QUESTION
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Assignment brief |
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| Qualification | BTEC – LEVEL 7 – Extended Diploma in Strategic Management & Leadership |
| Unit number and title | Unit 6: Creative and Innovative Management |
| Start date | 20th April 2015 |
| Deadline | 11th May 2015 |
| Assessor name | Prof.Dr. Ugur Zel |
| Assignment Deadline :08 June 2015 | |
| Assignment title | Understanding the theoretical and practical aspects of creative and innovative management systems |
| The purpose of this assignment is to understand how creative and innovative management systems are built and run in organizations. | |
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Scenario You are assigned to a CIO (Chief Innovation Officer) position of a big scale company. You have an experience of 22 months in this company. In this period of time, you built a system to uplift creative and innovation management processes. In the end of your second year, you are supposed to write a report about your executions as CIO from the date you assigned to this position. In your report include the following: Give brief information (sector, location(s), number of employees, main processes, structure, your position) about the company you work for. (max. 1 page) (* If the learner is not working actively in a company, s/he should choose a company and take the approval of the lecturer before the course ends.) |
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Before beginning to Tasks below, please give a brief information about the institution/company/ organization you work for. The information should cover only: Name of the company, Employee number, Locations, Main departments, Any specific success for the last 5 years. (not more than 150 words, no figures or charts) Task-1 1.1. Evaluate current creative and innovative management processes in your organization for all dimensions of “Innovation Assessment Check-list” given to you by Tutor. Describe the procedures and make evaluations and comparisons with other departments/organizations. (A.C. 1-1) 1.2. Explain how to lead others to positively embrace innovation and change in your organization. Fill out the “Leadership Style Inventory” and evaluate your leadership style with pros and cons. (A.C. 1-2)
Task-2 2.1. Give details of your organization’s «mission» and «vision» statements. Assess the influence of vision and mission on generation of creative and innovative management processes in your organization. Explain your thoughts and compare with benchmark organizations’ mission and vision statements (A.C. 2-1) 2.2. Choose an improvement idea of your own related with your job. Assess your idea’s risks/benefits and feasibility using analytical tools.(A.C.2-2, A.C.2-3) 2.3. Explain the change process you experienced in near past by using one of the change models shared in class. (A.C.2-4)
Task-3 3.1.Choose an improvement idea of your own that is implemented at work in near past and make your evaluations for below questions: 3.1.1. Who were the stakeholders and how were they affected by this implementation? 3.1.2. How did you motivate them to change their way of working with your new idea? 3.1.3. How did you produce an appropriate rationale to persuade stakeholders about the benefits of your creative and innovative management idea? (A.C. 3-1) 3.1.4. How did you communicate your idea with stakeholders? (A.C. 3-2) – What were the key goals and targets of your plan, How did you establish your key goals and priorities for implementation? (A.C.3-3) 3.1.5. How did you get feedback from stakeholders? (A.C.3-3) Submit your study in minimum 1200 words.
Task-4 4.1.Choose one of your experiences related with change in which you took part directly or leaded. 4.1.1. Assess the barriers to the implementation of a creative and innovative management idea in your organization (A.C.4-1) 4.1.2. How did you plan your strategy to overcome identified barriers to the implementation of a creative and innovative management idea in your organization? (A.C.4-2) 4.1.3. Explain your strategic plan for overcoming barriers. How did you ensure relevant stakeholders in your organization? (A.C.4-3)
Guidelines for the Assignment: § Use standard Arial font size 11. § Use 1.5 line spacing. § Have a 2.5 centimeter margin on the left hand side of the page and a 2 centimeter margin on the right hand side. § Include page numbers. § Headings: use 16 point Arial Bold for first level headings, and 14 point Arial Bold for second level headings. If a third level heading is required, use 12 point Arial Bold. § Attach a completed Statement and Confirmation of Own Work to the front of the paper copy of your assignment. § Answer separately for all task bullets, DO NOT combine bullets. § The first page of your assignment should be a title page, which should also state your name, Edexcel BTEC ID number and the name of the Centre where you are studying. § Include a table of contents. § Start each task on a new page and include the question at the top of the page. § Ensure any diagrams, screen shots, PowerPoint slides, etc. fit correctly on the page and are referenced, for example, Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc. § Check spelling, grammar and punctuation. § You should also ensure that you proof read your document, because the above checks do not always pick up every mistake. § Use accurate Harvard referencing and include a bibliography. § Ensure you are aware of the word limit for the assignment (3000-3500 word limit) and any regulations that apply if you exceed the word limit. § Include the total word count at the end of the assignment.
Note: All work must be delivered in hard copy and soft copy; all assignments should be properly referenced.
