From EA 871 to EA 874, Organization Stability to Innovation

In EA 871, we talked about the organization. The organization is an open and ecosystem, it has its input and output, it has the characteristics of followings

·       A common goal, defined by the corporation, to which all employees aspire

·       The definition of a hierarchy of tasks and corresponding positions aimed at reaching the goal.

·       The reliance on expertise, skills, and experience relevant to the defined positions

·       The definition of specific standards of work and products

·       The establishment of rules that serve the interest of the organization.

·       The recognition that rules and regulations bind managers as well as employees.

Organization has been stable and most employees work for the organization in their entire career. Some changes happened within the organization but overall organization, processes and people are relatively stable. Even though we talked about the EA causes organizational change in a way the EA is to define a future state of the organization and identify the current state and finds gap between current and future state of the organization, then create a roadmap to transform the current state to the future state. This concept has been somehow changed over the course of study especially in this class, EA 874. Innovation and adopting emerging technology in this digitized economy becomes dominant theme. Disruption becomes part of the corporate DNA and it is encouraged to embrace disruption.

The article “Transform Your I&O Organization into An Innovation Machines” states that “In the age of the customer, it is more important than ever for enterprises to innovate to difference. The current economic turmoil provides the best possible justification for innovation. Organization must be “Built for Change”

While innovation and change are inevitable in this digital economy and data business, I would argue that the organization needs to keep certain stability both organization and people in order to innovate and change, after all people first. For the past year I have seen so many people are leaving the company or find a new position within the organization in order to keep their employment in my 30 years career. Productivity has been deteriorated and people are wondering where they will end up with tomorrow. While we know it is necessary to change, this kind of change could lead to instability of the organization and affect the innovation in the end.