Introduction
The need for innovation has become critical for many IT companies that have to offer new products to their customers in order to remain sustainable. Therefore, organizations should foster the creative work of employees and avoid excessive supervision. However, managers should also make sure that employees follow certain rules that are necessary for quality improvement and time-efficiency of the organization.
The case, which is going to be discussed, exemplifies a problem faced by many businesses. The manager has to interact with employees who dislike any constraints or regulations that can be imposed on them. In turn, it is necessary to make sure that they follow quality improvements programs and methodologies which have already been tested by other businesses.
However, these rules should not impair the creative capacity of these people. Under such circumstance, the manager should change employees’ attitudes toward programs and procedures; in particular, they should see that these rules are necessary for the improvement of their performance. This is the main thesis that can be illustrated in greater detail.
Introducing new models and methodologies
Under these circumstances, the project manager should demonstrate the rationale for changing the way in which the work of employees is organized.
Employees should clearly understand that the lack of quality improvement programs and project methodologies only prevents them from doing their work properly. Moreover, they should see that the current state of affairs will eventually lead to stagnation. This step is based on the principles of change management according to which people can alter their behavior if they see a distinct need for this change.
If this issue is not addressed, the policies of the management will not be easily accepted. This is one of the issues that should be considered by the leaders of this organization. This goal can be achieved in several ways. For instance, the manager should prompt people to work on a task that requires excellent coordination, information-sharing, time-management, and so forth.
In most cases, employees can cope with such assignment only if they can properly organize their labor according to some principle that has already been tested. In this way, leaders can place employees in a more challenging environment. These people should see that by overlooking rules and procedures, the department may not function properly. Furthermore, the manager should not blame the workers for poor results since in this way, one only undermine their motivation.
Instead, he/she should emphasize that this outcome can be explained by the absence of rules and procedures that can improve people’s work. This is the main idea that one should communicate while interacting with these IT professionals. To a great extent, this moment can be viewed as a turning point when employees are prompted to re-evaluate their views or attitudes toward quality improvement programs or workplace procedures advocated by the management. So, this is the first step should be taken in order to carry out policies.
In turn, the manager should demonstrate that a certain project methodology can improve the work of software designers. For example, it is possible to choose the waterfall model that is often adopted by IT professionals. This approach includes the following stages:
- the specification of requirements;
- design;
- construction;
- integration;
- integration;
- testing, and
- installation.
Moreover, this model is premised on the assumption that the work of designers should resemble a feedback loop. For instance, the results of program tests may indicate that some changes in design should be made. Therefore, this model is useful for identifying possible flaws as quickly as possible. Certainly, this is not the only option that is available to the manager.
In particular, one can decide in favor of the so-called agile model that places emphasis on the interactions between clients and developers. The main task is to demonstrate the use of some methodology can increase the productivity of software designers. Provided that this goal is achieved, employees will be more willing to use this approach on a regular basis. They will believe that that this project methodology is a valid tool that that can help them avoid many pitfalls in the future.
At this stage, the manager must show that the adoption of quality improvement programs can facilitate their work. For instance, it is possible such an approach as Software Metrics Programs which incorporates various techniques that can be used by software designers.
This method implies that software designers should collect data about various defects and single out the most widespread ones. Furthermore, they should identify the most probable causes of these failures. Much attention should be paid to process factors that increase the risk of failures.
This is just an example of the quality improvement program that can be adopted. As it has been said before, the manager can choose a different approach. However, he/she should show that a certain model can increase the overall efficiency of these IT professionals. They should not perceive this program only as a set of unnecessary rules that are imposed on them. Instead, they need to see that this method can create value for them. This is the main principle that should be followed by business administrators.
Later the manager can use these models as a part of the regular routine. At this point, employees will comply with the rules that they deem necessary and rational. It is quite possible that these people will suggest ways of modifying or improving these methods.
