Innovating Sonys Killzone: Respawning or Missing in Action - Assignment Example

Organization Behaviour Name Institution Course Tutor Due Date Part 1 Description of the background of the case-“Innovating Sony’s Killzone: Respawning or Missing in Action?” The case Innovating Sony’s Killzone: Respawning or Missing in Action? is about how Sony company was able to attain and sustain a competitive edge through creativity and innovation. By the time the company released playstation three in 2006, the playstation two had already considerably lost ground to Microsoft xbox 360 and the company released that in order to remain competitive, it had to be innovative and create new products that were more attractive to the customers1. Business organizations are continually faced with challenge of attaining competitive advantage over their competitors. Development of this special edge might imply continued existence for some organizations or a means of staying on top of the competition for other organizations. Sony’s had to fight against its major competitor2. Nintendo produced the Wii in 2006 that became the top selling console and enabled the company to stay on top of competition. The new Wii product was more attractive to the consumers because it was less powerful that provided novel motion sensing controllers as well as a listing of family orient titles which attracted and sustained customers were not conventionally gamers. Not only did Sony had to fight competition from Nintendo’s Wii but had also to comprehend that the success of Microsoft’s Xbox had penetrated the gaming market with the aim of making its mark. Sony responded to the competition threat posed by Nintendo’s Wii through reducing the cost of its consoles and introducing playstation network which was an incorporated online multiplayer gaming as well as digital media delivery service, a service that was free to playstation three customers, who could buy other gaming products from Sony3. Online gaming enabled Sony to remain competitive because it provided novel experiences to the customers and also offered the company diverse and new ways of enhancing its service delivery. Online gaming is liked by different set of players since the sheer range of content along with simplicity of access makes it attractive to a greater demographic. Online gaming has enabled Sony to survive the console battles. Novel chances for social interrelation and innovative schemes of engaging existing and novel customers in gaming and brand content is shaping the manner in which key players in home gaming are maintaining or gaining competitive advantage4. Concepts of organizational behavior Organizational culture Organizational behavior is defined as the study and application of knowhow on the way groups, individuals and people act within an organization through taking a system approach. This implies that organizational behavior interprets the relationships between people and the organization in terms of whole organization, whole group, whole person, and entire social system. The aim of organizational behavior is to create better interrelations through attaining human objectives, social objectives and organizational objectives. The base of an organization rests upon management’s philosophy, vision, goals and values which subsequently drive organizational culture which comprises of the informal organization, social environment and formal organization. The culture is the determinant of the kind of leadership, group and dynamics and communication in the firm. The employees in turn distinguish these dynamics as the worth of work life which is a key determinant of their level of motivation. The ultimate result is individual satisfaction, performance along with personal development and growth, elements which combine to create the framework or model that the firm operates from5. Employee motivation As organizations struggle to increase profits in the ever increasingly competitive advantage, they without doubt focus their concentration to the subject of employee motivation and productivity. When workers are not satisfied with their present work situation, their productivity is minimal, there is tension in workplace as well as low morale. In the case study, Hulst, the managing co-founder and managing director of Guerilla Games notes that the initial Killzone didn’t live up to customer’s expectations because the team that developed it was unguided but greatly energetic, with lack of professional leadership and appropriate structure to direct their vision. In addition, at the start of the development of Killzone, Guerrilla Games failed to employ even a sole game designer and only programmers and artists were involved in creating the game world without regard for the way the game would play6. Organizational learning In today’s international business atmosphere, firms are required to adapt swiftly to opportunities and threats. The manner in which a firm learns and innovates has a direct effect on its efficiency and speed to handle threats and opportunities. At several organizations, employees and managers are constantly experimenting and learning. Organizational learning is the process of knowledge acquisition and utilization of information to successfully adapt to changing situations. The needs of clientele and employees are continuously changing and organizations are required to learn from their rivals as well as seek innovative new opportunities and ideas so as to maintain balance in the competitive market. Through dynamically seeking out feedback and inputs from customers and employees, firms are capable to learn through searching for novel ideas to enhance and expand competition7. Organizations should innovate so as to be in front of their business rivals. If a corporation wants to develop a business strategy that will enable it to be at the front position of innovation, it is supposed to create means of making this strategy functional8. In order to correct these mistakes and be more innovative, Guerrilla Games undertook a grassroots move to the creation of Killzone two. Guerrilla