Page 163 - Managing Change in Organizations

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Chapter 8 ■ Sustaining organizational effectiveness
If innovation is a central element for improving effectiveness, then we need to
understand why some circumstances seem to be more innovative than others.
Rickards (1985) has identified the following key issues to be faced when deciding
on a strategy for innovation:
■ Innovation is systematic: all the factors involved (social, economic, political,
technological, cultural, commercial) are interrelated.
■ Innovation is non-linear: it experiences stops and starts and is often character-
ized by ‘accidents’ (e.g. penicillin).
■ Innovation is creative problem solving, requiring imagination and flexibility: man-
agers need to learn how to support people and to facilitate team work and
problem solving.
■ Innovation is situational: there is no one best way. Success will be dependent on
such factors as top management support, sensitivity to market needs, effective
communication and technological expertise.
■ Innovation requires appropriate structures: traditional hierarchies are too rigid.
Project teams and task cultures are effective structures.
■ Innovation can be stimulated: this requires major effort, however, and involves
significant learning.
■ Innovation requires various communities of interest: customers and clients can and
should play a part.
■ Innovation is mission orientated: thus it creates impetus, high viability and ‘success’.
■ Innovation involves negotiation and participation: it will involve conflict which
must be resolved through negotiation or participation.
■ Innovation is itself innovation: it will never go the way of past innovations.
■ Innovation and information are closely linked.
■ Innovation is personal and global: it involves and affects individuals and com-
munities.

Conclusion

In this chapter, we have considered a number of approaches to effectiveness. We
have seen how blockages to effectiveness and change can be created and how they
can be handled. We have also examined the link between organizational structures,
the environment and effectiveness. Most importantly, we have seen how organiza-
tional ineffectiveness can hinder progress. We turn now to our treatment of how
change can be managed to create and sustain effectiveness. As we shall see, this
depends on our ability to generate greater understanding of the issues to be faced,
the willingness to face these issues and the ability to learn from the process of more
informed choice, from changing and experimenting with new ideas and from the
experience which follows.

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