Changing and Innovating the Workplace
Organizations constantly face changes in their workplace conditions, to cope with those changes strategic managers and their team thinks for solutions and alternatives to better perform in those conditions and many of the time those solutions turn into innovative ideas, and gives a big success to an organization. Organizations have that innovative team, who asses and analyze the conditions and opportunities for change and innovation. These innovations may be for change working conditions, efficiency in productivity, motivating employees and improving their performance. Organizations innovate in technological aspects.
How Organization manage change and innovation? In today’s world change is very sharp and constant, but these changes are manageable. A change can be a change in product because one product becomes obsolete so it needs new features. Environmental factors can force for a change, and internal factors can also be the reason for change. Changes have positive and negative impacts on an organization and it depends organization that how she is managing those changes. First of all organizations must accept the change that have been occurred, if those changes have alert to employees, should be clearly communicated with them and ask them for feedback and those feedback must be entertained. Those changes which do not influence employees or have no opportunity for them, often employees oppose them, employees should be asked for their inputs and ideas for those changes, will create fair environment. First of all organizations must check their employees knowledge and skills, whether they are ready to adapt in those changes or not, they should be provided trainings to learn new skill and to get able for the changing workplace.
Ideas for Encouraging Innovation in Workplace
Management and Leadership
Apparently, most of our proposed innovation approaches are geared towards leadership and management. The tone often comes from the top, when it comes to creativity. Senior managers need to find ways to inspire their workers to daily think about creativity and take ownership and responsibility for innovative concepts and solutions. Encouraging creativity through leadership and management can be a challenge, but we do have some basic approaches that can definitely help.
Enable employees to solve their own problems
Creating an environment where problem solving is encouraged can create and enhance creativity in employees, by doing this employee will feel free to solve problems and can generate innovative ideas, that will bring better outcomes for an organization. Everyone has his own way and space to solve problems, empowering them this thing enables them to be confident and motivated to work on problem and solving it.
Make innovation cool
Making innovation “cool” means, businesses should offer their employees new things and funs while their work, offer those rewards and opportunities for their innovations. Suppose when employees are working to solve a problem, organization should offer them foods and drinks while working. When employees see those rewards and workings conditions they will be motivated to work for innovations.
Embrace a non-hierarchic approach to management
A strict hierarchy can really be a killer when it comes to encouraging innovation in the workplace. If your workers work deferentially and think only of creativity when it is expressly instructed to do so, you will never be able to achieve the full potential of your company. The most innovative firms have a flat – but strong – style of management, allowing employees to disintegrate silos and barriers between work areas. Much innovation comes from cross-pollination of teams and divisions, and sharing of ideas and issues. Tesla is an outstanding example of this. The radically flat management framework of Elon Musk demands a hands-on approach from the senior management and requires staff to work in subject-specific ways across divisions.
Be different if want to be different
Many organizations want to be different and innovative, but sometimes they want innovations within some limitations, this thing restricts them from better innovations or innovations.
So if businesses want to be different and innovative they have to abstain from this thing. People like Bill Gates, Steve jobs broke through this trap and become different and very innovative and made success.
Conditions for successful change
- dissatisfaction with the status quo
- people have the necessary knowledge and skills
- tools needed to are available
- implementers have time to learn, adapt, integrate and reflect on change
- rewards or incentives exist for participants
- participation in process is expected and encouraged
- have support for innovation by key players and stakeholders
Resistance for changes
- lack of trust
- perception that change is not necessary
- perception that change is not possible
- relatively high cost
- fear of personal failure
- loss of status or power
- threats to values and ideas
- social, cultural or organizational disagreements
- resentment of interference
Strategies for managing change and innovation
Managing changes not in a good way, reason could be the manager/leaders because may be they are not as much skilled as they could be. Suppose an announcement made by a leader/manager for a change, who tells what and why is the coming into effect. And immediately rushes to solve problem not taking others for different solutions, not involving them in decision making process. These things lose the interest of employees and discourage and demotivate them. Managers /leaders should avoid these things to get better innovations and implement changes in better way.
Leader must engage his and his employee’s emotions to work, this could give better possibilities. Leaders should tell the problem or change in way that brings emotions in his employees to work for. While making decision and bringing change and innovation lack of information or less information will not provide better results. Appropriate information and data will lead better conclusion.
Conclusion
This article focuses on the concept of Innovation and Change at workplace in which necessities for change and ways for that are described. What is you opinion?
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