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9.2 Levels of innovation and their impact

The following section revisits the historical cornerstones that hold together the diverse fields of study associated with innovation and change within an organisational context. This will be completed to ensure we can define and differentiate some key terms associated with innovation.

As depicted below change can be managed using a mix of approaches dependent on considerations revolving around the rate and type of change. In each of the quadrants are placed broad styles of how innovation can be approached by a manager.

Figure 1 Matrix of change solutions

Figure 1 Matrix of change solutions

The above matrix can be aligned to specific management approaches (such as covered in other topics). This alignment is presented in the table below.


Table 1 Alignment of change typologies to specific managerial approaches

Type

Specific managerial approaches

Rapid-Top down

  • Business process re-engineering
  • Re-engineering
  • Rapid development

Rapid-participatory

  • Reinventing
  • Participative team
  • Mutual gains

Incremental-Top down

  • Project management
  • Decision modelling
  • Organizational redesign
  • Benchmarking
  • SPC or Quality Control

Incremental-participatory

  • Continuous improvement and quality management approaches in their many forms for both processes and services (TQM, CI, CQI, TCS, TQC), Sigma-six, Kaizan, .
  • Learning organisation
  • Organisational learning


It is interesting to note the move to organisational agility cuts across all dimensions of the matrix (See the topic on change and agility). Agility can be any mix of rapid, incremental, top-down or participatory. Agility has evolved as a management focus because it emphasises the need to design innovative practices into all levels and aspects of an organisation.

Let us now extend our study to the component terminologies surrounding the world of innovation. The following definitions cover the 'everyday' concept of innovation and related terms.

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