CoInnovateCo Creativity and Innovation - Essay Example

Creativity and Innovation Case Study - CoInnovateCo Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: Creativity and Innovation Case Study - CoInnovateCo Introduction It is an apparent fact that creativity and innovation play an integral part in any given organization. This fact is supported by Banks and Wiston (2008, p. 1) who determined that creativity and innovation are imperative factors in organizations and organizational leaders. This is founded on the backdrop that in the contemporary business environment which is characterized by extensive competition, there is an ever-increasing demands for value to consumers, which denotes highest total quality, lowest total cost, highest total overall consumer satisfaction and fastest total cycle time. The concepts of innovation and creativity have for a long time been used interchangeably (Aggarwal & Bhatia, 2011, p. 289) albeit having some inherent differences. In generic terms, innovation can be defined as adding something new to a process or product that is already in existence. In this regard, innovation is the successful exploitation of new ideas (Okpara, 2007, p. 1). On the other hand, different scholars, for instance, Amabile (1996, p. 1) have perceived creativity as typically referring to the production of ideas which are both new and useful by any individual or a group of individuals who are engaged in a mutual task. Rank et. al. (2004, p. 520) revealed that creativity and innovation has a difference in regard to the necessary degree of ideal novelty as well as social interaction. In this case, creativity has been viewed as being truly novel whereas on the other side innovation can be founded on ideas which are adopted from past experiences or different organizations. Against this background, this report is a profound effort to explore three basic questions related to the case study of CoInnovateCo. This company is credited of having implemented a model which has culminated to widespread success in this organization in terms of elevating the level of creativity and innovation among individuals as well as groups. Additionally, this model has informed diverse changes towards the organizational culture at CoInnovateCo. Three questions related to this case study are explored in the subsequent section. Changes to management, organizational attitudes, structures and procedures It is worth noting that there are diverse changes to management, organizational attitudes, structures and procedures which would need to occur when implementing a model such as the one executed at CoInnovateCo in an organization that had a more traditional design, more oriented to command and control, rather than innovation and creativity. These changes are analyzed below. Management changes There are some prudent changes in management which are ideal in an organization that had a more traditional design, more oriented to command and control. One of these changes includes instituting an autonomous department which is mandated with the role of formulating and implementing programs aimed at enhancing the level of creativity and innovation at the organizational level. This has been seen to work at CoInnovateCo whereby the appointment of two directors mandated with the role of overseeing all the innovation processes can be perceived as an ideal step towards the realization of the desired innovation and creativity in this organization. This is a management approach which can be used in an organization that had a more traditional design. Additionally, this organization ought to be more inclined towards a bottom-up approach in management. According to Banks and Wiston (2008, p. 2), this management system entails a decentralized and horizontal organizational structure which is primarily aimed at empowering the employees through collaboration and shared decision making. Diverse literature has linked increased empowerment of the employees to elevation of innovation and creativity in an organization. This is evidenced by Elloy (2012, p. 627) who cited different scholars like Spreitzer (1995), Conger and Kanungo (1988) and Kanter (1989) all of whom concurred that the empowerment of the employees is a fundamental initiative which is integral in an organization towards ensuring that there is enhanced innovation and creativity in an organization, both of which are key components towards the effectiveness of any particular organization. In this case, when this organization changes its traditional design, more oriented to command and control and embrace a bottom up management system, this will encourage increased participation among the employees and foster an environment for education, learning and collaboration whereby the employees can increasingly tap into their innovative and creative potential (Banks & Wiston, 2008, p. 2). Organizational attitude This organization also needs to change the prevalent organizational attitude founded on the traditional design founded on command and control. This is whereby the employees and the individuals in the management structure are increasingly encouraged to participate in the innovation and creativity programs which will have a greater impact at the organizational level. Similarly, the leadership organ of this organization ought to institute changes on the