Innovation Architect
International companies join the business realm with diverse products, techniques, and ideas. However, some companies renew, redesign, or change their business models and processes with success. The ability to identify new features, products, and ideas that are useful and efficient in an organization is known as innovation. Innovation is a critical element in companies because it enhances the development of new and unique products. Similarly, the development of appropriate product processes and the adoption of unique business models enhance innovation in an organization. Do you need urgent assignment help ? Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com.
Google is an international company that successfully supports a culture of innovation. The organization’s success in helping innovation results from its organizational culture and structure that enables all the company’s stakeholders to be innovative. A firm’s corporate and organizational structure entails managing resources and different components based on the organizational design (Smithson, 2019). On the other hand, a firm’s corporate and organizational culture entails employees’ expectations, behavioural tendencies, values, and beliefs.
Organizations that can align both corporate culture and structure to organizational goals, mission, objectives, and vision are more likely to succeed in fostering innovation as compared to firms that are not able to. To maximize innovation, the organizational structure in Google is designed to promote the corporate culture, therefore maximizing innovation in the organization. Innovation is a key element identified in Google’s SWOT analysis since it is essential in promoting the organization’s brand (Smithson, 2019). Similarly, the alignment between Google’s corporate structure and corporate culture helps in supporting innovation in two distinct ways. First, the alignment helps create a competitive advantage in the market. Secondly, it helps in addressing strategic challenges that face Google and other multinational organizations, such as Facebook, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, and Apple, among others.
A key element of Google’s management system that helps to promote innovation in the organization is openness. In the company, openness is a critical factor of consideration. To facilitate its business processes, Google advocates for the sharing of information between different departments and personnel. The matrix organizational structure in the company enhances openness, thus fostering innovation (Smithson, 2019). The corporate culture of Google offers workers and all stakeholders the freedom to provide opinions and ideas, which is essential in promoting innovation. Google employs the best employees and ensures they are offered the requisite training. Therefore, smartness is another critical element of corporate culture that Google uses to enhance innovation in its operations. The primary aim of smartness in Google is to have a motivated workforce to help offer creative ideas for the organization’s success (Smithson, 2019).
Alibaba, which is an international company headquartered in China, is a company that pays keen attention to innovation. The company’s founder, Jack Ma, is a creative entrepreneur who directed the organization’s leadership towards an innovative company culture. Besides focusing on product control and marketing strategies, Alibaba capitalizes on openness as a primary method of promoting innovation (Yun et al., 2020). According to the organization’s management structure and culture, third parties are free to submit their contributions, ideas, and suggestions that would help the company achieve success and competitive advantage over its rival companies. Additionally, Alibaba has different open platforms, such as C2C, B2C, and B2B (Yun et al., 2020)—the media helps in the creation of effective networks and the reduction of complexities. Apart from openness, another critical element of Alibaba’s management structure that supports innovation is the creation of numerous platforms that support creativity and the development of new ideas. Different platforms increase the network of manufacturers, suppliers, and customers.
Amazon is one of the most innovative companies in the world. The organization’s leadership is efficient and central to motivating employees to be creative (Arnett, Goldfinch & Chinta, 2018). The four primary factors that enhance innovation in Amazon include culture, mechanism, architecture, and organization. In Amazon, culture entails the organization’s belief system, team building, and customer obsession. Amazon has a reach culture that focuses on the customers’ needs and customizes to fulfil their requirements.
A critical element of Alibaba’s management strategy is an architectural structure that promotes change and rapid growth within the organization (Arnett et al., 2018). The architectural design helps to support innovation in the company. Secondly, the company has an organized system that facilitates the development of small teams that are empowered and can own the ideas that they create. Lastly, the organization has a culture that supports employees to develop new ideas, builds them, and implements them according to its goals and objectives.
Google, Amazon, and Alibaba have been able to capitalize on entrepreneurship and innovation, while other companies have not for various reasons. First, the three organizations are keen on observing the needs of customers. In every organization, customer satisfaction should be the priority for the company to grow and achieve success. A company such as Alibaba has an online platform where customers are allowed to offer their feedback regarding the firm’s operations, products, and customer services (Yun et al., 2020).
