National Response Corporation’s Creativity and Innovation Report (Assessment)

In this project, National Response Corporation (NRC) will be analysed in terms of creative and innovative management. It is a well-known global organisation that aims at promoting global services and various environmental, industrial, and emergency response solutions (NRC 2016). As a global organisation, NRC has offices in different parts of the world, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was first established in 1992 in the USA, in several years, its office appeared in the UAE.

More than 1000 full-time employees work at the 39 offices that can be found in 15 countries. The UAE office deals with such services oil spill response, waste management, and industrial cleaning services. About 100 people work at this office on a regular basis. As a senior project manager of the marketing department, I cooperate with many other departments of our company like the financial department, human resource department, and even the engineering department.

The Importance of Creative and Innovative Management in Organisations

Current creative and innovative management processes in the organisation

The industry of management of creativity and innovation has been improved considerably during the last decade (Patmore et al. 2009). To meet new expectations and use available opportunities, each company has to understand its goals and values and promote cooperation between the departments that can influence the development of clean-up strategies for contaminated properties. NRC is a global organisation with several purposes to be achieved. It deals with the pollution of different quality and scope. Industrial waste and hazardous materials can be observed everywhere, and our company has to introduce powerful strategies to solve the problems of environment, technical, and property pollution. The current creative and innovative management processes in our organisations are numerous, and each department tries to explain the worth of its ideas.

As a senior project manager, I offer to evaluate the possibility to buy the properties of different clients, who want to sell what they have and develop our opportunities in real estate business as a chance to promote environmental safety among the citizens of the UAE. Creative and innovative management underlines the importance of such processes as change, creativity, and innovation and the necessity to consider them to stay competitive and increase the demand among customers (Dawson & Andriopoulos 2014).

People will never stop polluting the land and even their properties, and our task is to spread our services to any possible extent. However, our company is limited in its services and does not find it necessary to consider some new opportunities. I think that real estate business is a chance to attract more people to our company and the services we offer not just to earn more money but to make people aware of the worth of our services.

How to lead others to positively embrace innovation and change

Not every company is eager to accept changes and understand what is expected from the employees. Our company is characterised by the highest safety standards, a number of innovative technologies, and efficient equipment with the help of which employees can develop their skills and offer new strategies (About us 2016). Clean-up strategies of ordinary local firms differ considerable from the strategies that have to be developed by a global organisation because many international standards should be met.

It is not enough to choose an appropriate leadership style and explain to the employees that it is necessary to accept the change. It is more important to explain the essence of change, its nature, and the behaviours that should be developed and consider such attributes as size and structure of the company, leadership style and support for innovation (Goodman & Dingli 2013). Within the frames of the current project, the following suggestions can be offered for consideration.

Coaching leadership style is appropriate for this project as it can be used to motivate employees, develop for the future, help to improve personal skills, and develop new approaches to work.

Motivation should be based on several aspects: on the one hand, employees and leaders should understand what opportunities they can get with change; on the other hand, leaders should motivate employees and explain that the success of change implementation leads to the appearance of new duties and working places, and it is possible to get some rewards and financial compensations.

Any change should be implemented following the model for effective change. In this case, it is possible to use the model developed by DiClemente and Prochaska that consists of six stages: pre-contemplation, contemplation, determination, action, maintenance, and termination (Cooper 2012). The main strength of the model is the possibility to compare the conditions when the change has not been even planned, when the need for changes appears, when some actions are taken to implement it, and when the evaluation of the results should be made. The main weakness is the necessity to deal with much information and evaluate many facts to prove the worth of change (Consult Fig.1).

At the same time, this change model is more appropriate for communication with patients and other stakeholders involved in the healthcare sphere. It can be used to predict the behaviour of employees. Another task is to succeed in managing change in a company. It is possible to use the IDEAL model. As it can be observed from Fig.2, this model promotes the organisational improvement through initiating, planning, and implementing the actions that can improve the work of a company (Kautz, Hansen, & Thaysen 2000).

