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Key Issues in Team Innovation

Paper Type: Free Assignment Study Level: University / Undergraduate
Wordcount: 1967 words Published: 23rd Nov 2020

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Because innovation development is a complicated method that warrants the accomplishment of numerous codependent conditions, the involvement of more than one employee is unavoidable (Widmann, Messmann & Mulder, 2016). By including different perspectives there is a chance that innovation opportunities are seen, useful ideas created or outcomes adjusted due to prototypical innovation experiences. Therefore, work teams must make use of engrossing themselves in actions that support designing goals regarding innovation processes. To enhance or conserve the effectiveness in challenging and rapidly changing environments, companies should adequately adapt. Innovation is the method by which this can be achieved. However, understanding the outcomes, processes, and antecedents of innovation continues to be limited despite the theoretical and applied importance (Wolf, 1994; West & Anderson, 1996).

Diversity

Diversity makes companies operative by benefitting from employee's strength and also helping to utilize, appreciate, and understand what makes each individual different. Organizations that incorporate diversity in innovation can perceive advantages which include the ability to entice non-traditional individuals, improved problem solving, and increased creativity (Gruman, 200). However, diverse teams are often linked to a reduction of individual attachment and social integration lacking which can make managing innovate teams a challenge. The issue is not whether diversity displays limitations for organizations or creates competitive gain but instead how the team is managed. If it can be managed well, a diverse team can be an organizational asset. Nonetheless, it can become a hindrance to the team if poorly handled. More so, diversified work teams have been shown in relation to increased innovation and creativity (Gruman, 2007) that can produce an advantage.

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Even though diversity can create opportunities for innovation, it also can influence the rise in social categorization. How individuals in teams define themselves and who's apart of the group has major implications for deciding whom one trusts, are willing to help and want to have contact (Ramos, Hewstone, Barreto & Bramscombe, 2016). Leaders have to understand that innovation comes from external and internal sources. When individuals and their varied viewpoints assemble, they can establish the type of innovation s person couldn't have found alone. Furthermore, individuals motivated u the allure of diversity have an increased work motivation in the team (Bouncken, Ratzmann & Winkler, 2008).

Structure

Group structural factors is a key issue that influences innovation, and there's proof that the heterogeneity of group make-up is linked to innovation in groups (Jackson, 1996; McGrath, 1984; West & Anderson, 1996). Small teams can lack the diversity of perspectives or viewpoints needed for innovation while a large group can be too difficult to allow participation and interaction. More so, the longer individuals have been in teams, the less communication on key information or with the teams externally is given. A team's longevity is linked to a trend of ignoring and becoming isolated from references that can offer the most significant information, evaluation, and feedback (West & Anderson, 1996). Without membership and structural changes, teams over time can be less innovative.

Collaboration

Teams vary concerning the value of the collaborative team process. If the minimal desire is presented to keep the team going, then collaboration can be unlikely (Hoegel, 2008). Increased collaboration levels do not necessarily mean an increase in team performance on innovative projects. This relationship can be diminished by task characteristics such as uncertainty, complexity, and task novelty (Gladstien, 1984; Stewart & Barrick, 2000; Hoegel, 2008). Lacking collaboration within teams can lead to gaps in the task process, missing responsibility for activities and sub-tasks, and duplicated efforts (Hoegel, 2008). This lacking can impede a team's capability of finishing projects within a certain time or budget frame.

Teamwork quality carries importance in highly innovative tasks where the doubt and difficulty of tasks make collaboration more vital due to fast-changing and unforeseen tasks environments (Hoegel, Parboteeah & Gemueden, 2003; Hoegel, 2008). Due to the frequent changes in innovative tasks, group members need to collaborate to deal with constant change. More so, increased collaboration allows group members to handle uncertainty by letting team members create course plans and objectives to reach goals and regularly revise these plans (Daft & Lengel, 1986; Hoegel, 2008). More innovative projects offer teams the data loaded with uncertainty. To deal with this, teams should frequently collaborate to give meaning and interpret complex data. It also lets teams share the necessary skills needed to complete the project(s) successfully (Madhavan & Grove, 1998; Hoegel, 2008).

Creativity

Another issue affecting team innovation is creativity and the possible lack thereof. One way an organization combines employee creativity is through teams. Team creativity in the workforce is viewed as a crucial element of efficiency as they hang on to the inventiveness of individuals to create products that are valuable and different to bring competitive advantage (Van de Ven, 1986; Hurley, 1995; Amabile, 1996; Oldham & Cummings, 1996; Madhavan & Grover, 1998; Lovelace et al., 2001; Hoegel & Parboteeah, 2007). Despite the value of groups to innovate and the elevation attention given to recognizing creativity, there's still team-level investigation influencing the study of creative potential and the effects on innovative performance tasks.

