This was as opposed to complete production of the car in their factories. They questioned the conventional wisdom in order to aid the firm in navigating the increasingly complex corporate environment.
The culture of creative dissatisfaction
Other than the formal system of the TSC the company has taken certain key steps that are aimed at the stimulation of creative thinking. The company trains its employees so as to think about improving its products at all times. They refer to this as the culture of creative dissatisfaction. Innovation has therefore been made a key component of the training programs. This is provided at its leadership institute (fifty senior administrators are sent here every year ) up to the "Technovator" workshop, a four-day programme in which the employees are taught on how to think creatively.
Social responsiveness and technical communication
The company encourages employee to take about 5 hours of their forty five hour week in doing their personal projects such as the development of a new idea or the learning of a new skill. So as to best capture the nascent ideas, the firm launched a social network called IdeaMax which is more like Digg for employees to place and comment as well as vote on their ideas. The IdeaMax platform has collected more than 12,000 ideas a large number of which have been developed into projects.
Leadership as the foundation of innovation
Samson (2010) pointed out that the keys to innovation are strategy and leadership. The CEO of a given firm marks the cornerstone of any attempts to spur a culture of innovation. The Tata case study indicates that it is important for the CEO to communicate the need as well as the importance of innovation to the managers as well as to encourage innovative efforts that include even the failed ones.
Hiring the right people.
In order to ensure that the capacity for making breakthrough innovations is achieved by Tata, only the Phd graduates were hired .
Building a culture of organization in the corporation
It is important to point out that a culture of innovation cannot be instilled without a clear system that is aimed at approving a s well as funding the ideas. These would include the employee review process as part of the innovation criteria.
The use of social media for tapping as well as encouraging collaboration
The use of the IdeaMax platform by the Tata group has aided the company it creating a platform that allows the workers...
As Gosh (2010) put it innovation involves going though the steps of; mental model innovation to business model innovation, then to industry innovation and subsequently social innovation.
Conclusion
Innovation is a process that involves people, products and processes via the application of appropriate leadership skills. Organization should therefore embrace innovation in order to maintain profitability in this competitive business atmosphere. Innovation is therefore a tool for acquiring and maintaining a competitive advantage
References
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Drucker, P (1985). Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Practice and Principles
Gosh, G (2010). Reframing is the key to Disruptive Innovation
http://www.hrmtoday.com/talent/human-resources-management/reframing-is-the-key-to-disruptive-innovation/
Imagin Mor Pty Ltd. (n.d) Automobile Industry India
http://imaginmor.com/automobileindustryindia.html.
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http://web.archive.org/web/20080610111827/http://www.tata.com/tata_motors/articles/20051011_driving.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-11
Samson, D (2010).Innovation for business success:Achieving a systematic innovation capability
Available online at http://www.innovation.gov.au/Industry/IndustryInnovationCouncils/Documents/InnovationforbusinesssuccessTechstrat.pdf
Middleton, AC (2008). The three 'P's of Innovation: Product, Process and People -time to make 'Cinderella's of the two 'Ugly Sisters'- presentation to the Dairy Council 2008 Conference
-Niagara, June 10th
http://www.ontariodairies.ca/categories/Alan%20Middleton.pdf
Scalon, J (2009). How to Build a Culture of Innovation
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/aug2009/id20090819_070601.htm
Senge, P. (2006). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organizations. New York: DoubleDay. Retrieved February 14, 2011
Sawhney, MR, Wolcott, RC and Arroniz, I (2006)the 12 Different Ways for. Companies to Innovate. SPRING 2006 VOL.47 NO.3. REPRINT NUMBER 47314.
Appendix
Strategies for Innovation
Source: Sawhney, Wolcott and Arroniz (2006)
