Reference no: EM132552240

Task 1 - Innovation and Continuous Improvement Project

Using an organisation you have access to:

(a) Determine those organisational systems and processes most critical to its success. Determine also, the performance standard required of the critical system/s or processes and any appropriate benchmarks or benchmarking opportunities. Standards are typically expressed quantitatively (in terms of numbers) to ensure that performance expectations are clear and easily measured. Quantitative standards are usually expressed in terms of one or a combination of the following dimensions:

• Physical or productivity - quantities of products/services, numbers of customers/clients, etc
• Budget or Monetary - ROI, break-even point, liquidity, labour costs, materials costs, sales revenue, gross profit, etc
• Time - scheduling, critical path timeframe, process time, waiting time (queuing), etc

Qualitative (subjective) standards also play an important role although performance is much harder to measure. These may include 'qualified' personnel, 'team players', 'appropriate dress', 'satisfaction', 'expectations', and the like. Determine also whether these are reflected in the organisation's strategic or department/unit business plans. If you don't have easy direct access to an organisation, interview a manager in an organisation you know.

(b) Use the appropriate assessment tools and associated benchmarks to analyse the performance of all critical processes within the supply or value chain of one organisational sub-system (ie, Marketing, Finance, HR, Operations, Procurement, etc). Describe the processes and discuss your own process of analysis in undertaking this task. Was performance variation identified? If positive variation (achieved/overachieved), is there a recognition mechanism used by the organisation to ensure motivation? If negative variation (under achievement), what corrective action is recommended to the organisation's sub-system or its processes? How could innovation or continuous improvement be used to address variations and ensure efficiency and competitive advantage?

(c) Determine the changing macro and market trends that most affect it. Thinking of its predicament, how could innovation be used as an opportunity to redesign or realign systems/processes and gain competitive advantage where such environmental influences are at play?

(d) Using the analysis of the performance of the organisation's sub-system processes, together with recommendations made, contact a specialist in order to identify whether there is a technological or e-business opportunity. Provide some examples of opportunities in the following memo field together with a summary of the costs and associated benefits and the reasons for the opportunity.

(e) Based on the particular environmental factors at play, outline the need for the implementation of an innovation system within the organisation. The system is to encapsulate an ideas management process, linked to an appropriate reward and recognition strategy that reflects the acceptance of risk informed failure (organisational values). The innovation system is also to be linked to an appropriate change process. Your paper needs to be motivating enough to instil a sense of urgency (as Kotter suggests) within your readers and gain their commitment. To support this, you may like to include a section on any impacting environmental and competitive forces.

(f) Discuss how you would advance the development of an organisational learning and a creative climate/culture for the organisation? As part of your response, address the notion of 'failure' acceptance as critical within the innovation process.

(g) Research a couple of reward and recognition systems associated with innovative and entrepreneurial organisations. How do they acknowledge new ideas and reward entrepreneurial behaviour? Is there some commonality? Do cultural differences impact on the type of system?

(h) Following a review of two core organisational processes, write a short comparative report which includes the risk analyses and cost/benefit analyses together with recommendations for action.

(i) Document an ideas management and culling process appropriate to the organisation. Using an appropriate presentation medium (i.e. Powerpoint, flowchart, diagrams, model, text, etc), explain how the process works to a stakeholder group of your choice.

(j) You are to develop an initial transition plan for your innovation that recognises people's needs and the impact of change on them and the business. It will need to contain objectives, timeframes, measures and a communication plan to help manage the implementation. The supplied transition plan template can be used as a guide in developing your own plan.
Ensure that your plan is representative of the organisation's current situation and the nature of the innovation you intend to implement.

(k) (k)
(i) Identify key areas of risk in the implementation of your innovation and their effect on the transition process.

(ii) Develop a contingency plan that encompasses all of the key areas of risk you identified. Your plan should include the scenario, the trigger (date and/or condition) together with the action that will be undertaken.

(l) Investigate and analyse an implementation failure. In the following memo field, briefly document the innovation and the reason for failure together with the lessons to be learned.

(m) As a memo, and in no more than 200 words, write a communique to your key stakeholders providing feedback on an implemented innovation and the benefits they will derive from it. Include appropriate references to the idea generator, implementation process and the project team.