Question

Think of an organization that you currently work for or one that you have worked for in the past. Critique your organization’s innovative strategy. What are strengths and weaknesses in your organization in regards to innovation? How would you analyze the leadership and management styles in your organization? Does your organization support innovation?

Answer 1

I work for an organisation called ABC Inc. The company was founded by three graduates of an Ivy league institute. They were able to capture a large market share in short time because of the innovative nature of the products offered by them. They had first mover advantage among others, as the concept was new in the market. The product being technology oriented one, needs to be redesigned, reinvented and positioned again in the marketplace to stay ahead of the competitors. The organisation has been successful in this approach to greater extent. However, the degree of innovation has slowed down with addition of new partners in the management team which follow old school of business and are more of conservative nature. The collective approach of the management is to build sustainability and take calculated risks to gain market share, slowly but steadily.

With augmentation of the partners, the company has grown in size and scale. They have greater financial muscle now and are shortly going to launch an IPO. They are expanding and growing steadily. However, the management, which was at arm's length and was easily accessible earlier, is difficult to approach now. The employees have lesser voice in the decision making and they feel alienated to some extent. The freedom to ideate and experiment has reduced somewhat, with focus shifting on profitability now.

The leadership style earlier was more collaborative and participative in nature, where everyone was encouraged to experiment and learn, even if it meant failing. Now, the focus is more on treading the beaten path, so as to minimise the chances of mistakes. The innovation is preferred, but not everyone is encouraged to do it, barring the top brass. The lack of employee inclusion has also reduced the employees' say in the vital decisions of the organisation.

As I have mentioned, the innovation remains confined to the top brass only. The ordinary employees can give suggestions but only when asked for.