One wrong decision can destroy years of hard work and requires years to recover. Failures to innovate come in two forms: failures of imagination and failures to execute (Govindarajan and Trimble 2010). With certainty, investors want growth, growth, and more growth. To achieve this, Apple strives to infuse creative thinking in its innovations, and it must deliver products and services fast enough or risk losing market share.
Infrastructure
Steve Jobs made a point to groom and posture his staff with capable individuals ready and able to step in when needed. Steve Jobs was very demanding; he viewed himself as responsible for making his staff better. He saw himself as pushing people to come up with "…more aggressive visions of how it could be" (Morris 2008, p 5).
With over 25,000 employees at Apple, Steve worked with the top 100: some executives and some individual contributors. He envisioned his role as moving around and motivating people to discuss ideas and explore options. He believed "…when you hired really good people you had to give them a piece of the business and let them run with it" (Morris 2008, p 9). Empowering his staff meant delegating the authority and the responsibility needed to get the job done. Because he expected them to make "…as good, if not better decisions then he would" (p 9), he required them to learn all aspects of the business. On Mondays, he held meetings that discussed the entire business operations. Each week, much of the Agenda remained constant, and they would revisit each item, ensuring everyone was current with all aspects of the business.
With Apple's size, one person could not make all the decisions. By hiring the best and empowering them with the knowledge and tools needed, Steve Jobs made sure he had the best qualified staff for delegation. He equipped his company with people prepared to take over in the event he could no longer function as CEO. Moreover, Apple incorporates strategic management as an effective device to handle internal and external influences. Instead of being profit-driven, Apple's managers focus on efficient technological innovation and product improvement. Apple built its dynamic organization on the concept of specialization. Steve Jobs contends that "specialization is a process of having best-in-class employees in every role, and he has no patience for building managers for the sake of managing" (Lashinsky & Burke 2011, p 125).
Small and flexible teams can quickly adapt to the actions of competitors and consumers. This can be an effective strategy to overcome unpredictable events, but it can also derail the momentum of a well-developed plan in favor of an overly whimsical reaction to changes in the market. These teams are directly accountable for the outcome of their labor. Apple's ability to prevail in a poor economy is directly attributed to the contagious diligence in leadership of former CEO Steve Jobs who has infused and reinforced values such as innovation and excellence by which the company operates (Marikina, Chan & Lee 2010, p 16). Insomuch, Apple's innovative products are continually enhanced through responsive updates. When customers were dissatisfied with the iPod Shuffle, Apple quickly responded to their feedback and returned to its previous model (Lyons 2010, p 22). Hence, this adjustment demonstrates the importance of consumer input as a means for continuous improvement for product enhancements.
Management: Change, Creativity & Innovation
Change management is a structured approach to transitioning individuals and organizations from a current state to a future state. Boastfully, Apple has mastered this process, in which so many others failed. Unlike many other companies, Apple has managed to build a loyal customer based, introduced new concepts and new technologies, and have excelled in change adaptation. Part of its strategy hinges on introducing new features slowly. Apple is deliberate in its execution, yet methodical in its approach. Apple follows an established release cycle, thus avoiding the release of any features or functions pre-maturely. Trying to be first to market is not its aim, but it prefers to execute when ready to minimize any unforeseen mistakes or impending issues. For example, when the first iPhone was released, the App Store was not functional because they wanted a fully tested environment before releasing to its customers.
A couple of times a year, updates and changes will occur. Since 2007, the iOS system has not experienced any major upgrades. The iOS has evolved slowly from version 1.0 to the current version 4.0. Therefore, each release includes very subtle and very minute changes.
Interestingly, Apple is not intrigued by venturing into innovative fads. When its competitors were releasing the latest technological trends, such as all-inclusive larger phone screens with various functions, Apple was planning its latest release of features at a slower pace. Subsequently, Apple released 3G when it was ready; however, it still refused to release a larger screen, although this seemed to be a customer trend. For example, its phone camera does not compare...
Creativity Challenge for Fast Foods: Fast food is a concept whose origin can be traced back to the beginning of the 19th Century in reaction to the growing demands for food. Since then, the concept has developed to an extent that the modern society heavily relies on fast foods. Fast foods are well described through the term itself, which means that they are foods that can be cooked fast. The process
Creativity Pablo Picasso once said: "Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up." The truth in this statement is evident with even a rudimentary examination of any school program, curriculum, or system. From childhood, human beings learn to conform to "leadership" values and expectations, not only in terms of work, but also more generally in terms of what is important to each individual.
Lesson Plan Amp; Reflection I didn't know what state you are in so was unable to do state/district standards! Lesson Plan Age/Grade Range; Developmental Level(s): 7-8/2nd Grade; Below grade level Anticipated Lesson Duration: 45 Minutes Lesson Foundations Pre-assessment (including cognitive and noncognitive measures): All students are reading below grade level (5-7 months) as measured by standardized assessments and teacher observation Curricular Focus, Theme, or Subject Area: Reading: Fluency, word recognition, and comprehension State/District Standards: Learning Objectives: Students will develop
Branding in Service Markets Amp Aim And Objectives Themes for AMP Characteristics Composing Branding Concept Branding Evolution S-D Logic and Service Markets Branding Challenges in Service Markets Considerations for Effective Service Branding Categories and Themes Branding Theory Evolution S-D Logic and Service Markets Branding Challenges in Service Markets Considerations for Effective Service Branding Branding Concept Characteristics Characteristics Composing Branding Concept Sampling of Studies Reviewed Evolution of Branding Theory Evolution of Marketing Service-Brand-Relationship-Value Triangle Brand Identity, Position & Image Just as marketing increasingly influences most aspects of the consumer's lives, brands
Innovation in Organizations Innovation is significant for all business entities, the different levels to which this significance applies notwithstanding. Bringing this about also requires the implementation of features like training, incentives, and education whose roles in triggering innovation are widespread. It is however imperative that implementing such features, say the reward systems, the organizations institute proper leadership and follow carefully laid down principles considering, the ethical implications they come with. Additionally,
Innovation at 24-Hour Fitness Innovation is important for any business in any industry, yet it is easy to become complacent and to forget about the needs of innovation as long as the money keeps coming in. If a company continues to make sales, pay its employees, and turn a profit for shareholders, investing the time, energy, and resources into effective innovation can be difficult. In a highly competitive industry like that
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now