Importance of Innovation Architecture and the Structures in Promoting It
In Innovation as Usual: How to Help Your People Bring Great Ideas to Life (2013), Miller and Wedell-Wedellsborg discuss the importance of establishing systems within organizations that promote not only the creativity that results in innovation, but also make it possible for employees to bring innovative ideas to fruition. Miller and Wedell-Wedellsborg argue that a leader’s primary job "is not to innovate; it is to become an innovation architect, creating a work environment that helps . . . people engage in the key innovation behaviors as part of their daily work" (page 4). Such a work environment must be reinforced by innovation architecture—the structures within an organization that support an innovation, from the brainstorming phase to final realization. The more well developed the architecture and the simpler the processes involved, the more likely employees are to be innovators.
For this assignment, you will research the innovation architecture of at least three companies that are well-known for successfully supporting a culture of innovation. Write a 1,500-word paper that addresses the following:
What particular elements of each organization’s culture, processes, and management systems and styles work well to support innovation?
Why do you think these organizations have been able to capitalize on innovation and intrapreneurship while others have not?
Based on what you have learned, what processes and systems might actually stifle innovation and intrapreneurship?
Imagine yourself as an innovation architect. What structures or processes would you put in place to foster a culture of innovation within your own organization?
Include in-text citations to at least four reputable secondary sources (such as trade journals, academic journals, and professional or industry websites) in your paper.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
The Importance of Innovation Architecture
Name:
Institution:
Course Code:
Date:
Importance of Innovation Architecture
Introduction
Innovation refers to the process of coming up with a new idea, conceptualizing it to create a new product or service. In some instances, innovation entails the improvement of previously discovered processes into something better than before.
Architecture, in this context, is the visualization of a product or service from an idea to its finalization in an organization.
Therefore, innovation architecture refers to the cultural, technical, and management systems in an organization to motivate company members, employers, and employees to develop new ideas that lead to the creation of new products and services based on current and futuristic economic trends. In most cases, companies that use this system as an integral part of their road to success usually succeed as long as they have good capital and adequate investors. Additionally, the CEOs and company owners of these companies are primarily futuristic-driven, and they constantly strive to actualize the things that most people dream of. The technology industry in our present time is the most driven, primarily by innovative architecture. With this in mind, this paper will focus on three successful companies that are well known for properly utilizing and promoting a culture of innovation. These companies include; Tesla, Amazon, and Adidas.
Elements Supporting Innovation
Tesla
Tesla is an automotive company whose main headquarters are based in Palo Alto, California, in the United States of America, which primarily designs electric vehicles and is mainly focused on clean energy design, which is environmentally friendly. A group of engineers founded this company in 2003 who wanted to prove that people didn't need to compromise to drive electric – that electric vehicles can be better, quicker, and more fun to drive than gasoline cars (Tesla, 2021). This reasoning is why Tesla's brilliant innovations, especially in battery technology and renewable energy use. Its all-time CEO is billionaire Elon Musk.
Tesla's culture
This company's organizational culture is based on six significant features which cut across all its members. These features are mainly aimed at proper innovative problem-solving. This corporate culture motivates employees to develop profitable solutions to current and emerging problems in the target market ADDIN EN.CITE Pauline Meyer201924-27(Meyer, 2019)19Pauline MeyerTesla Inc.’s Organizational Culture & Its Characteristics (Analysis)24-272019(Meyer, 2019). They include: move fast, do the impossible, constantly innovate, reason from "first principles," think like owners, and finally, we are all in ADDIN EN.CITE Pauline Meyer201924-27(Meyer, 2019)19Pauline MeyerTesla Inc.’s Organizational Culture & Its Characteristics (Analysis)24-272019(Meyer, 2019)
Tesla's processes, management systems, and styles
Elon Musk's approach and management system are not based on a hierarchy system. He believes in an open communication approach, especially when it comes to solving problems. Open communication means that anyone can talk to anyone else, especially when their thought process will effectively lead to a fast way to solve a process ADDIN EN.CITE Alexis Fournier2019(Fournier, 2019)12Alexis Fournier7 Pillars Shaping Tesla's Corporate Culture2019(Fournier, 2019). On leadership style, Elon Musk is a hands-on type of boss who is intimately involved in every innovation that the company is involved in. It is a good motivation for the employees and creates good competition within the company and also outside.
Amazon
Amazon is an electronic commerce company founded in 1995 by its current and all-time CEO Jeff Bezos who is currently the world's richest man. This American multinational technology company has its headquarters based in Seattle, Washington. Amazon focuses mainly on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Amazon has been one of Boston Consulting Group's most innovative companies since its inception in 2005 ADDIN EN.CITE Ramón Michael Ringel2020(Michael Ringel, 2020)12Ramón Michael RingelSuccessful Innovators Walk the Talk: The Most Innovative Companies 20202020(Michael Ringel, 2020).
Amazon's Culture
The organizational culture is based on three significant points of interest: speed, innovativeness, and automation. Employers and employees within Amazon mainly focus on delegating with subsequent teams within their organizational group to interact with the others as an API. It means teams can move fast, innovate, and eventually automate themselves so they can move to more exciting projects ADDIN EN.CITE Auren Hoffman2017(Hoffman, 2017)12Auren HoffmanWhat Is The Internal Culture Like At Amazon?2017(Hoffman, 2017).
Amazon's processes, management systems, and styles
The main reason behind Amazon's success as a big company is Jeff Bezos' philosophy and human resource innovation named the Two Pizza Rule. It means that the company's employment structure is grouped into small groups, which can only be fed by two pizzas ADDIN EN.CITE Auren Hoffman2017(Hoffman, 2017)12Auren HoffmanWhat Is The Internal Culture Like At Amazon?2017(Hoffman, 2017). These groups are called APIs, and each team owns whatever they engineer or produce from manufacturing to marketing and sales, end-to-end. This breakdown of the overall company into smaller groups that share ideas on how to run their specific job categories enables the company to run effectively.
Adidas
Adidas is a German multinational corporation that manufactures shoes, clothing, and accessories in the sports industry. Adidas was founded in 1924 by Adolf Dassler as a shoemaking company involved in the sports industry and evolved to what it is currently ADDIN EN.CITE Adidas2021(Adidas, 2021)12AdidasCompany History2021(Adidas, 2021). The company's current headquarters are in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
Adidas' Culture
The core of Adidas' internal organizational culture is based on the three C's; ...