Why it is Necessary to View Innovation as a Management Process and Sergey Brin’s Comment on Idea and Innovation
The success of a business heavily relies on innovation and technological advancement in the current era. Innovation, as it is, does not apply and cannot create meaningful change without proper management strategies that aim for exemplary outcomes. Notably, innovation requires a systematic approach to nurturing the creative capabilities of employees that is only attained through a management process (Trott, 2017). Moreover, the ability to create a workplace environment that promotes creativity in service delivery, production, workflows, and methodologies is instituted on a secured innovative platform that calls for strategic management (Trott, 2017). As a result, embracing innovation without approaches of control, plan, and modalities of execution cannot effectively work for businesses unless they incorporate management elements that come with the order. For innovation to have noticeable and appreciable impacts, it must be transformed into an action (Haneda & Ito, 2018). The change requires a responsible body that will oversee the process and that is when management comes in as an important tool in innovation. Thus, innovation should be viewed as a management process because it is the role of management that makes it realistic and achievable.
Open innovation is an open process that can benefit a business in various ways. It can enlarge opportunities for value creation (Trott, 2017). Since it taps ideas from external sources, it makes it possible for an entity to add value to its products by unlocking underlying talents and through continued partnerships that establish relationships. For instance, the creation of new products through innovation is attainable via sharing of information and ideas with other organizations in the same industry and that is possible through open innovation. Furthermore, open innovation helps to reduce costs of operations. Charges on production, transport, and maintenance among other organizational costs are manageable through open innovation when entities can bank on the shared platforms of engagement where they exchange valuable information regarding production processes to their advantage. Also, open innovation is a mechanism for keeping employees busy (Dearing & Cox, 2018). Employees are kept busy with research in new areas and goods as a means of offering alternative revenue to the company while making them more responsible in the process. It prevents laziness and laxities within the business premises.
Sergey Brin states that coming up with an idea is easier but innovation is difficult. His statement confirms the need for management in innovation for the success of new ideas generated. It is easier to develop ideas without adequate managerial skills, the ideas cannot be transformed into actions as said by Trott (2017). Also, having an idea is not a direct ticket to getting value from the production process without concerned management. Brin’s statement echoes the call for a management process that harmonizes innovative bids amongst different individuals in an entity to make them work in unison and for the success of an entity as opposed to assisting a person nurture talent only. Also, management introduces the need to establish order in innovative practice to make it impactful. The order ensures a smooth flow of activities and some consistency. Consequently, the innovation and management process meet the expected meaning in the statement.
Additionally, open innovation enables collaboration for enhanced idea sharing that would lead to more value creation out of a product. Opening ranks with other stakeholders such as businesses, technicians, and other institutions ensures that the spread of information on innovation is enhanced through the open sharing of skills that enable others to acquire what they lack as they pass what they possess to other players in the chain. The difficulty in innovation arises at the execution stage where management, uniformity, and support are needed. However, with proper structures in place that would ensure that an entity embraces new ideas and the employees owning the ideas are guided and supported through the management body, the ideas are easily transformed into innovation making it a simple action. Therefore, Brin’s statement on an easy idea and difficult innovation is solved when the innovation process is open to sharing of information and techniques that would enable one to borrow ideas on how to handle complexities in the process. Open innovation is key in unlocking challenges facing innovation.
The Role of Government, Universities, and Entrepreneurs in Innovation
The government can promote innovation in many ways. The first mechanism that governments use to foster innovations is through support for the upcoming innovations. The support is extended through collaboration and financial support to businesses and individuals who aim to become innovators who add value to the production and service delivery chain (Trott, 2017). Loan extensions to the upcoming innovators that help them to implement their ideas and overcome setbacks that may dent their chances of prosperity are one approach that governments use to support innovation. Additionally, training in the field of innovations on its importance while highlighting the challenges associated with it is another method of shaping innovation among business people and individuals. The government can organize education days for innovators and entrepreneurs to train them on the necessity of innovation as an economic pillar. Training will equip those involved with the knowledge for embracing the practice and the desired attitudes towards innovation thereby ensuring its growth.
