8.3 Reflection Blog: Innovation

Reflection Innovation

     Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.  In Leadbeater's (2005) Ted Talk, he mentions several companies are looking for innovation from their customers.  In this case, the customer can determine what they want to increase by ordering their products and, in turn, influence the market world to innovate and increase sales.  Leadbeater's (2005) concern was with too much dependency on the customers and not figuring out what would innovate their organization. For instance, in my work environment, salon clients often suggest scheduling their appointment because of COVID-19.  At the salon, we are the hairstylists with the license, and therefore we have to follow CDC guidelines to keep everyone safe.  We all want to be safe, and I'm sure the client can appreciate our determination to maintain.  We only conduct business in the best interest of our clients and plan base on the situation.  There is a need for reassurance of creativity and innovation groundwork, and our organization strives daily to provide this strategy, but it can become a bit of a challenge. 

   

Our hair salon focuses on innovation and creatively think for all the individual that enters our salon.  I open the hair salon because I needed to solve the black hair industry problem when I decided never to relax my hair.  I vowed to educate every person I came in contact with and encourage them to step out of their comfort zone and be unique.  I was the new kid on the block in a small town where the only thing anyone knew about was Robins AFB, and they were Atlanta,  Ga.  I didn't want them to go the Atlanta to get their hair service.  So I moved to Warner Robins, GA, and decided to go to the cosmetology school in 2011 and get a license to own and operate my dream job.  I open the salon with only five clients.  Although there were two salon/barbershop on every corner of the city, that didn't' stop me from trying to figure out how to stand out from my competitors.  We offer one thing that most salons don’t think about today and implement to maintain their clientele.

     However, Our salon is unique; even though it's difficult for clients to schedule their appointments, we offer excellent customer service, and we continuously innovate new ideas for the salon.  We are in the process of launching new hair conduct that our clients can use at home. Evident Kohler et al. (2010) talks about resistance to innovation and organizational culture from both management and employees, making creativity difficult, and we have seen first-hand.  We open our salon in August 2013 with only five clients, but today, we have over 300 clients and continue to get three clients a week.  Now that speaks volumes to our plan, and it's working.  Just as innovation is key to business success (think Apple) and our prosperity (consider productivity), it has been for too long the missing component in our approach to social problems. It is a cliche to speak of a new paradigm. Still, we are building a new platform, not a tent city, one large enough to support many ideas that hold the promise over time of solving some of society's most intractable and vexatious problem(Prince George Citizen, 2011).

In my conclusion, Creativity and Innovation are the bread and butter of any growing company. The future of a growing company depends upon the creative endeavors of an organization. Research show HR is the root of an organization, so without his/her help, a tree of creativity cannot blossom (George Citizen, 2011). Thus the services of HR are sought to improve creativity and innovation in the workplace.  HR can improve workplace innovation and creativity.  One way to improve workplace innovation and creativity is by defining and promoting organizational values related to design.  Our salon will continue to create a clear message that forms the organization's foundation to feel safer when taking a risk in innovative ideas.  Innovation and creativity will continue to lay the strong organization's foundation and reflect the people involved.

References

Collaboration, innovation key to solving social ills. (2011, Nov 22). Prince George Citizen Retrieved from http://ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/905949892?accountid=27203

Köhler, T., Janßen, C., Plath, S., Reese, J. P., Lay, J., Steinhausen, S., Pfaff, H.(2010). Communication, social capital, and workplace health management as determinants of the innovative climate in German banks. International Journal of Public Health, 55(6), 561-570. DOI:10.1007/s00038-010-0195-7

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