Reflections on Module 3 Concepts

1. Reflections on Module 3 Concepts.

Do policies limit the creative tendencies of leaders? How can an organization establish policies yet still foster creativity and innovation?

Corporate policy often times stems the creativeness within corporations. Many times associates are fearful of violating policy and thus being reprimanded. Leaders can fall prey to being institutionalized in their thinking and thus operate “by the book”
Companies can foster innovation through formalized brainstorming sessions where leadership is present and can immediately approve ideas that bring value to the organization. Associates often have good ideas and are asked to put it in writing. The ideas then fall easily into a Black hole and are never acted upon. If leaders are present and commit then they are more likely to support.

Are policies and procedures viewed in different capacities by leaders of different waves of change?

I believe that policies and procedures are viewed differently by leaders in different waves of change. Informational age leaders may be in a maturity stage of the business and are procedure driven. They do not think outside the box. Perform the same way every time. Whereas, an early stage leader or informational age thinker might be more open to new ways of execution to grow/renew business.

Why is cultural understanding essential in establishing knowledge management within an organization?

Cultures have different ways of thinking, communicating and executing. Standards are different. Regulatory landscape is different. The overall business landscape is different. Understanding cultural impacts on the business process can determine how an organization communicates. For example, how do you cross pollinate an international organization? How do you facilitate information sharing, quality management, methods and procedures? Effective knowledge management (social capital) plays an important role in the in the success of an organization.

Historically speaking, culture has been considered a longtime process. Yet in a society that is characterized by more frequent change and greater levels of uncertainty, how do the more rapidly changing effects impact the culture of organizations? Is it necessary for the culture of an organization to keep pace with the rapid changes?

It is absolutely necessary for an organization to keep pace with the rapid changes in the environment. A company’s culture should be based on founding principles that guide behavior. Take the Lexington case study example. The company did not keep up with the change in the business environment and ultimately suffered. If the company had sound guiding principles that facilitated internal sharing and communication of ideas then Lexington may have had an easier time keeping up with the speed of change