Innovation in Organizations: Theories & Practices

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Introduction

Creativity, innovation, and change are all aspects that affect an organization’s operations. Scholars are of the opinion that through these three aspects an organization can overcome most challenges. In addition, when innovation, creativity, and change are adequately employed, the productivity of the organization improves significantly. This essay discusses these three aspects. They include theories of creativity, innovation, and change. The essay also details the theoretical models associated with these aspects. Moreover, a critical evaluation of individual performance as a leader will be addressed. All the issues discussed in this essay pertain to creativity, innovation, and change in an organizational setup.

Change affects all organizations in one way or another. This change can have profound effects on an organization’s productivity and management. For change to influence an organization positively, it has to be accompanied by creativity and innovation. Several theories are associated with this concept. They include the Jenga theory of creativity, the systems, the functionalist, the interpretive, the radical humanist, and the radical structuralism theories (Noe, 2009).

The Jenga Theory of Creativity

This theory suggests that creativity and innovation involves addition and subtraction of issues from previous aspects with the aim of improving those (Almekinders, Beukema & Tromp, 2008). The input is not as important as the output in this case. This is because the improvements are supposed to improve an existing product or service. An application of this theory is the process through which people learn a simpler way of doing things. This usually happens when a person embarks on a mission to improve the existing ways of doing things. The process is usually accompanied by trials and errors.

Systems Theory

Systems theory is classified under the Domain of Individual Field Interaction (DIFI). This theory states that creativity and innovation are dependent on products, processes, places, and persons. According to this theory, individuals, cultural, and social factors have a significant influence on the creative process. This means that these factors are important when it comes to evaluating organizational success (Buckley & Caple, 2009). This theory is applicable to any innovative or creative process. This is where people are central to the process. The domain in this case will be already in existence. The person or the creator has to be conversant with this domain. The product will be the focus of this creation. The processes in this case include operational and legal process within which all this happens.

The Functionalists Theory

The proponents of this theory believe that in order to impact any significant change to an organization, one has to be familiar with the structures and the systems in an organization (Buckley & Caple, 2009). The main concept in this theory is that empirical research, data collection, and other such activities could benefit the creative and innovation processes. They can also eliminate common mistakes in the system.

The interpretive Theory

This theory suggests that creativity and innovation are dependent on personal interpretations and judgments (Phills & Denend, 2005). For instance, in accordance with this theory the ideas of one person might be perceived differently by his/her colleagues. These personal feelings might not be accurate. These different forms of interpretation are the main reason why creativity is considered to be subjective. Furthermore, interpretive theorists consider creativity as a process of sense-making. This means that aspects are altered to make them more “meaningful” just though they convince a third party.

The Radical Humanist Theory

This theory relates innovation and creativity with self actualization. According to this theory, a person’s consciousness is dependent on the organizational concepts and deliverables. Therefore, this concept increases or decreases a person’s ability to be innovative or creative. In addition, the personalities and other affiliations that are related to the organization may influence creativity and innovation. The proponents of this theory therefore believe that for effective creativity, a person’s mind has to be free of any domination from organizational or other mental structures.

The Radical Structuralism Theory

This theory suggests that conflict is a social phenomenon that necessitates social change. The proponents of this theory acknowledge that there are certain structures, processes, and arrangements that impact people’s abilities to impact change. They also believe that by adhering to certain procedures, everyone has equal chances of impacting change in an organization (Burke, 2010).

Theoretical Models of Creativity, Innovation, and Change

When it comes to the roles of team and organizational leadership, the theoretical models of creativity, innovation, and creativity are often related to other factors like team climate, individual workers, leadership, and organizational customs. When workers are appreciated for their creativity and innovativeness it increases their morale. Consequently, it is easier for these workers to perfect their skills. Some scholars are of the view that innovation and creativity can improve individuals’ psychological well-being (Burtis, Esptein & Parker, 2006).

Companies can achieve significant growth when they realize the full innovative potential of their workers. When this creativity is coupled with innovation, an organization gains considerable advantage. It is also widely perceived that workers who are more inclined to innovation are more contented than those who often rely on invented products.

Creativity is often triggered by a number of factors. Some of these include incongruities that a person might encounter in the course of their life and work. Workers gain cognitive and behavioral capabilities when they attempt to solve these problems. There are other scholars who believe that the negative perceptions that dominate a work place evoke creativity (Phills & Denend, 2005). This creativity is usually a coping mechanism that ends up being beneficial to both the worker and the organization. Some theorists have overlooked the impacts of creativity and innovation. However, extensive research has indicated that at times the impacts of creativity and innovations have shaped people’s judgments and attitudes.