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Textbooks
Ashkenas R, Ulrich D, Jick T and Kerr S – The Boundaryless Organization (Jossey-Bass, 2002) ISBN 078795943X Birkinshaw J and Hagström P — The Flexible Firm (Oxford University Press, 2001) ISBN 0199248559 Cairncross F – The Death of Distance (Harvard Business School Press, 2001) ISBN 157851438X Christensen C – Innovation and the General Manager (McGraw-Hill, 2002) ISBN 0071183809 Christiansen J A – Competitive Innovation Management: Techniques to Improve Innovation Performance (Palgrave USA, 2003) ISBN 0312230257 Clegg B – Creativity and Innovation for Managers (Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999) ISBN 0750642556 Drucker P F – Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007) ISBN 0750685085 Financial Times – Mastering Global Business (Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 1998) ISBN 0273637061 David Ford D, Gadde L E, Håkansson H and Snehota I – Managing Business Relationships (John Wiley and Sons, 2003) ISBN 0470851252 Galbraith J R – Designing the Global Corporation (Jossey-Bass, 2000) ISBN 0787952753 Gupta A K and Westney E – Smart Globalization: Designing Global Strategies, Creating Global Networks (Jossey-Bass, 2003) ISBN 0787965324 Hammer M and Champy J – Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution (Harper, 2004) ISBN 0060559535 Hofstede G and Hofstede G J – Cultures and Organizations: Software for the Mind (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2004) ISBN 0071439595 Jones T – Innovating at the Edge (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002) ISBN 0750655194 Konopaske R and Ivancevich J M – Global Management and Organizational Behavior (McGraw-Hill Education, 2003) ISBN 0071232516 Mead R and Andrews T G – International Management: Culture and Beyond, 4th Edition (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009) ISBN 1405173998 Mercado S, Welford R and Prescott K – European Business, 4th Edition (Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2000) ISBN 0273646001 Mole J – Mind Your Manners, 3rd Edition (Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2003) ISBN 1857883144 Neuhauser P, Bender R and Stromberg K – Culture.Com: Building Corporate Culture in the Connected Workplace (John Wiley and Sons, 2000) ISBN 0471645397 Schneider S C and Barsoux J L – Managing Across Cultures (Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2002) ISBN 027364663X Thussu D K – International Communication: Continuity and Change, 2nd Edition (Hodder Education, 2006) ISBN 034088892X Tidd J and Bessant J – Managing Innovation (John Wiley and Sons, 2009) ISBN 0470998105
Journals
Academy of Management Journal (Academy of Management) British Journal of Management (John Wiley and Sons) California Management Review (University of California, Berkeley) EuroMedia (Advanced Television Ltd) European Management Journal (Elsevier) Global Trade Review (Exporta Publishing and Events) Harvard Business Review (Harvard Business Publishing) Journal of Management Studies (John Wiley and Sons) Management Today (Haymarket Business Media) MIT Sloan Management Review (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Websites
www.asa.org.uk Advertising Standards Authority www.bbc.co.uk British Broadcasting Corporation www.benchmarkingnetwork.com The Benchmarking Network Inc www.bized.co.uk Learning materials and case studies www.britishcouncil.org.uk British Council www.business.com Business search engine on business background www.cipd.co.uk Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development www.direct.gov.uk Public service information www.findarticles.com BNET – for articles in more than 500 publications www.ft.com Financial Times archive www.i-l-m.com Institute of Leadership and Management www.ico.gov.uk Information Commissioner’s Office –data protection and freedom of information advice www.iso9000.org International Quality Systems Directory www.managers.org.uk Chartered Management Institute www.mintel.co.uk Mintel International on consumer markets www.newsint-archive.co.uk The Times and Sunday Times archive www.ons.gov.uk Office for National Statistics
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| This brief has been verified as being fit for purpose | |||
| Assessor | Prof.Dr. Ugur Zel | ||
| Signature | Date | ||
| Internal verifier | Mr. Isayas Abraham | ||
| Signature | Date | ||
| Subject | Business | Pages | 9 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Creative and Innovative Management
I am Alex, the Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) of a leading mobile development company in the United States of America. I have 22 months of work experience with the company in the above-mentioned capacity. I made a significant achievement in the company where I built a system to uplift creative and innovative management processes that inspired many employees of the company in the various departments. This system contributed a great deal to creativity and saw a remarkable milestone in the innovations that were made by the staff of the company. This improved inter-departmental competition of innovations and thus saw a mammoth of profit realized by the organization.
Our company has over 20 branches in the United States, and over 10,000 employees cumulatively. There are a number of departments in the company that are interrelated and coordinated to ensure that the company realizes its goals. Some of the key departments are Product Development (Creativity and Innovation), Sales and Marketing, Human Resources, Quality Assurance, Production and Operations.
Over the years, the company has been stagnant in innovations and development and this could be attributed to a less aggressive Product Development department. Generally there was a high sense of laxity in all the departments, since innovation is a combined effort approach. This paper aims to provide answers to the following questions.
Evaluation of Current Creative and Innovative Management Processes
Good organizations are the best at adopting innovations. Innovations are far more better than inventions since they instill a culture and attitudes that encourage new concepts and risk attached with those concepts. If a company puts a lot of emphasis on innovations, it will save them the costs of investments (Trott, 2008).