Games took on a co-creation model through creating a ranking scheme of Killzone reviews where both negative and positive commentaries on the game were grouped and allocated a numeric score by the customers. Concentrating on the five worst and best reviewed elements of the game, both Sony and Guerrilla Gamed intended to increase the best elements whilst changing the worst features into the beast elements of the novel Killzone two. This approach resulted to increased achievement of Killzone two as well as financial success for Guerrilla Games and Sony. Part 2 Question 1 Five most widely recognized concerns within the problem-identification stage The most vital portion of problem solving is problem identification. The first concern within the problem identification stage is attempting to figure out the problem that needs to be solved. This is a crucial concern because it helps an organization to ensure it is attempting to solve the appropriate problem and not attempting to offer a fix for a thing that is not a priority to the customers9. A company can figure out a problem through asking the customers appropriate queries or via evaluating the customers and products of the competing companies. Guerilla Games was able to gather ideas from Killzone one viewers, ideas that were used to make improvements on the original product. The second concern in the problem identification stage entails the specification the problem that needs to be solved. Obviously, prior to taking an action in solving a problem, it should be recognized that a problem exists. Several problems go unobserved or are identified when the situation is too serious to be rectified. The co-founder and managing director of Guerrilla Games identified there was a problem with the initial Killzone because it did not live up to the expectations of the customers. This was because Guerrilla Games did not involve a game designer and only involved programmers and designers who did not have the knowledge of how the game would look like. The third concern in the problem identification stage is the recognition of opportunities and schemes that may be used to creatively solve the problem. When a problem is identified it can led to emergence of opportunities that rectify the problem10.After identifying the setbacks that the original Killzone game had, Guerrilla Games took on a new approach of developing Killzone two and used the co-creation model through creating a ranking scheme of Killzone reviews so as to improve on the game. The fourth concern within the problem identification stage giving the problem a label. Problem Once a problem is identified it should be given a label or a tentative definition. This aims at helping a person to look for relevant information or approaches that will help in finding the appropriate solution to the problem11. Guerrilla Games identified that lack of consumer engagement in creation of Killzone was the underlying problem of Killzone one and thus used to user’s comments create Killzone two which led to increased financial success for Guerrilla Games and Sony. The fifth concern within the problem is the definition of the objectives as well as barriers which could hinder an individual from creatively solving the problem. The problem identification concern offers the ground for uncovering solutions. When Killzone two proved to be successful, Guerrilla Games and Sony was able to work on a third installment, the Killzone three and Sony was able to display the novel motion regulator move and three dimension vision that was made available to customers with three dimension television12. Question 2 How the implementation of a model of co-creation with the users affect the process of creativity and innovation Guerrilla Games implemented the model of co-creation by creating a grading scheme where negative and positive remarks about the game were grouped and allotted a numeric score by the customers. This model affected the process of innovation and creativity because it enabled Guerrilla Games and Sony to promote the best elements and improve on the worst elements of the game during the development of Killzone two, a model that resulted to the success of Killzone two as well as increased financial achievement for both Sony and Guerrilla Games. Being innovative doesn’t merely entail the use of knowledge of market researchers, product developers or scientists to develop novel products. It also entails utilizing the abilities of organizational members as well as customers to produce the procedures that assist the novel products to be more attractive and satisfying and to penetrate the market efficiently and quickly. After all it is individuals who innovate but not the organization, and these individuals require the appropriate atmosphere which offers both encouragement and support13. Implementation of a model of co-creation with the users affects the process of creativity and innovation because it enabled Guerrilla Games and Sony to develop a new product, the Killzone two. The company created this new product through restructuring the processes involved in the creation of Killzone one and evaluation and conversion of customer’s ideas or comments into implementations which produced value for the company. The implementation of co-creation with users enabled the company to develop creative ideas which were turned into innovations. Through the use of users’ comments, the company was able to review the implementation of co-creation and utilization of users’ ideas to make sure that it delivered value. Question 3 Characteristics of Hulst, the co-founder of Guerrilla Games, as a creative person Creativity is defined as the act of transforming imaginative and new ideas into reality. It is characterized by the capability to perceive the globe in novel ways, to discover concealed patterns, to be able to connect amid seemingly different phenomena and to produce solutions. Creativity entails two procedures; thinking, then generating. If a person has an idea and fails to act on it, then he is imaginative and not creative14. Hulst was creative