Creating a Culture of Innovation and Creativity

Tesla, Inc. and Clean Energy Use in the Automotive Industry

As the internet and technology are extraordinarily transforming the world, from robotics to artificial intelligence, one industry that is inevitably taking a U-turn is the automotive industry, shifting from traditional gasoline-powered engines to electricity-powered engines. As a process that started in the early 2000s with the formation of Tesla Motors, the creation of electric vehicles, as well as hybrids, has significantly gained momentum in the mid and late 2010s to the extent that nearly 1,500 electric vehicle startups have so far been formed across the globe (HT Auto Desk, 2020). The concept of electric vehicles was coined to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels (including carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons, and many others) that are damaging the ozone layer and causing climate change. The effects of climate change and shifts in weather patterns are responsible for the increased adverse events (such as hurricanes, wildfires, tsunamis, and heatwaves), rising sea levels, melting of ice and glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctica, and the surge in tropical and other unexplained diseases. Creativity and innovation, particularly in the automobile industry, have been touted as one of the few solutions that can help human beings cut their greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, identifying one of the frontrunners in the manufacture of electric vehicles, including the services and products the firm offers, and then describing the ideal characteristics and qualities of employees in the innovative company, the ideal experience, and the background required for company leaders to foster a creative and innovation culture, and the leadership characteristics and qualities, is essential.

Identify which option you chose and indicate the products and/or services the company provides.

Indubitably, Tesla Inc. remains one of the leading innovators and manufacturers of electric vehicles across the planet. Tesla, Inc. is an electric, clean-energy vehicle firm headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The company’s portfolio or range of products currently includes electric cars (Model S, Model Y, Model 3, and Model X), solar roof tiles and solar panels, electric battery energy storage packages from grid-scale to home use, as well as other related accessories and services, such as wall connectors and interior liners for all vehicle models. According to Wagner (2021), Tesla is the globe’s top seller of battery-electric and plug-in passenger cars, enjoying a market share of nearly 23 percent of the battery-electric market and 16 percent of the plug-in market. The now global conglomerate delivered a company’s record of more than 500,000 units in 2020 alone. In 2020, Tesla had a market valuation of nearly $442 billion, eclipsing legendary automakers like General Motors, Toyota, and several others.

Describe the ideal qualities and characteristics of the company employees in terms of creating a creative and innovative culture.

Creating and nurturing a culture of creativity and innovation in an organization of Tesla’s magnitude requires employees with specific characteristics and qualities. Firstly, innovative and creative employees are visionary and pursue continuous reflection, meaning that they constantly and openly question their first idea as well as the overall direction of the project. Through continuous reflection, creative employees can identify and pick new ideas that were left out but are potentially critical to the project (Woods et al., 2018). Secondly, an openness to other ideas and being unattached to the current exploration, idea, or project. Innovative people are always ready to listen and try out new things.

Thirdly, innovative or creative individuals can easily transform conceptual or abstract thoughts into practical concepts. They can iterate between concrete and abstract thinking. Most importantly, innovators are team players and good communicators who are ready to brainstorm individually but share their ideas with others in an open, clear, and precise manner. They also possess what is known as mental resilience due to their unique ability to adapt positively to adversities. Mental resilience permits innovative workers to accept negative feedback positively and design constructive ways of addressing it. Besides, innovative workers possess intellectual humility, courage, and sensitivity toward unknowns or uncertainties (Hassi & Rekonen, 2017).

Describe the ideal background and experience needed for company leaders to foster a culture of creativity and innovation.

Good leaders do not only possess the skills learned in school or college (which mostly consist of abstract concepts and theories) but also the experience and background in the relevant field. For example, a good chief executive for an electric vehicle company, such as Tesla, must possess experience in the tech industry, such as software manufacturing or the automobile sector. They must have solid background knowledge of how electric vehicles function and what is needed to make the new idea materialize or come to fruition. For example, Elon Musk, the Chief executive of Tesla since 2008, is an experienced programmer who has successfully built several tech firms in the past from the ground, such as PayPal. He has also been actively involved in building rockets and spacecraft for nearly two decades through his other company, Space X. The firm is presently venturing into solar energy solutions – an important addition to the electric vehicle concept (Vance, 2017).

Identify the two most important leadership qualities and characteristics the employees should have to be effective leaders.

Leadership plays a fundamental role in inspiring, training, directing, and controlling employees in an organization, including coordinating all activities and operations. Good and effective leaders serving in highly creative tech firms like Tesla (for example, Elon Musk, the company’s Chief Executive) must possess good communication skills to lead and manage subordinates or junior employees. They must communicate openly and clearly to ensure instructions and messages are correctly and meaningfully transferred from one point to another. They keep members informed and give specific and timely feedback concerning job performance. Most importantly, effective leaders are inspirational, respectful, and act professionally and ethically. Above all, effective leaders are visionary, goal-setters, action-oriented, and opportunity-focused individuals who can anticipate the future, set practical targets, and lay strategies to achieve these targets.

References

Hassi, L., & Rekonen, S. (2017). How individual characteristics promote experimentation in innovation. International Journal of Innovation and Management, 22(2), 1850038. DOI: 10.1142/S136391961850038X

HT Auto Desk. (2021, Oct 31). Tesla has an 18% market share in global EV sales. But rivals are hoping to catch up. Retrieved from https://auto.hindustantimes.com/auto/news/tesla-has-18-market-share-in-global-ev-sales-but-rivals-are-hoping-to-catch-up-41604112212185.html

Vance, A. (2017). Elon Musk: Tesla, Space X, and the quest for a fantastic future. HarperCollins.

Wagner, I. (2021, Feb 19). Tesla – Statistics & facts. Statista. https://www.statista.com/topics/2086/tesla/

Woods, S. A., et al. (2018). Innovative work behavior and personality traits: Examining the moderating effects of organizational tenure. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 33(1). https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JMP-01-2017-0016/full/html

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