people [OEC11]. They can also hold competitions that reward the most innovative ideas in certain regions; this can also help them to come up with more ideas after interacting with many upcoming innovators. h. Reward Innovation- Rewards will stimulate more energy for innovations. If people who innovate are recognized and rewarded by the company, more and more employees will want to come up with new ideas so that they can also earn the same benefits. A good example would be, if an employee knows that he will be promoted to a higher job group once he innovates, he will spend all his time thinking about any useful idea that he can introduce in the company. 4. Some companies that have promoted innovation at work place (Real Industry Examples) Innovation is real; it is not just a fallacy, or some talk that people are using to pas time. There are many companies in today’s world that have thrived on this boat [Wer04]. One of the companies that is well known to promote innovation is the Disney Group. This form allows and encourages employees to develop their own ideas and implement them. They then become the owners of the ideas, under Disney Group, and the company only owns a part of it [Gre03]. The company does everything within its power to support such people by helping them to access all the resources they need. Apple Inc, is another company that is well known to promote innovation [Ins13]. The company’s products are famous all over the work because of their creative applications. The latest iPhone 6, is already famous because of its hardware. People love the products, but they do not know what goes on behind the scenes. There is a lot of creative and innovative work that takes place in the company [Ins13]. Software developers, hardware developers and all other company employees are all encouraged to go out of their way to think out of the box. 5. Impacts of Innovation in the Work Place Encouraging innovation in the work place could result into the following: a. Full Company Potential- Through innovation, the company will be able to achieve its full potential by exploiting all the areas that it has potential to excel. b. Efficiency in Work Place- Innovation always results in better ways of doing things. New technologies come along with effectiveness and efficiency. c. Reduced Cost of Operation- Through new technologies, companies can be able to come up with better ways of production, which may cut down their costs of operation [Mar13]. d. Better Service delivery- Companies can innovate towards customer service delivery. This will help them to come up with improved methods of serving their customers. e. Competitive Edge- Innovation empowers companies with the right muscles to compete in the industry [Wer04]. Once they reduce their cost of product, or come up with better and improved products, they gain an edge in the market, and can now be able to compete effectively. 6. Future of Innovation Innovation is not about to die. IN fact, the train of innovation has just started. More and more companies will continue to push for it, and in future, the world will witness a lot of new ideas and products. Very soon, people will develop structured minds for innovations, as more and more competition comes into the market. Competition will force everyone to think or fail. Companies that will not be able to keep up with innovation will not succeed in the future business world. This means that people will work day and night to create new ideas. So it is right to say that the future is innovation. 7. Conclusion As much as everyone is looking for innovators, and new ideas, leaders should learn to balance their objectives. They should not lean too much on looking for innovations, and forget to carry out other functions of the company. They should also understand that not everyone will innovate. They should understand this so that they will not put a lot of pressure to the employees in the quest for new ideas. While they should appreciate and encourage innovations, leaders should also be content with each person’s achievement in the company. Bibliography Wer04: , (Fricke & Totterdill, 2004), Gre03: , (Smith, 2003), Mar13: , (Beirne, 2013), Ins13: , (Institute of Leadership & Management, 2013), Ins13: , (Institute of Leadership & Management, 2013), OEC11: , (OECD, 2011), Lex00: , (Borghan, 2000), Read More