The offered change may be defined as transitional because it is simple still unpredictable. Such dual nature of change may be explained in the following way. At the initial stage of change, not many adjustments are required. The leader and employees have to analyse the current situation in the company and the financial abilities to buy the contaminated property. It is also necessary to evaluate the level of contamination and calculate if it is worthwhile to make purchases. At the same time, the development of change and the outcomes of change may be unpredictable because the land (property) may be contaminated the way its quality cannot be defined at first. With time, more new opportunities or threats can be discovered. Therefore, the unpredictable aspect of change has to be taken into consideration.

It is also necessary to work with all stakeholders, who may be involved in change. First, the leader has to understand that certain financial attachments are required. If the company may allow purchases, change may be acceptable. Second, employees have to realise that certain amounts of work are required because the property has to be cleaned and investigates. It is possible to construct some new industrial buildings or rent them with time.

Finally, change has to be properly introduced (Cooper 2012). Innovative management involves many responses and strategies that are fundamental and can gain different forms (Jaksic, Rakocevic & Martic 2014). Open communication is preferable so that all stakeholders are aware of the change outcomes. Group meetings can be used as the main method.

Support of Creative and Innovative Management Processes for an Organisation

The influence of Vision and Mission on the generation of creative and innovative management processes in an organisation

To make the project effective, we should discuss the opportunities of our company and offer adjustments that can be used for the promotion of success in our company. NRC finds it crucial not only to respond to some contaminated properties but also to develop consulting and training services and strategies that improve the attitudes of people to clean-up activities. Besides, the company develops a number of clean-up strategies that can be applied to contaminated properties and protect the environment.

Vision and Mission of the company are to maintain the highest operational and safety standards that protect the environment and promote various clean-up strategies (About us 2016). Karaman, Kok, Hasiloglu, and River (2008) admit that vision and creativity are interchangeable because if a vision is properly built, any change based on creativity and innovation contribute a company and improve organisational productivity. Therefore, the idea to buy new contaminated properties does not contradict the company’s vision and missions to improve the environment and promote high-quality cleaning services.

Besides, such decision may serve as a good example for other offices of our company that are at different parts of the world. The President of the company (that is located in the USA), Paul Taveira, is also described as an analytical and thankful player, who tries to create a strong organisation with several opportunities. It seems attractive and beneficial to implement a new creative process to optimise an opportunity and enter the real estate business as a company that knows a lot about the quality of environment and safety of people.

Analytical tools to identify potential creative and innovative management ideas

I think that leaders should spend enough time and efforts to motivate and inspire their employees so that they can search for more innovative ideas of doing various improvements and providing changes. It is hard to predict all opportunities that can be available to the company at a particular moment. Therefore, the fact that some clients want to sell their properties can be defined as an unpredictable opportunity for our company to get involved in the real estate business and promote the idea of safe environment among the citizens of the UAE. Lateral thinking and assumption challenge are the two analytical tools that can be offered in this case.

As a possibility to generate new solutions to problems and find out alternative approaches to the implementation of change (Proctor 2010), lateral thinking helps to understand that real estate business introduce several benefits to the company of such scope as NRC. First, not many companies that develop clean-up ideas can understand their possibility to buy the contaminated properties and improve them to the standards set by the company. Second, such opportunity helps to find more stakeholders in the field of environmental protection and high-quality technologies or waste management. Finally, lateral thinking can be used to discover new goals NRC can meet as a hazardous material response organisation.

To challenge assumptions means to create new perspectives. It may be similar to lateral thinking. Still, the main difference is the level of change offered. Assumption challenges make the analysis of outcomes possible. There is no need to search for some alternatives. It is enough to answer such questions as “What if the company accepts/does not accept the opportunity…” and analyse the results obtained.

The risks and benefits of creative and innovative management ideas

During the last decade, NRC has become one of the largest global organisations that deal with contaminated properties, waste management, and clean-up strategies. Its offices in the UAE, USA, Europe, Asia, and the even Caribbean prove the success of the strategies and services offered by the company. Many people have already involved in the idea to protect the environment and offer such services as training, consultations, and response (NRC 2016).

The main benefit of the offered creative and innovative management idea is the possibility to discover a new aspect of industrial and environmental operations and use the real estate business as a chance to explain how contamination may influence the quality of life and the growth of constructions. If the property is safe, and the technologies for building are environmentally friendly, the constructions can be used for a long period with no harm to people around. The main risk of the idea is the impossibility to predict all outcomes of contamination present at the property. Primary evaluation maybe not enough to discover all possible threats and instabilities. This kind of risk has to be taken into consideration by any leader and stakeholders.

