HR and Leadership

HR and Leadership

Leaders are responsible for creating teams that support the achievement of organizational objectives. The groups work towards certain performance thresholds. Innovation is one of the essential qualities of productive organizations; hence, leaders should encourage related activities in order to remain productive. Therefore, managers should strive to obtain new ideas from different members of their human resource teams. For example, while some leaders believe that innovation comes from individual geniuses, others draw the quality from sequestered teams that come together to complete organizational projects. Notably, organizations foster innovation through networks or groups that work together to pursue common goals (Tidd & Bessant, 2014). Apecifically, an interview was conducted in an IT company that creates software programs for other firms. The interview responses were organized into five main themes, before a discussion of the lessons learned and recommendations for the company to improve its innovative capability were developed.

Interview Analysis

Defining Innovation

The leader provided a personal understanding of what innovation means in the organization. First, he suggested that people should differentiate between creativity and innovation in the workplace. Secondly, he argued that while creativity is the act of developing a new idea, method, or concept, innovation was using the ideas to improve the performance of a person, process, team, or the entire organization. The leader also indicated that innovation helped the company to create competitive software products, which made it successful in the market.

Managing Innovation

The leader agreed that every company was looking for innovative employees. Therefore, when a business gets such people, the management should focus on using their talent and skills effectively to improve productivity and performance. Managing innovation means creating strategies that will allow the company to make the best use of innovative workers (Tidd & Bessant, 2018). For example, leaders should focus on building teams that bring competitive products to the market within a specific timeframe and budget. Therefore, managers should work closely with such individuals to encourage them to exercise their full potential.

Motivation to Increase Innovation

The leader indicated that motivation was necessary in ensuring that innovative employees were productive. He also revealed that lack of inspiration was the leading reason for high turnover in organizations and project management. The leader drew from theories of motivation, which indicated the need for internal and external motivators to improve performance (Schniederjans & Schniederjans, 2015). For instance, the manager revealed that besides financial incentives, such as bonuses, he used other motivators, such as encouraging independence and responsibility. Notably, the company has employees who do not work from the office, but they still develop software products and deliver them within a given deadline. He affirmed that such management style had improved performance and profitability for the company.

Linking Innovation to the Corporate Culture

The corporate culture refers to the standard norms and behaviors in the workplace. Employees accustomed to the culture develop a particular way of working (Afsar, Badir, & Khan, 2015). For example, recruits have to learn the company’s norms and integrate them into their working behavior. Therefore, the manager agreed that it was necessary to create a culture that supported innovation. As a result, new employees can enter the organization and abide to the high standards of innovation and creativity.

Contribution of Innovation

The interview could not end before asking about the effect of innovation on the company. The leader agreed that invention was the primary reason it maintained the high standard of work at the company, especially when it came to the timely introduction of new software products. The manager also confirmed that the organization was able to increase its client base, revenue, and profits since the management made a conscious decision to manage innovation. He said that the company had increased the speed of releasing new software into the market and completing projects.

Lessons

I have learned various lessons in the interview. First, while managers focus on employing innovative employees, they should also motivate them to stay. Notably, they should understand that traditional monetary incentives are no longer the key factors in preventing high turnover. For example, while typical employees require material motivation, such as bonuses, creative workers need intrinsic incentives, like an independent working environment. Secondly, I have learned that companies should encourage design thinking as it is a customer-centric approach in brainstorming innovative ideas and projects (Tidd & Bessant, 2018). The method is especially suitable for the company since it develops software products. The company has been using lean innovation, which is the art of increasing efficiency using customer feedback as early as possible to minimize waste (Mazzei, Flynn, & Haynie, 2016). The management encourages employees to work closely with consumers to meet their expectations, thus ensuring loyalty. The organization depends on satisfied customers to improve its output and increase revenues. Therefore, I have discovered that innovation is the key in gaining a competitive advantage in IT companies.