Customer feedback is crucial as it helps an organization to rectify its mistakes or improve on areas that do not fully satisfy the buyers. Secondly, the three organizations capitalize on openness, which is a critical factor that enhances innovation. Exposure may be manifested in different ways. For instance, in a company like Google, employees are discouraged from withholding essential valuable information to the organization’s growth. The company’s leadership advises managers to have a close working relationship with their juniors and all the company employees (Yun et al., 2020). Information is easily shared between departments to enhance convenience in the various organizational operations.
Amazon, Google, and Alibaba are among the most successful companies in the world due to their unique corporate management structures and cultures. Amazon has a compelling company culture that focuses on the needs and requirements of customers. Therefore, the employees of the organization are trained continuously to consider the satisfaction of clients. Additionally, the management of the three companies offers employees the opportunity and freedom to develop innovative ideas, opinions, or suggestions that would benefit the organization. In some companies, the CEOs and directors have supreme authority and decisions that cannot be disputed. A close relationship between leaders and their juniors is an essential factor that enhances entrepreneurship and innovation.
In some cases, an organization may have a company corporate culture and structure that may stifle innovation. The primary factor that may restrain creation in an international company is the type of management or leadership structure in the organization (Dolata, 2017). For instance, some organizations have leaders who can dictate every operation carried out in every project. Therefore, all workers must strictly follow the directives, even if they are wrong or contain errors. In such cases, employees are not allowed to offer any suggestions, opinions, or new ideas that are contrary to the wishes or directives of the leaders. Such a type of leadership may easily stifle innovation in an organization. A second factor that may derail innovation in an international firm is the failure to consider it a priority (Dolata, 2017). Organizations such as Amazon, Alibaba, and Google emphasize the need for innovation in all areas of their operations. Innovation in every organization starts with the decision to be innovative. Therefore, organizations that lack the idea or decision to implement innovation in their operations are at a greater risk of failing in the development of creative ideas.
If I were in the position of an innovation architect, I would try to implement unique ideas that are not common in other organizations in my company. First, I would make sure that I have the appropriate resources that are critical for the creation of an innovative environment. The resources that I would focus on include a competent workforce, capital, and a conducive working environment. Secondly, I would ensure that the organization’s corporate structure and culture are in line with the company’s goals, objectives, and vision and mission statements. I would advise the managers in my company to be leaders as opposed to directors. Leaders should be innovative and should guide employees to be creative. On the contrary, directors give orders that should be followed. For employees to be creative, they should be given a conducive working environment.
The structure that I would put in place in my organization does not restrict employees on their abilities. Any worker with a new or unique idea should be encouraged to offer their opinions or statements for review by the management board. If the concept is impressive and promises a great outcome, the employee should be allowed to own it and be the leader in implementing it in the organizational operation. Additionally, I would enable employees to work at their convenience instead of restricting them to operate under a specific time frame to avoid boredom.
References
Arnett, J., Goldfinch, B., & Chinta, R. (2018). Multi-dimensional nature of innovation at Amazon. International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 15(1), 1-13.
Dolata, U. (2017). Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft: Market concentration-competition-innovation strategies (No. 2017-01). SOI Discussion Paper.
Smithson, N. (2019). Google’s Organizational Structure & Organizational Culture (An Analysis) – Panmore Institute. Panmore Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2021, from http://panmore.com/google-organizational-structure-organizational-culture.
Yun, J. J., Zhao, X., Park, K., & Shi, L. (2020). Sustainability condition of open innovation: Dynamic growth of Alibaba from SME to large enterprise. Sustainability, 12(11), 4379.
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Question 
What particular elements of each organization’s culture, processes, and management systems and styles work well to support innovation?
Innovation Architect
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 stifle innovation and intrapreneurship?
Imagine yourself as an innovation architect. What structures or processes would you implement to foster a culture of innovation within your organisation? In-text citations to at least four reputable secondary sources (such as trade journals, academic journals, and professional or industry websites) in your paper?