Change models to support the implementation of creative and innovative management ideas

To prove that the implementation of creative and innovative management idea makes sense, some models of change management have to be applied. The choice of a model helps to facilitate the implementation process and evaluate all possible aspects of the work that has to be done. In fact, all change models can promote the development of mistakes as well as right decisions made by leaders and employees.

The only thing that should matter is the desire to implement change and the ability to follow a model. To deal with the transitional change, it is possible to use the IDEAL model and consider lateral thinking and assumption challenge as the main tools for the analysis of the activities required for change (Kautz, Hansen & Thaysen 2000; Proctor 2010). The creation of the alternatives is the core of the analysis that should help to understand what kind of option is preferable for the company. The IDEAL model introduces the structure according to which the company may plan and learn how to implement a process (Kautz, Hansen & Thaysen 2000).

There are five main stages in the model: initiating, diagnosing, establishing, acting, and leveraging (learning). Each stage should be taken properly to make change a successful contribution to the company.

1. The company should get a stimulus for change. The leader should learn the possible future benefits, and the employees can use more working places.
2. It could be diagnosed that the purchases of new contaminated properties should help to enter the real estate business and promote environmentally friendly activities.
3. The company should establish a new team that deals with different aspects of change, investigate the territory, and generate the ideas that can describe the worth of purchases.
4. When the company starts acting, it should be ready to make agreements with the clients, investigate the properties that can be bought, and learn how the land can be used.
5. The evaluation of the steps should help the UAE company to introduce itself as the innovator in its field and unite cleaning-up strategies and environment protection with real estate. This stage should gather several ideas and study them to comprehend how to benefit in the entire business.

These stages should help NRC to integrate the creative and innovative management ideas with the clean-up strategies for contaminated properties and gain benefits from the real estate business the company may be involved in.

Influencing Others to Effect Change in an Organisation

The rationale to persuade stakeholders of an organisation of the benefits of a creative and innovative management idea

There are many abandoned or poorly treated lands that require people attention and care. People have forgotten about the importance to take care of nature not to make nature get angry with them. The design of clean-up strategies for contaminated properties is an important kind of work that cannot be neglected. This company is good at protecting and cleaning the environment. People cannot even understand a true worth of the services offered by our company. As a result, we do not want or do not find it necessary to develop our services and discover some new aspects of our work.

We try to improve and demonstrate a high-quality only. On the one hand, it is a good attitude to the work. On the other hand, it is always necessary to remember that risk and risky ideas may be justified. Besides, to try our company as a safe real estate representative is not a serious risk. It is just an attempt to invest money in new buildings and land and make it clean and environmentally friendly for further rent and sale.

A creative and innovative management idea to stakeholders of an organisation

The collaboration of the innovative management idea is not an easy task. Still, it is necessary to create a system according to which the explanation of the idea can be offered to the stakeholders of the company. The following scheme can help the company and its leaders to communicate the idea to the stakeholders:

• To invite people to the company and demonstrate the activities taken by the company;
• To introduce the main principles and values NRC chooses;
• To communicate with people and discuss their ideas of if it is necessary to change something in the company;
• To consider the feedbacks and ideas of the employees and managers around;
• To stay open and loyal to all prepositions;
• To explain how new purchases can change the work in the company;
• To share the goals that can be set as soon as the company enters the real estate business.

Key goals and priorities for implementation of a creative and innovative management idea using feedback from stakeholders

Taking into consideration the role of stakeholders in the company and the necessity to involve more people in the services offered by the company, it is appropriate for NRC to collect and process the information got from different people while communicating the new idea. The following goals can motivate NRC’s employees and help its leaders to achieve good results after the implementation process:

• To underline the Vision and Mission of the company;
• To explain the connection between the main values of the company, the importance of clean-up strategies, and the worth of the real estate business;
• To coordinate people on how to use new properties to promote the protection of the environment;
• To share new cleaned-up land with people, who are in need, rent the property, or sell the land that is free from any kind of contamination.