Recommendations

The IT company can leverage on various items to become more innovative. First, the leadership should invest more resources in the management of innovation. The strategy requires resources, such as time and finances. The organization should ensure that management of innovation occurs across all its projects to create competitive products. Secondly, the company should encourage innovation teams by training and developing all its employees. The training should focus on developing skills, knowledge, and capabilities that will make them highly innovative (Schniederjans & Schniederjans, 2015). Leaders should also enhance the creative potential of their employees through effective motivation strategies, such as respect and recognition. Finally, firms should cultivate an innovative culture by utilizing unorthodox thinking (Szczepańska-Woszczyna, 2015). The adherence of the outlined recommendations will ensure that innovation is the the responsibility of every employee in the workplace. Therefore, the company should support innovation across the entire organization.

Conclusion

I interviewed an IT company to understand the value of innovation and the related theories and practices. The interviewed leader confirmed that the company focused on innovation from the hiring point to the training and development of current employees. He also indicated the need to manage innovation effectively and motivate employees to improve their creative skills and apply them in the development of new products. For instance, the company encourages independence and minimal supervision of internally motivated employees. The company also linked innovation to the corporate culture, whereby training employees led to internalized innovation. Consequently, firms should continue to provide innovation training to develop skills, knowledge, and capabilities of their employees. As a result, the company can sustainably continue to introduce competitive products into the market.

References

Schniederjans, D., & Schniederjans, M. (2015). Quality management and innovation: New insights on a structural contingency framework. International Journal of Quality Innovation, 1(1), 2.-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40887-015-0004-8

Szczepańska-Woszczyna, K. (2015). Leadership and organizational culture as the normative influence of top management on employee’s behaviour in the innovation process. Procedia Economics and Finance, 34, 396-402. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(15)01646-9

Mazzei, M. J., Flynn, C. B., & Haynie, J. J. (2016). Moving beyond initial success: Promoting innovation in small businesses through high-performance work practices. Business Horizons, 59(1), 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2015.08.004

Afsar, B., Badir, Y., & Khan, M. M. (2015). Person–job fit, person–organization fit and innovative work behavior: The mediating role of innovation trust. The Journal of High Technology Management Research, 26(2), 105-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hitech.2015.09.001

Tidd, J., & Bessant, J. R. (2018). Managing innovation: Integrating technological, market and organizational change. John Wiley & Sons.

Tidd, J., & Bessant, J. (2014). Strategic innovation management. John Wiley & Sons.

Appendix

Interview Schedule

1. What is your understanding of innovation?
2. How do you manage innovation?
3. What makes your product innovative?
4. To what extent does your company value innovation?
5. How does the organization motivate employees to be more innovative?
6. How have you developed a culture of innovation?
7. How are you adapting your products to changes in the highly competitive industry?
8. How do you identify opportunities to grow?
9. How has innovation benefitted your organization?
10. How will you continue innovating?

Interview Transcript

1. What is your understanding of innovation?

Innovation is about creating new ideas and products that meet or exceed our customer’s expectations. It is a step further from creativity and what has made us successful in the competitive software market.

• How do you manage innovation?

I ensure that I have employed and continues to develop innovative employees through training and coaching. Our company is all about innovation.

• What makes your product innovative?

They are created by an innovative team using the lean innovation method. We take into account the feedback and input of our customers to meet their expectations. As a result, we have gained their trust, thus building a trusted brand in the market.

• To what extent does your company value innovation?

To a great extent. As I mentioned, our company is all about innovation. We encourage individuals and teams to create new and marketable products. 

• How does the organization motivate employees to be more innovative?

We understand that employees are different in terms of what motivates them. We study and understand them to implement intrinsic and extrinsic strategies, such as bonuses and recognition. I also allow a high level of independence to employees who have proven reliable and accountable.

• How have you developed a culture of innovation?

We train our employees to integrate innovative ideas into the corporate culture.

• How are you adapting your products to changes in the highly competitive industry?

We research the market to ensure that our products meet consumer standards.

• How do you identify opportunities to grow?

Through market research we identify opportunities and innovate to take advantage.

• How has innovation benefitted your organization?

We can always introduce quality products to the market fast. We have also increased our profits and revenue since we started managing innovation.

1. How will you continue innovating?

I will continue to attract and retain innovative software developers in the market, and I will also train and coach them to improve their creativity.