decision making framework towards a more inclusive system. In this case, greater inclusion of the employees in the decision making process will make them feel that their input is valued in the organization which will increase their morale and motivation in achieving their allocated tasks which are collectively agreed upon with the management. This will greatly enhance their input in the creativity and innovation programs. This is unlike in the traditional design where the leadership organ of the organization is inclined towards limiting the participation of the employees in decision making and more preoccupied with expanding the control and command space. Changes in structures and procedure It is worth noting that the generic structure which is founded on the traditional design based on control and command plays a detrimental role in bringing out the creative and innovative capacity among the employees. In this case, this organization ought to institute robust structures for rewarding innovation and creativity, fair and supportive evaluation of the employees’ creativity as well as a flat structure of management which ensures heightened participation of the employees in the day to day operations of the organization. This change approach is supported by Job (2006, p. 55) who determined that the structure and systems which are prerequisite towards creativity and innovation in an organizational set-up include a flat structure, reward of creative performance, long-term employment of the employees as well as a fair supportive evaluation of employees. Lastly, there are some inherent procedure changes which ought to be instituted in this organization. Central to these changes is communication whereby the employees ought to be encouraged to increasingly communicate with the management aimed at forwarding their creative and innovative ideas. This increased participation of the employees in spearheading the innovation and creativity undertakings of the organization through constant communication with the management elevates their influence on these processes which is integral in their eventual success. Different scholars, for instance, Nijhof, Jong and Beukhof (1998) have found out that the participation of the employees enhances the level of communication and cooperation among members of a particular organization which makes positive contributions towards team building. Thus, the change of the communication procedures in this organization can be perceived as being key in increasing the level of creativity and innovation which is not possible in the traditional communication procedures founded on command and control. Role of leadership to this process Agbor (2008, p. 43) determined that organizational leadership is perhaps the most fundamental aspect of creativity and innovation in an organization, In this case, no organization has the capacity of transforming or renewing itself unless the leaders initiate this process and be committed towards its continued sustenance. This was the case at CoInnovateCo where the leadership structure of this organization played diverse role in the creativity and innovation processes. Firstly, the leadership was integral in initiating a comprehensive innovation programme that has created a culture and an attitude of innovation across the sub-businesses and 14,000 employees in this company. Secondly, the leadership organ is also integral in identifying and appointing the individuals who are mandated with the role of spearheading the creativity and innovation programs in an organization. This is imperative in the establishment of a clear structure of decision making in regard to the creativity and innovation efforts at the organizational level. This was apparent at CoInnovateCo whereby the leadership organ in this firm has established an innovation structure which includes two directors mandated with the role of overseeing all innovation processes and 20 innovation managers who support the cross-organization innovation coach activity. Thirdly, the leadership also plays a vital role in encouraging creativity and innovation among the employees. This is through fostering a participative environment where the employees feel that their innovation and creativity efforts are appreciated and recognized. This fact is supported by Agbor (2008, p. 42) who determined that leaders can encourage innovation and creativity at the organizational level through establishing a friendly and all-inclusive working conditions for all the personnel in the organization. This is founded on the fact that in organizations where the social structure assists the employees to feel accepted and secure, this is fundamental in bringing out their innovations and creativity. Lastly, the leaders in a firm also play a key role in the establishment of a creativity and innovation organizational culture. However, Agbor (2008, p. 42) noted that the top leadership of the institution has the obligation of valuing creativity and being enthusiastic about encouraging new developments. In this case, other employees are bound to follow the example of their leaders which will eventually culminate in the development of a long-term innovation and creativity organizational culture. However, it is imperative to be cognizant of the fact that there is a difference in the roles of senior management