Another theoretical aspect of the issue is the need to reward innovation and creativity (Gops, 1995). Rewards can be financial or non-financial in nature. Non-financial rewards include promotions and recognitions. Rewarding creativity and innovativeness can add morale to the worker. This morale fuels more creativity and innovation in a worker. In addition, it may motivate young minds to nurture their creativity (Price, 2009). The other factor in this subject is the issue of cost of innovation and creativity. Several stakeholders reckon that it is indeed costly to nurture and cash in on innovation.

One limitation to innovation and creativity is the uncertainty of the outcome. Many organizations are reluctant to bankroll innovative and creative ventures due to the fear of losing money in the process. This skepticism is one of the main challenges faced by innovativeness and creativity. The other limitation is the fact that most innovators usually question organizational norms. This tendency is bound to generate some friction within the organization. For instance, more conservative leaders might feel threatened by this development. This means even though most organizations welcome innovativeness and creativity, some of them may not be able to handle its accompanying effects.

Own Performance as a Leader

After critically reviewing my performance as a leader, I have observed my strengths and areas of development to include the following. The first is my tendency to adjust the organization after the changes that result from innovations. As a manager one has the responsibility of reassuring the employees of their positions and importance to the company. Innovations also involve streamlining the company’s budget. One of the most important considerations at such a time is making sure that these budgetary shocks do not affect the workers. The process of creativity and innovation must also be inclusive of moral ethics. In some instances workers have felt as if they are being replaced by machines. As a manager it is therefore my duty to ensure that the balance between ethics and the need for innovation is achieved in an organization.

The Key aspects of innovation and Change

One aspect of innovation and change is the need to come up with possible “replacements” for humans. This process has brought about the advent of robots. Many people have mixed feelings when it comes to robots. While some welcome the idea, others are convinced that robots undermine human integrity. The opponents of these innovations are either against them entirely or want robot-technology use to be limited to appliances. This is mostly as a result of the increased creation of robots that are very similar to human beings. This issue sometimes degenerates into a morality issue.

Some countries like Japan are friendlier to this technology. South Korea is one of the countries that have shown a lot of interest in robot technology. The South Korean Government seeks to mass produce robots with the aim of making them available to every household in the country by the year 2020. In South Korea there are robots at work in museums, schools, and many other places.

The other key aspect of innovation is the concern that its overreliance might alter human behavior. A recent study found this sentiment to be true. The results of the study indicated that continuous interaction with robots affects how human beings reason (Thompson et al., 2009).

There are fears that some innovations are more likely to be used to perpetuate evils. Robots fall under this category. This is because robots are often programmed in accordance with their designer’s wishes. This makes it possible for them to carry out the evils other human beings may be reluctant to commit owing to their emotional and moral inhibitions.

Conclusion

Innovation and creativity are the key agents of change. This is the reason why they remain as the key drivers to any organization. There are several scholarly theories that confirm their usefulness to an organization. These theories touch on various aspects of innovation and creativity. Theoretically, creativity and innovation follow certain models that are stipulated by several scholars. As a leader, it is important to understand these theories, their concepts and aspects. This would give a leader the ability to oversee innovations and other creative processes. In addition, a leader should have the ability to understand the moral and other ethical boundaries that can be crossed through creativity or innovations.

References

Almekinders, C., Beukema, L. & Tromp, C. (2008). Research in Action: Theories and Practices for Innovation and Social Change. Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers.

Buckley, R & Caple, J. (2009). The Theory and Practice of Training. New York, NY: Kogan Page Press.

Burke, W. W. (2010). Organization Change: Theory and Practice. (Foundations for Organizational Science series). New York, NY: Sage Publications.

Burtis, P., Esptein, B. & Parker, N. (2006). Creating Cleantech Clusters: How Innovation and Investment Can Promote Job Growth and a Healthy Environment. New York: National Resources Defense Council.

Gops, J. (1995). Journal of Towards the Ethical Robot, Android Epistemology. Boston: MIT Press.

Noe, R. (2009). Employee Training and Development. New York. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Phills, J. & Denend, L. (2005). Social Entrepreneurs: Correcting Market Failures. Stanford Printing Press, California.

Price, D. (2009). The Principles and Practice of Change. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Thompson et al. (2009). GLO-BUS Developing Winning Competitive Strategies: Participant’s Guide. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Web.

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