Introduction
Innovation and change in business organization requires techniques that will enable the company to effect the changes that are needed. There are many techniques that a company can use to maintain an ambidextrous approach.
Some of these techniques include; switching structures, separating creative departments, venture teams, corporate entrepreneurship, and collaborative teams. These techniques are very important since they help a company go through the change process successfully in local as well as the international market.
Techniques for encouraging technology change
Switching structures is a situation in which the organization creates an organic structure especially when the structure is needed for the hatching of new ideas. For instance Philips Corporation, a firm that produces building materials that is based in Ohio, creates up to 150 transient teams to develop ideas for improving the company’s products and work methods.
The members of the transient team are sourced from various departments. It is only after five days of organic brainstorming and problem solving that the company reverts to a more mechanistic basis to implement the change (Daft 2009).
Establishing creative departments is triggered by the need for innovation. Such departments include research and development, engineering, design, and systems analysis. They create changes that are actually adopted by other departments.
Such departments are structured to facilitate the generation of new ideas and techniques. Cultural change is therefore a very important aspect in this case. Establishing a culture that gives the employees autonomy allows the workers to come up with new ideas thereby enhancing innovations.
Venture teams are also important because they give free reign to creativity within the organizations. Establishing a venture team in the business organization actually provides the creative employees with freedom from the company’s bureaucracy and hence enabling them to explore more.
Another technique for encouraging technological change is the use of corporate entrepreneurship. This technique is responsible for the development of an internal entrepreneurial spirit, philosophy, and structure that will produce a higher-than-average number of innovations. This method attempts to make use of the creative energy of all the members in the organization.
The leaders of the company can create systems and structures that encourage entrepreneurship. For instance in BP, the top executives establish contracts with the head of all BP’s business units. This makes it easier for the business managers to deliver on the contract in whatever way they see fit within clearly stipulated boundaries.
A dual core model of organizational innovation is important to the company because the act of adopting an innovation has a direct link with the status and sociometric centrality of the company’s organizational structure. This means that the top management of the company affects the way in which innovations are perceived by the company’s staff.
It is important to note that leaders participate actively in the innovation process. This is because they act as a bridge that connects the organization to the technical environments. The management must therefore be exposed to contemporary standards of operations.
This exposure places the leaders in a position where they can effectively introduce and effect change in the company. It is also worth noting that the leaders play an important role in searching for funds that help the company to implement new innovations programs.
Cultural change
Cultural change is also an important aspect in a company’s operations. The company must be sensitive to the cultures within which it operates. The leadership of the company must also take into consideration the change of culture in order to introduce change effectively.
The business organization must have the knowledge of cultural sensitivity of its partners and employees who come from different countries. For instance, some countries are said to have the culture of bonding before any business deals are sealed.
There are also many other factors that have to be considered when conducting business in different countries. The party that sets the subject of conversation in any business transaction is a factor sensitive enough for consideration before starting any business activity in a foreign country.
Also cultural change in a company is important because it gives the workers a sort of autonomy that will subsequently enhance freedom of expression of ideas, and hence greater innovations.
Results of innovation
When the company comes up with new innovations, the results are a new product in the market. This new product does not actually perform well in the market at first.
When car and general company introduced the small car, the motor vehicle sales did not perform well in the market mainly because there was not enough awareness of the consumers and the fuel efficiency of the vehicle was still low. This shows that there is always room for improvement.
The company needed to come up with a smaller engine that would also use fuel efficiently (Customer manufacturing group 2004).
Overcoming barriers of change
For any change to occur in any business organization the leaders must overcome barriers of change. It is imperative for the business organization to take into consideration its culture before implementing any substantial changes.
Challenges that may come up during the process of change include the neglect to creating a sense of urgency by the colleagues. Also, many people fear to be blamed especially when the change to be implemented goes against the status quo.
It is therefore easier for the sales, marketing and product development departments to embrace change than the accounting departments (Adventure associates 2010). This is because the accounting department is dedicated to keeping the work flow moving.
The other barrier is the aspect of defense mechanism. This mechanism acts to protect the colleagues’ sense of self. Since the sense of self in colleagues of the business organization is hard-wired, such kinds of attitude offer some of the greatest resistance to any changes in the organization (National research council -US 1981).
Design and development techniques
There are design and development techniques that need to be used by the organization. In a company that manufactures car, these techniques include the use of case realization, mapping design to code, start up design and the responsibilities which are related to obligations of an item in relation to its behavior.
There are also strategic types of changes that need to be used in order to ensure that there are effective changes in the company.
In this situation, the company can use any of the four strategic types of changes which are the defender strategy type, a prospector that looks for new opportunities, an analyzer that avoids excessive risks and a reactor which is a company that does not have strong influence to its external environment.
Conclusion
The techniques for encouraging technological change come in handy to help a company rebound to its moments of glory especially in the local and international market. These techniques are formal strategies that a company uses when the management desires to globalize the business operations of the company.
A dual core model of organizational innovation is important to the company because the act of adopting an innovation has a direct link with the status and sociometric centrality of the company’s organizational structure.
For any change to occur in any business organization the leaders must overcome barriers of change. It is imperative for the business organization to take into consideration its culture before implementing any substantial changes
References List
Adventure associates. (2010). Barriers to Change. Web.
Customer Manufacturing Group. (2004). Integrating Marketing With New Product/Service Development. Web.
Daft, R. (2009). Organization Theory and Design. Cengage Learning, Hampshire.
National Research Council -US. (1981). Issues Related to Improving Technological Innovation in The Mineral Industries. National Academy Press, Washington D.C.