Management and Innovation

Management and Innovation

Strategic management is the process of formulating strategies and strategic plans, and managing the organization to achieve them, organizations and managers who think and act strategically are looking ahead and defining the direction in which hey want to go in the middle and longer term (Armstrong:2001:15).

Management play a key role in the development and the success of innovation, but it’s important to make sure management are just as, if not more creative than their employees. And they need to project this to their employees to ensure they are all engaged.

In order to achieve this, management have to adopt a style that enabled innovation to flourish – but which is the right one?

There is the autocratic management style, which is linked closely to the scientific management style, founded by Fredrick Taylor. All decisions are made by the management team rather than the employees, so there is little opportunity for empowerment and job enrichment. I personally consider this o to be the worst management style for innovation; employees aren’t encouraged to think independently, nor are they considered even capable of making a positive impact on the organizations future.

Secondly there is the Democratic management style

“Democratic management styles tend to be adopted by many managers working in select industries. Democratic managers are therefore usually found in ‘clusters’ within similar companies. Democratic management is all about full employee consultation and feedback. A democratic manager will have failed if major changes were made concerning the way employees work, without them having considerable say on the matter. Democratic management styles do not ensure employees get whatever they want, but they ensure that managers know exactly what their employees need before making important decisions.” (http://www.management-expert.co.uk/management-styles/#autocratic)

the important part of democratic management is that there is communication between employees and management which is essential for driving successful problem solving techniques. Compared to autocratic management, employees are considered more valuable parts of the organization, which enhances employee engagement – an important component in innovation.
however management still make the final decision, there is little opportunity for employee empowerment and therefore less opportunity for employees to think creatively.

There are various management styles, which have been identified, however I don’t think there is one in particular that truly allows employees to think for themselves, work in projects and decide on an appropriate conclusion unless a manager takes inspiration from each of the management styles.

I my opinion an innovative manager knows when they need to take a step back and allow their employees to develop on their own, but still understand that they need to facilitate their needs such as resources, guidance etc.