Planning to Overcome Barriers to Implementation of Creative and Innovative Management Ideas in an Organisation

The barriers to the implementation of a creative and innovative management idea in an organisation

Even if the implementation of the chosen idea in the company is planned and supported by the leader, there may be several barriers that have to be identified and analysed. First of all, some immovable personal forces define the idea and change as something uncomfortable and undesirable. People get used to ordinary working demands and know what to expect from their working routine. The offered idea to pay more attention to other spheres of business except the one of protecting the environment may be a risky affair, and employees with their leader should be eager to overcome it. Besides, there are more barriers to this particular situation:

• The possibility of criticism;
• The necessity to work hard;
• Misunderstanding of the goals;
• The inevitability to cooperate with different unfamiliar people.

A strategy to overcome identified barriers to the implementation of a creative and innovative management idea in an organisation

Five main barriers can appear in the process of implementing a new idea to the company. Each barrier can be overcome and solved with the help of a properly chosen strategy.

1. Immovable forces like personal beliefs or old habits may be destroyed in case more attention is paid to the situations when creativity and innovation are used in different companies. It is possible to surf the web and read how other companies succeed in implementing innovative ideas.
2. The possibility of criticism cannot be ignored. Still, the company may introduce a new value according to which all employees are encouraged to share their opinions, and no one has the right to judge except the leader.
3. The necessity to work hard is the requirement that cannot be neglected because people should have faith in what they do and use any possible means to achieve desirable goals. Working routine can be improved through appropriate motivation. Workers may participate in competitions and be rewarded in some way.
4. Misunderstanding of the goals may confuse some workers. The company may organise special meetings and ask to pass the tests to check of every worker comprehends the task correctly.
5. Cooperation with unfamiliar people is the usual attribute of any innovative process. The leader may organise special official and unofficial meetings when employees from different departments can meet, discuss various aspects of work, and get to know each other. Open communication should be developed in the company.

How a strategy plan for overcoming barriers will ensure innovative change is achieved

The strategic plan to overcome barriers consists of five main steps: to surf the web to search for successful examples and share information with employees, encourage people to work hard and demonstrate their approaches in the implementation process, organise meetings and competitions to promote the exchange of information, support open communication, organise competitions. This strategy covers different aspects of work and helps to motivate employees. The examples of other organisations able to combine several businesses can be offered. Even the idea to have a play area for kids in restaurants can be used. Many companies were not afraid to deviate from their primary goal to feed people and focus on the conditions under which people may be fed.

A strategy plan for overcoming barriers to relevant stakeholders in an organisation

To combine the company’s environmental goals and cleaning services with the real estate business is not an easy task. Still, it may be complete as soon as people learn the benefits of this idea. There are many stakeholders, who can be interested in this idea. For example, the advertisers can use the strategy offered as a chance to describe the news and an innovative approach to make the world better. Employees may feel like a part of a team that improves the world. The leader benefits with the innovation idea because it helps to enter the rent and real estate business and promote the idea of clean and safe property for all inhabitants of the UAE.

List of Reference

About us, 2016. Web.

Cooper, S 2012, Change: models and processes, Charles C Thomas Publisher, Springfield, IL. Web.

Dawson, P & Andriopoulos, C 2014, Managing change, creativity and innovation, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA. Web.

Goodman, M & Dingli, SM 2013, Creativity and strategic innovation management, Routledge, NY. Web.

Jaksic, ML, Rakocevic, SB & Martic, M 2014, Innovative management and firm performance: an interdisciplinary approach and cases, Palgrave Macmillan, New York. Web.

Karaman, A, Kok, SB, Hasiloglu, SB & Rivera, M 2008, ‘Vision, creativity, strategic innovation, and transformational leadership’, Problems and Perspectives in Management, vol.6, no.2, 104-109. Web.

Kautz, K, Hansen, HW & Thaysen, K 2000, ‘Applying and adjusting a software process improvement model in practice: the use of the IDEAL model in a small software enterprise’, Software Engineering, 626-633. Web.

NRC 2016. Web.

Patmore, J, Whittaker, S, Watkins, S, & Hessey, S 2009, The management of creativity & Innovation. Web.