Creativity in a company

Creativity is the soul of entrepreneurship and is required in spotting the patterns and trends that define an opportunity.  It subsequently becomes imperative in developing innovative business concepts.  The corporate entrepreneur has to be highly creative in getting a sponsor, building and using a network, obtaining management buy-in for the concept forming a team, gathering resources and overcoming the many obstacles that will be thrown into his/her path.

Much of the work on creativity tends to focus on the ability to relate and connect and to put things together in a novel way.  In a business context, creativity is not mere originality.  It is a pragmatic dimension in that creative approaches or solutions must also be useful and actionable in the context of the company and its competition.

There are three components of successful creativity in organizations: expertise, motivation and creative thinking skills.  Expertise is defined as what you know and can do.  Motivation can be primarily a passion or interest or the desire to achieve company rewards and awards.  The individual is solely driven by the challenge and joy of accomplishment.  Creative thinking can be explained as the ways individuals approach problems differently, seeking insights from other fields of endeavour, challenging assumptions etc

Employees should, however, be provided the freedom and access to resources to practice these components.

Where should quality checks take place?

The key tasks for operations managers is to identify the critical points at which the service or process need to be checked to ensure that it will conform to specifications.  These checks may be carried out at the start of the process, during the process and after the process.

At the start of the process the incoming transformed resources could be inspected to ensure that they are to the correct specification.

During the process checks may take place at any stage but there are a number of particularly critical points in the process where inspection might be important:

• Before a particularly costly part of the process
• Before a series of processes during which checking might be difficult
• Immediately after part of the process with a high defective point
• Before a part of a process that might conceal previous defects or problems
• Before a point is reached, after which rectification and recovery might be impossible
• Before potential damage or distress might be caused
• Before a change in functional responsibility

Checks will take place after the process as well to ensure that the service conforms to its specification or that customers are satisfied with service they have received.

Understanding the project environment

The project environment consists of all the factors which may affect the project during its life.  It also determines the setting and circumstances in which the project is executed.

The environment influences the way a project is executed.  The scale, timing and nature of any other projects being carried out by an organization could affect the plans which are drawn up for a new project.  The history of previous projects carried out for a customer might influence how a current project is managed.

The environment is the main determinant of the uncertainty which will be inherent in it.  For example, the political uncertainty in a country might influence the timing and resourcing of the separate activities of the project.

What is method study?

Method study is the part of scientific management which makes a direct contribution to job design.  It is a systematic approach to job design and not solely a set of techniques to be followed by management.  This method study approach involves systematically  following six steps: select the work to be studied; record all the relevant facts of the present method; examine the facts critically and in sequence; develop the most practical, economic and effective method; install the new method and maintain this method by checking it in use.

Operations usually have many hundreds and possibly thousands of discrete jobs and activities which could be subjected to study.  The specific job selected for method study would give the most return on investment of time spent studying it.  It would be unlikely that it will be worth studying activities which may soon be discontinued or are only performed occasionally.  The type of jobs which should be studied as a matter of priority are those which seem to offer the greatest scope for improvement, or which are causing bottle-necks, delays, or  other problems in the operation.

There are different recording techniques used in method study which include recording the sequence of the activities in the job, the time interrelationship of the activities in the job or the path of movement of some part of the job.Recording the present method can give a far greater insight into the job itself and could lead to new ways of doing it.  It is also a good starting point from which to evaluate critically and improve the method.  It would be easier to improve the method by starting from the current method and then criticizing it in detail rather than starting with a blank sheet.

Examining the facts is probably the most important stage in method study and is often done by using the questioning technique.  This technique exposes the reasons behind existing methods in order to detect weaknesses in the rationale and develop alternative methods.  Typical questions would be:  the purpose of each element; the place in which each element is done; the sequence in which the elements are done; the person who does the element and the means by which each element is done.

The next stage is developing the new method.  This involves taking these ideas further in an attempt to eliminate parts of the activity altogether, change the sequence of events so as to improve the efficiency of the job or simplify the activity to reduce the work content.

Installing the new method concerntrates on project managing the installation process rather than examining the reactions of the staff whose jobs and methods are being affected.  The effectiveness of the job designs after they have been installed will need to be monitored regularly.  Although this cannot be viewed as a “continuous improvement” initiative it can be used as an opportunity to rethink and improve methods on a continuous basis.

The importance of new ventures

For all economies to compete in today’s global marketplace successfully, large firms must become more innovative and entrepreneurial.  The overall health of larger companies is however, affected by the performance of thousands of new ventures started by entrepreneurs.

New ventures consistently create more jobs each year than do large companies and are an excellent source of employment for workers with all types of skills.  Although it is often risky, some people are attracted by the excitement of being a part of a new business.

The efforts of those working in new ventures often result in innovative products which enhances the nation’s ability to compete successfully in the global market place.

New ventures can stimulate competition by giving consumers innovative products that encourage companies to improve the quality and reduce the prices of their offerings.  New ventures accelerate the advance and spread of new technology as well. These would naturally improve the population’s standard of living.

A definition of entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a creative act.  It requires perception, drive, tenacity, dedication and hard work to pursue identified economic opportunities.  There is a general acceptance of entrepreneurial risk regarding time, financial resources and psychological well being. 

Entrepreneurship is a process intended to create wealth and accomplished by gathering and managing human, financial, physical and informational resources to pursue a business opportunity with acceptable levels of risk.

Entrepreneurship is manifested once the introduction of new and innovative goods, services or processes into the marketplace occurs.  This inevitably creates opportunities for additional goods, services and processes.

Entrepreneurship is instrumental in the development of any society, however, entrepreneurship needs a society that encourages and supports individual initiative.  Conditions aiding entrepreneurs include readily available investment capital and a cultural acceptance of business people who tend to operate in unconventional manners.