Creativity and Innovation are two different terms and they technically have different meanings. Creativity means originality, imagination and inventiveness that are brought out through resourcefulness. Innovation, on the other hand refers to modernization and improvement over an existing idea. In this way, it is true that creativity and innovation are two different terms and cannot be used interchangeably. Yet, they have been used interchangeably in several areas or walks of life, including business and management as well as technology. In this way the main distinction between creativity and innovation, being the originality has been ignored and as the line between creativity and innovation is thin, it becomes even more difficult to distinguish between these terminologies. Innovation is an important aspect of growth and development of individuals, organizations, cultures and societies. Innovation and creativity refer to bringing in new ideas to life. Innovation can be achieved strategically through a process of Continue reading
Modern Management Practices
Total Quality Management And Continuous Quality Improvement
Meaning of Total Quality Management (TQM) Total quality management (TQM) is defined as “managing the entire organization so that it excels in all dimensions of products and services that are important to the customer.” As the definition states, this philosophy concentrates on quality as a primary component of the organization’s drive for competitive advantage. Marketing decision-making is directly effected by such a system because quality is a component of product/service design and can be an important decision-making criterion employed by potential buyers. The TQM model goes beyond product and service quality, however, and suggests that a highly structured system of management that emphasizes mechanisms like control and punitive action which stifles people and ultimately hinders an organization’s attempt to produce quality products and services. Rather, the organization that views all its employees as critical, creative resources will be much better able to pursue quality in every activity and through every Continue reading
Leadership Scorecard
Role of Leadership in Organizations Leadership has been described as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. A definition more inclusive of followers comes from Alan Keith of Genentech who said “Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen.” In an organization where there is faith in the abilities of formal leaders, employees will look towards the leaders for a number of things. During drastic change times, employees will expect effective and sensible planning, confident and effective decision-making, and regular, complete communication that is timely. Also during these times of change, employees will perceive leadership as supportive, concerned and committed to their welfare, while at the same time recognizing that tough decisions need to be made. The best way to summarize is that there is Continue reading
What is Green Management?
Green management is an approach to organizational management that seeks to reduce the environmental impact of business operations while improving business efficiency and profitability. The focus of green management is on sustainability, and it involves making decisions and taking actions that are environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable. This article will discuss the concept of green management, its importance, benefits, and challenges, as well as strategies for implementing green management practices in organizations. The Concept of Green Management Green management is a proactive approach to managing a business in a way that minimizes the environmental impact of its operations. It involves adopting strategies and practices that reduce waste, conserve energy and natural resources, and minimize pollution. Green management goes beyond simply complying with environmental regulations; it involves taking a leadership role in environmental stewardship and sustainability. Green management practices can be applied in any industry, from manufacturing to retail, Continue reading
Argument Mapping – A Tool For Improving Your Critical Thinking
Argument mapping is a way to visually show the logical structure of arguments, where “arguments constitute a body of evidence in relation to some proposition (an idea that is true or false)”. It does so by having the user break up an argument into its constituent claims, and use lines, boxes, colors and location to indicate the relationships between the various parts. Thus, a map is produced which illustrates why a particular conclusion was reached by clearly outlining its reasons and objections. The resulting argument map allows us to see exactly how each part of an argument is related to every other part. Typically an argument map is a “box and arrow” diagram with boxes corresponding to propositions and arrows corresponding to relationships such as evidential support. Argument mapping is similar to other mapping activities such as mind mapping and concept mapping, but focuses on the logical, evidential or inferential Continue reading
Organizational Development through Team Building
There are a variety of situations where new teams are formed. The project based, cross-functional work team has become the basis of industry in the 1990’s. Virtual team organization is rapidly becoming the model for flexibility and agility in organizing quickly and effectively to get jobs done. New teams usually have a clear task focus in the early going and there is usually a clear understanding of the short term goals. The new team members are also generally technically competent and there usually is a challenge in the project that will draw on their technical capabilities. While the early activities of a team are clearly focused on task and work issues, relationship problems tend do develop as they do in any human system. By the time these interpersonal issues surface the team may be well along in its activities. The issues may become very difficult and very costly to work Continue reading