and supervisors in this process. Firstly, the senior management is primarily responsible for the formulation of the creativity and innovation programs in the organization. However, it is the responsibility of the supervisors to ensure that these programs are implemented and that there is extensive compliance with the set policies which emanate from the senior management organ. On the other hand, the senior management has the role of allocating financial capital to various creativity and innovations programs and processes at the organization. In this case, the supervisors play a minimal role in the budgeting and resource allocation processes. Nonetheless, the supervisors have the sole responsibility of ensuring that the allocated resources are utilized in the target processes and eventually engage in the reporting process. Role of Human Resource Management and Development In a generic sense, HRM entails particular human resource practices, for instance, recruitment, selection and appraisal, formal human resource policies which are integral in directing and partially restraining the development of particular practices, and all-encompassing human resource philosophies that state the values which inform the policies and practices in an organization (Girdauskienė et. al. (2012, p. 80) Human resource management and development (HRM) plays a key role in supporting CoInnovateCo’s aspirations to creativity and innovation. Firstly, HRM is mandated with the role of training the employees on creativity and innovation. Apart from the development of the training programs, HRM at CoInnovateCo can be perceived to play a key role in the processes of recruiting, selecting and appraising the coaches who regularly run training among the employees. To date, close to 2000 employees have developed creativity and innovation skills from the coaches who run training on a regular basis. Secondly, HRM has the role of instituting teams which work together towards increased creativity and innovation at the organization. In addition, HRM allocates trained managers and coaches to these teams who have the responsibility of disseminating innovation and assisting specific teams to attain innovation successes and establishing processes aimed at ensuring that ideas generated in the innovation process are assessed and executed. Lastly, HRM at CoInnovateCo can be perceived to play a central role in cultivating the communication between the management and the employees. This is best epitomized by the establishment of internal communication mechanisms that would update the entire organization on innovation activities and achievements. This can be perceived as a critical linkage between the employees and the management and the employees through showing the support and commitment of the management to the process. Conclusion The above report has revealed the integral role of creativity and innovation in any given organization. Additionally, it has evidenced some prudent changes to management, organizational attitudes, structures and procedures which would need to occur when implementing a model such as the one executed at CoInnovateCo in an organization that had a more traditional design, more oriented to command and control, rather than innovation and creativity. This report has also explored the role of the leadership structure in the creativity and innovation processes. Lastly, this report has also analyzed the role of HRM and development at CoInnovateCo in supporting the company’s aspirations to creativity and innovation. References Agbor, E., 2008, ‘Creativity and Innovation: The Leadership Dynamics’, Journal of Strategic Leadership, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 39-45. Aggarwal, Y. & Bhatia, N., 2011, ‘Creativity and innovation in management - A Fuel for Growth’, International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 1, No. 5, pp. 288-296. Amabile TM., 1998, ‘How to kill Creativity’, Harvard Business Review, retrieved 17th May 2013, . Banks, B. & Wiston, BE., 2008, ‘The Importance of Creativity and Innovation in Organizations’, retrieved 17th May 2013, < http://www.leadingtoday.org/Onmag/2008%20Archives/November%2008/bb-november08.pdf>. Elloy, D. 2012’, Effects of Ability Utilization, Job Influence and Organization Commitment on Employee Empowerment: An Empirical Study’, International Journal of Management, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 627-632. Girdauskienė, L. et. al., 2012, ‘Human Resource Management in a Creative Organization’, International Conference on Economics Marketing and Management, Vol. 28, pp. 78-82. Job, PA., 2006, ‘Creativity and Innovation for Competitive Excellence in Organizations’, retrieved 17th May 2013, < http://dspace.iimk.ac.in/bitstream/2259/439/1/53-63+.pdf>. Nijhof, WJ., Jong, MJ. & Beukhof, G., 1998’, Employee Commitment in Changing Organizations: An Exploration’, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 22, No. 6, pp. 243-248. Okpara, FO., 2007, ‘The value of Creativity and Innovation in Entrepreneurship’, Journal of Asia Entrepreneurship and Sustainability, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 1-14. Rank, J. et. al., 2004, ‘Three Avenues for Future Research on Creativity, Innovation, and Initiative’, Applied Psychology: An International Review, Vol. 53, No. 4, pp. 518 –528 Read More