Managerial innovations are essential in propelling employees to innovate. The common innovation approaches focus on product and process. Product innovations can be in the creation of new products with different features or increasing the physical features and the performance of old products and services (Trott, 2008). On the other hand, process innovations are changes in the way products or services are made or distributed. Process innovations usually have an impact on manufacturing and implementation of robotics.
Leading others to positively embrace innovation and change in your organization
My presentation on cultural differences and necessary collaboration that can influence processes to support innovations made the staff to approach me with stories about innovations in the organization, but could not be given an opportunity to further their innovations.
Innovation techniques and approaches are different in many companies because of the nature of the products and services produced. One important thing to be noted is that managers of an organization should give innovative staff the necessary support to explore their innovations, rather than hindering them from furthering them (Trott, 2008). As the Chief Innovation Manager, I ensured that the staffs are trained on the innovation process, and as well giving them time to explore their ideas.
Mission and Vision Statements and Their Influence in Innovation Management
In today’s dynamic economic situation, most successful businesses meet their mission and vision. The mission and vision statements of our company capture creativity, innovation and continuous improvement. By aligning our company with the mission and vision statements, we have realized enormous profit, growth and the company has been able to outpace competitors. All this has been successful through embracing a culture of innovation. A good idea developed in an organization, when seized can to a greater extent be beneficial to the organization. Innovation is a very important practice for the success of the organization in the future (Chan & Khai, 2008).
Improvement Idea, Risks and Benefits
After thorough and careful research, the management of our company, I included, took a significant step to correct its pricing position with The Big Price Drop and, later on, acted decisively to address the performance in the market. The benefits of this approach were: increase in sales by 50%, increase in market share of the products of our company and also the number of staff recruited rose significantly thus improving the leaving standards. There was an overall increase in the company’s performance.
The risks that were associated with this decision were allocation and channeling of money towards investments, ever-changing political and socio-economic climates and also the company had to acquire more infrastructures so as to put up more facilities (Chan & Khai, 2008).
Change process you experienced in near past
An innovation should be cross-cutting to all departments in the organization (Chan & Khai, 2008). Our company is multi-departmental hence each department has to play its part in order to realize the full benefit and success of the innovation process. For my case I used the Integrated Innovation Process Management that saw the interaction of the various departments of our company to achieve the ultimate goals of innovation.
Stakeholders and how were they affected by this implementation
The stakeholders were the business owners, top management and staff of the company. My implementation of the innovation process challenged them to support and encourage a culture of creativity and innovation in the organization.
Motivation of stakeholders to support my idea
I presented to them the benefits that come with accepting innovations from the employees of the organization; one of them being increased profits.
Rationale to persuade stakeholders
I gave them an example of Terry, a risk taker who frequently took risks in his business; and after numerous attempts in innovations, his business grew ten-fold. He realized huge profits and stood out amongst his competitors.
Communication of idea to stakeholders
I communicated my idea to them through presentations and emphasizing on realistic and tangible examples.
Feedback from stakeholders
After careful considerations of the benefits of the idea, they embraced it and agreed to support the innovation.
Barriers to the implementation of a creative and innovative management idea in your organization
Some common barriers I encountered were:
The creative individual myth: I emphasized on not over-relying on creative individuals only, but focusing on mobilizing all employees to innovate.
The new-product myth: I ensured that executives view product innovations as important but not critical to business success (Chan & Khai, 2008).
The break through idea myth: I made them understand that having the idea itself was not sufficient. So much is needed to be done to realize success in the innovation (Nauwelaerts, Antwerp & Hollander, 2012).
Planning strategy to overcome the barriers
I used the following steps: Fundament (Analyzing the importance of the idea), Execution (Putting the idea into practice), Commitment (Having staff putting their efforts in the innovation), and Funding (From the company officials to see that the idea materialized).
Strategic plan for overcoming barriers
To overcome the barriers, I ensured that the environment is conducive to receive, accept, criticize and apply the idea. I always supported those who had innovations and helped them grow them.
In conclusion, creativity and innovation is very essential to an organization that always aims to be successful and outpace its competitors. Management and executives need to support and always motivate staff to innovate in their respective departments. Creation and innovation of ideas need to be aligned to the company’s mission, vision and objectives, an approach that most successful companies use.
References
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Chan, F. T., & Kai Chan, H. (2008). A survey on reverse logistics system of mobile phone industry in Hong Kong. Management Decision, 46(5), 702-708. Drejer, Anders. “Situations for innovation management: towards a contingency model.” European Journal of Innovation Management 5.1 (2002): 4-17. Nauwelaerts, Y., Antwerp, L., & Hollaender, I. (2012). Innovation Management of SMEs in the Creative Sector in Flanders and the Netherlands. Journal Of Marketing Development & Competitiveness, 6(3), 140-153. Trott, P. (2008). Innovation management and new product development. Pearson education.
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