Moreover, the government can support innovation through regulations. Through the passing and enforcing laws that protect innovation such as rights and property protections, the government assures the innovators of its commitment to ensuring that the benefits of innovation go to the authentic initiators. Also, the government can caution the public through risk absorption on behalf of the innovators to foster it. Opportunities such as subsidies and incentives would help promote innovations by attracting more innovators (Trott, 2017). Reduction of expenditures such as taxation is a modality of taking a risk on behalf of the innovators. It boosts the participation and ability to innovate as most people remain assured of a conducive environment free of bottlenecks. Elsewhere, the government promotes innovation by buying from the local innovators. When the government procures products made by innovators, it offers both financial support and the confidence to enable them to work and produce more of the consumables.
Universities as learning institutions equally have key roles in innovation. The universities train learners by imparting technical skills that help them in their innovation bids. The training offered prepares students for high-level jobs and the development of personality. Also, the knowledge passes to learners prepares them for research that is aided technologically to pave way for successful innovation. Illustratively, universities open space for extensive explorations in different fields which enable students to convert their ideas into fruitful innovative practices without difficulties. Other than education training, the universities develop learning curricula that match the current technological trends and which meet the demands of society. The training system is kept updated to ensure that the right information is passed to students in an initiative to keep them informed. As a result, universities shape innovation through knowledge transfer and setting education systems that meet the adjustment witnessed across the globe every time.
Entrepreneurs equally have an important role in innovation. The entrepreneurs bring innovation that allows new products, ventures, markets, and technology through the desirable practices of research and development. Entrepreneurs play a role in solving problems that have not been solved by current technology and products in the markets (Trott, 2017). Moreover, by offering jobs, entrepreneurs create opportunities for people to showcase their capacities in innovation thereby ensuring that innovation progresses. Individuals who are absorbed in different entrepreneurial sectors are encouraged to be innovative to generate more goods that would provide new chances for other people. The need to offer more chances promotes innovation among those who strive to implement their new ideas. Additionally, by initiating businesses, entrepreneurs participate in innovation by making the business dream work. The practical aspect of ideas is what innovation defines as actionable activities that determine the growth of innovation in an economy. Consequently, innovation receives a boost from the entrepreneurs who actualize their dreams of investment.
How Diffusion of Innovations Differ from Market Adoption
Diffusion of innovation refers to the spread of a new idea from a source to the users who adopt it for their uses. Market adoption on the other hand is the process through which customers are made to adopt new systems and behaviors. Diffusion uses various channels to ensure that a new idea is acquired by others. Market adoption on the other hand is a pattern of migration where an individual moves from one activity and practice to the other. Diffusion of innovation is about the spread of activity and practice while market adoption is explaining how the buyers embrace new ideas in the market (Dearing & Cox, 2018). In diffusion innovation, there is no particular class being targeted in the business community since innovation works for both buyers and sellers. Market adoption considers the consumers who are expected to receive the new products introduced through innovation. The two describe new ideas but the method of delivery and those targeted create a division as diffusion is for the general market as adoption is angled towards the buyers.
Diffusion of innovation follows some channels of communication that spreads it from the source to other users. Innovation is always driven by a source that could be a person or an individual. The source centers the new idea and chooses who to spread it to and the channel to use. From the innovators, the message is sent to early adaptors who in turn transfer it to the early majority in the social circle (Dearing & Cox, 2018). The late majority picks the information before they send it to the last group of laggards. Throughout this transmission course, some practices happen. The creation of awareness is done by the innovator who informs the targeted levels who then conduct persuasion. The third process in the path is decision-making about the product or idea introduced. Finally, the implementation of the invention is done which is later affirmed through usage continuation as the last step in the social diffusion cycle. Illustratively, the success of diffusion relies on adoption because each stage has to adopt the challenge before transmitting it to the next destination.
References
Dearing, J. W., & Cox, J. G. (2018). Diffusion of innovations theory, principles, and practice. Health Affairs, 37(2), 183-190.
Haneda, S., & Ito, K. (2018). Organizational and human resource management and innovation: Which management practices are linked to product and/or process innovation? Research Policy, 47(1), 194-208.
Trott, P (2017). Innovation management and new product development (6th ed.). Pearson.
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