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There are two fundamental kinds of organizational role:

  • value-generating work which produces artifacts (physical objects, intellectual property and other intangible assets) that have value that in some way translates into the money that feeds the organization;
  • the enablement and direction that is required to remove obstacles to value-generating work, keep it on track, define what value is and link it to financial survival.
Management is concerned with enablement and direction, both of which need just enough to keep value-generating work moving smoothly. Too much management tends to be characterized by excessive direction (micro-management) which creates constraints that disable value-generating work. Too little tends to be characterized by a lack of direction, leading to fragmented and dissipated working. Too little is produced and, once completed, is of little value.

Management is therefore concerned with trying to balance itself on a very fine line. In situations where the management role senses its ineffectiveness, the commonest solution is to direct more (often by employing more managers). If over-direction is the source of low capability in producing valuable work then a self-reinforcing downward spiral begins. Once this happens it is very difficult for managers to “let go of the reins”.

The answer is to recognize this and concentrate more on enablement. Where there is a conflict between directing and enabling activities, focus on enabling. The goal of every intervention is to get higher value from the work. Therefore, set goals that prioritize highest-value work ahead of lower-value work and minimize the cost of working. In an IT setting, avoiding rework (e.g. fixing bugs) by assuring reasonable quality levels is a good approach.As the global economic crisis forces businesses to operate leaner, competition continues to accelerate at lightning speed. Simultaneously, consumers are clamping down on discretionary spending and demanding more value and options in the purchases they make. Innovation management — or finding and realizing new sources of value — is key to helping businesses keep up with this constantly changing economic and competitive landscape.

The question isn’t whether organizations should leverage the technology that delivers today’s innovation management models, but how. IT, as the owner of the engine behind innovation, must emerge as the leader. With careful thought, planning, and ingenuity, IT can help businesses move from a closed innovation model to an open one, playing a pivotal role in capturing an increasingly elusive competitive advantage.
  • Innovation management is a technology matter: Is your IT department ready?
  • Innovation management—the long and short of it
  • Harnessing technology for innovation is a strategy that makes sense

By : Sanjay Prakash

vijay kumar
10/4/2012 04:00:03 am

Nice info. !!

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Jay
10/4/2012 12:20:16 pm

Really a valueable article !

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    MAX- Management and Applications Excellence is a collaborative effort by a group of IT Management students of Xavier Institute of Social Service, to build a platform for knowledge sharing and skill development. Guided by our faculty members MAX aims at overall personality development of its members coupled with development of IT and managerial skills.We call ourselves MAX which stands for MANAGEMENT AND APPLICATIONS EXCELLENCE; this is so because the club will be engaged in various activities of achieving excellence in different IT tools and Applications which simplify the Managerial and Business practices. Besides this the members of the club will be involved in grooming themselves in different management and business practices.

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