In an increasingly oligopolistic environment where old ideas may be copied and recreated at ever-lower prices, innovative solutions’ perpetual renewal is the ultimate survival differentiator (Trompenaars & Woolliams, n.d.). Building a creative culture is today’s top management imperative, and HR must play a critical role.
Typically, corporations begin with the founders developing a product and a market. As the business expands, it outgrows the founder’s ability to know everyone personally, resulting in a leadership crisis since management difficulties cannot be solved through informal means. The solution is to employ a strong paternalistic boss who can bring the organization together in a family-like atmosphere (Trompenaars & Woolliams, n.d.). A trusted relative of the organization’s founder is frequently selected to reconcile the initial incubator culture with the emerging family culture. I believe employees like a culture where they think they can make a difference. It takes bravery to propose bold ideas, especially when no one knows if such statements will work. The key to fostering an innovative culture is making a cultural norm and creating learning opportunities for the entire business. Work becomes more fun and exciting when employees are given the option to accomplish these activities at work. An innovative work culture encourages people to think for themselves and solve problems creatively.
Leaders who have been successful at being directive find it difficult to cede control and delegate, and lower-level managers are not used to making decisions. So, it becomes clear that a task-oriented culture is required (Trompenaars & Woolliams, n.d.). In other words, the way things are done in the company offers purpose and direction, which may significantly impact the organization’s overall capacity to deal with the issues of fostering innovation.
References
Trompenaars, F. & Woolliams, P. (n.d.). Creating a culture of innovation. In Riding the waves of culture (pp. 311-321).