because he had an idea on how Killzone one could be improved and he acted by implementing a model of co-creation with the users where users comments were viewed as new ideas and utilized in the creation of a new product, the Killzone two and later Killzone three. Creativity is the procedure of bringing a new thing into being and it requires commitment and passion. Hulst was creative because he was committed and passionate about transforming Killzone one into a more attractive game that met users expectations. During the development of Killzone three, Hulst affirmed that the company likes experimenting with novel hardware and hardware features and he was not scared to pick up on new things because it was innovation and it was healthy for the business15. Part 3: Make up 3 Class Discussion Questions (the most relevant ones) and their answers Question 1 How important is creativity and innovation in today’s business? The effects of increasing complexity and competition in today’s business environment calls for managers as well as their teams to lead their organizations with valiant creativity connect with their clients in creative ways and plan their business operations for speed along with flexibility to position them for 21st success. Innovation is the execution of a novel or considerably service, process or product that generates value for society, government or business. Creativity is closely connected with innovation since they are both disciplines. Creativity is a vital portion of the innovation process since innovation cannot exist in the absence of creativity. The major metric in both innovation and creativity is value creation16. Sony is a prospector corporation that thrives on innovation and change and has been able to differentiate its products through a flexible and creative working regime. Question 2 Can organizations achieve competitive advantage through innovation? A vital component for organizations to stay at top of competition is innovation. Innovation implies organizations being able to view things from novel angels, taking risks, being flexible and having wider perspectives. Promotion of innovation in the place of work involves encouraging the staff to be idea champions. Two strategic and indispensable schemes of creating idea and change champions are continuous and extensive training and development and employee motivation. Training, development and motivation are crucial strategies in organizational behavior and human resource management since it arouses innovation amongst organizational employees. Training, development and motivation improve job performance and also generate problem solving and creativity skills. In addition, they generate workers flexibility, particularly adjusting to organizational change. These schemes produce an organizational environment that changes and builds the commitment of employees along with a feeling of ownership. It is also capable of attaining a balance amid the current performance of the organization and essential innovation17. Through innovation, Sony was able to attain a competitive advantage in the gaming industry. Through the development of Killzone two, Killzone three and Killzone.com both Guerilla Games and Sony were able to offer a personalized and ongoing service delivery that entails the capability to collaborate and interact with their customers to enhance future development of game18. Question 3 Which kind of leadership is required to promote innovation in an organization? Innovation leadership is required in the promotion of innovation and it entails the synthesis of diverse styles of leadership to influence workers to generate creative products, services, solutions and ideas. As a model to organizational development, innovation leadership may be utilized to promote the attainment of the vision or mission of the group or organization. In the ever changing globe with new processes and technologies, it has become fundamental for corporations to think and act innovatively so as to remain competitive and ensure continued success. So as to adjust to novel changes, the requirement for innovation within corporations has led to a novel focus on the function of managers in creating the success and nature of creative attempts. In the absence of innovation leadership, corporations are prone to struggle and this novel call for them to be innovative demonstrates the move from the twentieth century, conventional perspective of practices which deterred staff innovative actions, to the twenty first century perspective of valuing and endorsing innovative thinking as the potentially dominant influence on the performance of an organization19. Exploratory innovation needs adaptability, opportunism, flexibility and for organizational leaders to offer intellectual stimulation to the employees. Within this approach to innovation, the style of leadership that is mainly utilized is transformational20. Hulst was an innovative and transformational leader who led the generation of new strategies, solutions and ideas via the utilization of open behaviours demonstrated mostly by transformational leaders. References Takahashi, D., (2009). “Live blogging ces: Sony Ceo Howard Stringer Pals with Tom Hanks, http://venturebeat.com/2009/01/08/ live-blogging-ces-sony-ceo-howard-stringer Frazier, A., (2009). “Video Games Experience Significance Growth in Online Gaming Activities. www.npd.com/press/releases/press-090310.html. Dess, G., & Pickens, C. (2011). Changing roles: leadership in the 21st century. Organizational Dynamics, 28, 18 – 34 Sarros, J. C., Cooper, B. K., & Santora, J. C. (2010). Building a climate for innovation through transformational leadership and organizational culture. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 15, 145-158 Hunter, S. & Cushenbery, L. (2011). Leading for innovation: Direct and indirect influences. 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Organizational Dynamics, 38, 64-72 Chermerhorn, J., Hunt, G., & Osborn, R., (2010). Organizational Behavior. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Read More