Their suggestions and recommendations can be quite valuable because these people can adjust a certain model to the needs of the organization. So, these examples illustrate the way in which new methods of labor organization can be introduced in the workplace. The steps that have been identified are based on the premise that the manager will work with people who value critical thinking and tend to be very autonomous or even restrained.
As a rule, such individuals can accept new rules if these changes can bring tangible improvements. Furthermore, these people do not accept the autocratic style of leadership which implies that employees should follow the instructions of the management without any questions. This is one of the main details that should be identified since it is important for introducing new policies.
Promoting innovation and creativity
Yet, the manager should make sure that these approaches are compatible with innovation. It is possible to take several precautions in order to achieve this result. For example, one should avoid excessive monitoring of employees. These people should feel the confidence of the management.
Certainly, these people should meet the requirements that are set by the management, but they must not be forced to follow only one pattern that has already been used before. In other words, it is necessary to create an environment in which people are afraid of taking risks.
Thus, one can say that empowerment is critical for the successful work of this company and its long-term sustainability. Moreover, the organization should reward individuals who suggest innovative ideas or unconventional solutions to existing problems. Under such circumstances, software designers will have stronger incentives to work more productively because they will see that innovation and creativity are valued by the managers. This is one of the points that can be made.
Apart from that, the manager should clearly state that he/she will not stifle the creative work of employees. One of the possible strategies is to let software designers spend a certain amount of time on the projects that they like most. This policy is adopted in many IT companies where employees can spend approximately 10 percent of their work-time on the tasks that seem most interesting to them.
Very often, this work can lead to the development of new products that were not even expected by the management. In this way, an organization can also foster innovation. It is vital to remember that a person is more likely to work more productively when he/she can focus on projects that seem to be more challenging and promising. Thus, this individual will be more willing to do one’s best. This is one of the arguments that can be put forward.
Additionally, one should bear in mind that the innovation process in any organizations involves information gathering and sharing. Therefore, a manager should promote a learning culture within a department.
This goal can be achieved by holding weekly or monthly meetings during which people can offer their recommendations and solutions. The task of a leader is to make sure that every person has an opportunity to share his/her ideas with others. It is quite possible that several people can express ideas which complement one another.
Furthermore, the management should be able to appreciate new ideas and put them into practice. One should mention that various project methodologies can be used for the development of learning culture within an organization. Thus, one should not suppose that by regulating the work of IT professionals, the manager will inevitably stifle their creativity or initiatives. Such an assumption is not quite accurate because there are tools that enable business executives to make innovation and control consistent with one another.
Conclusion
Overall, this discussion indicates that quality improvement programs can be implemented without impairing the creativity of employees. There are several principles that should be followed by the manager when introducing these changes. First, the rules and procedures should not be viewed as some restrictions that are simply imposed on them without any explanation. This is the main pitfall that should be avoided. Secondly, employees should understand that without these changes the performance will be significantly impaired.
The strategies that have been described in this paper can help a leader attain several goals. First, he/she can make sure that workers accept the validity of quality improvement programs. This is the critical goal that that should be attained. Secondly, the manager should create opportunities for innovation. One can do it by stressing the empowerment of workers and their autonomy. Secondly, it is essential to reward IT professionals for their independent decisions and initiatives.
Works Cited
Anderson, Dean. Beyond Change Management: How to Achieve Breakthrough Results Through Conscious Change Leadership. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Print.
Fox, William, and Gerrit van der Waldt. A Guide to Project Management. New York: Juta and Company Ltd, 2008. Print.
Goodman, Paul. Software Metrics: Best Practices for Successful IT Management. Boston: Rothstein Associates, 2004. Print.
Leffingwell, Dean, and Don Wildrig. Managing Software Requirements: A Use Case Approach. New York: Addison-Wesley Professional, 2003. Print.
Limberg, Thomas. Examining Innovation Management from a Fair Process Perspective. New York: Springer, 2008. Print.