Studies show the importance of team creativity such as organization and coordination, inspirational motivation, and individual consideration as cross-level regulating procedures for facilitating group level creativity (Hoegl & Parboteeah, 2007). However, past studies have produced an awareness of how numerous levels can contribute to creativity. In these studies, creativity has been conceptualized as an outcome such as the inventiveness of a problem solution achieves (Woodman et al., 1993; Ford, 1996; Drazin et al., 1999; Taggar, 2002; Hoegel & Parboteeah, 2007). The collaborative work team processes influence the efficient and effective application of the group's relevant creativity skills in innovative projects. Hoegel & Gemuenden (2001) theorize and validate teamwork quality as a structure with six components (Hoegel & Parboteeah, 2007). These components include communication, the balance of member contributions effect, mutual support, and cohesion. The underlying proposition of this is that collaborative groups show behaviors linked to all six quality sides in teamwork.

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Based on exhibits of innovation and creativity, innovation development processes integrate the implementation and creation of innovation ideas (Widmann et al., 2016). The quality of innovation can be controlled more by the innovation or creativity of members in the management team. One can select management team members who promote innovation quality presented by the group by increasing team member proportions who are innovative. Teams can also facilitate processes that inspire the manifestation and expression of individual creativity in the shape of high-quality innovations (West & Anderson, 1996).

Team Innovation Enhancement

For ABC Company to enhance team innovation, they must remember to not neglect the social aspect of this process. Team innovation is a shared process that includes numerous people with numerous responsibilities who intermingle and share ideas and issues. They also come up with plans to understand these ideas and discuss them with samples. Furthermore, to enhance team innovation more awareness has to be added in the dynamics of these social processes that can be used in companies to nurture innovation development (Dyer & Nobeoka, 2000; Singh, 2005; Widmann et al., 2016).

The most sparing proposal is that the quality and extent of team innovation will be determined by the amount of innovative people who comprise the team (Burningham & West, 1995; Widmann et al., 2016). This comes from the belief that the innovation process starts with people. This origination of new ideas is a process found within individuals although sometimes furthered by communication practices in teams. Group innovations should be judged in content terms executed inside the organization. That is after the choice was made to apply innovation, the organization should ask when did it happen and how significant was it? (West & Anderson, 1996).

Conclusion

In conclusion, by including different perspectives there is a chance that innovation opportunities are seen, useful ideas created or outcomes adjusted due to prototypical innovation experiences. Diversity makes companies operative by benefitting from employee's strength and also helping to utilize, appreciate, and understand what makes each individual different. Without membership and structural changes, teams over time can be less innovative. A team's longevity is linked to a trend of becoming isolated from references that can offer the most significant information, evaluation, and feedback (West & Anderson, 1996).

More so, due to the frequent changes in innovative tasks, group members need to collaborate to deal with constant change as increased collaboration allows group members to handle uncertainty.

One way an organization combines employee creativity is through teams. Team creativity in the workforce is viewed as a crucial element of efficiency. Despite the value of groups to innovate and the elevation attention given to recognizing creativity, there's still team-level investigation influencing the study of creative potential and the effects on innovative performance tasks. Therefore, ABC Company must remember to not neglect the social aspect of this process in order to enhance innovation.

References

  • Bouncken, R. B., Ratzmann, M., & Winkler, V. A. (2008). Cross-Cultural Innovation Teams:   Effects of Four Types of Attitudes Towards Diversity. Journal of International Business  Strategy, 8(2), 26–36. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost- com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=35637647 &site=eds-live
  • Gruman, J. (2007). The Truth about Diversity. Hotelier, 19(8), 12. Retrieved from  https://www.thecampuscommon.com/library/ezproxy/ticketdemocs.asp?sch=suo&turl=ht tps://search-ebscohost-com.southuniversity
  • Hoegl, M. (2008). Teamwork and innovation. Paper presented at PMI® Research Conference:   Defining the Future of Project Management, Warsaw, Poland. Newtown Square, PA:   Project Management Institute.
  • Hoegl, M., & Parboteeah, K. P. (2007). Creativity in innovative projects: How teamwork  matters. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 24(1), 148–166.  https://doi-org.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/10.1016/j.jengtecman.2007.01.008
  • West, M. A., & Anderson, N. R. (1996). Innovation in top management teams. Journal of  Applied Psychology, 81(6), 680–693. https://doi- org.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/10.1037/0021-9010.81.6.680
  • Widmann, A., Messmann, G., & Mulder, R. H. (2016). The Impact of Team Learning Behaviors  on Team Innovative Work Behavior. Human Resource Development Review, 15(4), 429- 458. doi:10.1177/1534484316673713

 

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