A proactive approach to innovation

Abstract

Innovation is widely regarded as a key characteristic for the survival of manufacturing organisations in the current climate. Although innovation is often considered in the context of the product or process, or under constraints of the organisation's external environment, this paper considers innovation in the context of the organisation's culture. Organisations must be proactive and learn to make seemingly unnatural choices that promote survival in their rapidly changing environments. To realise these choices requires understanding the importance of innovation and the ability to develop a culture for innovation. This paper investigates the environment that today's manufacturing organisations face and the issues they must deal with in fostering a culture for innovation. The importance of a culture of innovation for organisational survival is examined, and a cultural innovation diagnostic process is outlined that offers practitioners an objective measurement tool for undertaking a cultural innovation self-diagnosis, which is demonstrated by a case study.