For This Assignment I Chose Option 2 And The Company I Ch ✓ Solved

For this assignment I choose option 2 and the company I ch

For this assignment, I choose option 2 and the company I choose to research is General Motors (GM). General Motors is a company that manufactures and assembles cars, trucks, and SUVs. General Motors has a host of brand name cars we know now as Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac. I do feel as GM is a company that holds their employees to a high standard including key characteristics among them.

From my reading, I see most General Motors employees seek persistent and proactive workers, which is a characteristic of innovative and creative employees. Proactive employees do not wait for things to occur; instead, they strive to make things happen. They tend to solve problems even before they occur, even when faced with adversity and challenges. Another characteristic of General Motors employees is that they are opportunity-led; they see opportunities instead of dead ends and tend to find a solution even when there is not one.

I believe problem-focused employees are less likely to succeed and could be less innovative since they focus on solving existing problems. In contrast, opportunity-focused employees explore those opportunities. GM employees show mental resilience, an ideal trait for creative and innovative employees (Kremer, 2019). Employees who respond positively to hardships and challenges and do not let challenges defeat them tend to portray innovative behavior. They exhibit mental resilience by deriving new and useful information from negative feedback.

GM employees are courageous and confident in their skills and abilities. When required to perform specific tasks, they develop cost-efficient, practical, and creative solutions. They consistently present their solutions with confidence and courage for evaluation, regardless of knowing the feedback. Innovative employees continually improve and learn from their mistakes and failures; they do not get discouraged easily because of failure. Employees who learn from mistakes can foresee future errors and exhibit leadership skills by prioritizing the company's needs over their own.

General Motors leaders should have a future vision; they should focus on long-term goals instead of merely aiming for instant success. However, most companies devote time to short-term goals. An innovative leader is primarily dedicated to long-term objectives and should always strive to acquire more information, as applicable facts can ignite innovation (Yun, 2020). General Motors leaders should always ask relevant questions and listen to feedback from others without bias during regular work routines and meetings.

The company leaders should emphasize collaboration among employees and work together towards achieving organizational objectives. Innovative leaders advocate for inclusion and diversity, ensuring that teams consist of individuals from various cultural, social, and economic backgrounds. This diversity fosters different opinions and experiences within a team, thus enhancing creativity and innovation. Company leaders should empower team members to tackle challenging problems and propose possible solutions.

Employees who offer the best solutions should be rewarded to promote innovation, and company leaders should challenge their employees to improve their performance continually by encouraging them to exceed their previous achievements (Yun, 2020). A non-hierarchical management approach is recommended to enable team members to easily share their opinions and ideas with senior management. Leaders should set clear timelines to communicate essential tasks and milestones, clarifying priorities and directions.

Recognizing and rewarding employees who develop innovative ideas can make them feel appreciated and motivate them to achieve their goals. Company leaders should model desired employee behavior by leading by example. They must demonstrate a clear vision, genuine motivation, and a zealous attitude toward their job. Clear communication is crucial for fostering innovation; open communication helps employees express their ideas freely, without fear of management backlash.

A leader should be approachable and open, allowing employees to communicate their views freely. Employees must possess various characteristics to be effective leaders, with the two most critical attributes being leading by example and demonstrating integrity. To gain others' respect and build credibility within the organization, employees should set the correct examples. A leader should demonstrate behavior they want others to replicate.

Leaders must align their actions and words so that team members are willing to follow their example. Leaders with integrity critically evaluate their decision-making processes and exhibit unique behavior. They possess clear views on right and wrong, earning respect through consistent, ethical, and genuine actions. Open communication and distinctive characteristics further enhance their effectiveness. An ideal organizational culture demonstrates various features.

When decision-making involves all employees at different levels, collaboration and teamwork thrive. Such an environment values strategic planning and coherent mission statements while rewarding achievements and refraining from criticizing mistakes. Collaboration is key to generating innovative ideas, particularly in diverse and inclusive teams working together to develop creative solutions. Allowing team members to make mistakes encourages exploration beyond their comfort zones.

Meetings should encourage team members to discuss their mistakes without facing criticism, focusing instead on how to rectify those mistakes and outlining steps to avoid future errors. An ideal organizational culture would also allocate some employees' working hours to generate new ideas and opinions. A notable example is Google’s policy, which allows employees to allocate approximately 20% of their working hours to developing innovative ideas, leading to remarkable successes.

Paper For Above Instructions

This paper explores the characteristics and leadership strategies that make General Motors (GM) an innovative organization. To truly understand how GM fosters an environment conducive to creativity and resilience, it is essential to analyze its organizational culture, employee characteristics, and leadership approaches.

Employee Characteristics

At GM, the expectation is for employees to embody proactive and persistent traits. This proactive nature is crucial in innovative fields such as automotive design, where anticipating changes and challenges in technology or consumer demands can lead to groundbreaking advancements. For instance, opportunities in electric vehicles or autonomous driving technology demand employees who see possibilities where others may see obstacles. Kremer et al. (2019) argue that nurturing innovation requires encouraging a workforce that is inherently curious and solution-oriented.

Moreover, GM's employee development programs often focus on building mental resilience. Employees are encouraged to find learning opportunities within failure rather than being discouraged. This approach allows employees to cultivate a mindset that embraces challenges, which is a vital trait in any leading innovative organization (Yun, 2020). By fostering such characteristics, GM enhances its potential for creative problem-solving and innovation.

Leadership Strategies

The leadership strategies at GM are instrumental in maintaining a culture of innovation. Leaders at GM are expected to maintain a long-term vision, steering the organization toward strategic goals instead of getting bogged down by short-term results. This approach is reflective of a larger trend in successful companies that prioritize sustainable growth over immediate gains. According to Yun et al. (2020), successful leaders foster environments where the acceptance of diverse perspectives is essential for innovation.

GM leaders promote collaboration and inclusiveness, ensuring that all voices are heard in decision-making processes. This approach not only enhances creativity but also ensures that employees feel valued as part of the organization. In addition, by adopting a non-hierarchical management approach, leaders invite input and suggestions from all levels of the organization. This open communication enables employees to feel a sense of ownership of their work, which is critical in driving motivation and innovative thinking.

An Ideal Organizational Culture

An ideal organizational culture at GM is characterized by a strong emphasis on collaboration, teamwork, and diversity. Encouraging cross-departmental collaboration can lead to breakthroughs in innovation as employees can leverage different skill sets and experiences to solve complex problems. Moreover, acknowledging and learning from mistakes rather than punishing them can create a more innovative atmosphere. GM could emulate Google’s approach, which allows employees dedicated hours to brainstorm and explore new ideas that could lead to significant advancements (Abrahamson, 2018).

Moreover, an organizational culture that integrates employee feedback into its operational procedures can greatly enhance innovation. Employees feel more engaged when their inputs are valued, leading to increased job satisfaction and better retention rates (Yun et al., 2020). Such a culture helps GM focus not only on producing quality vehicles but on nurturing a workforce capable of significant innovation.

Conclusion

In summary, General Motors exemplifies an environment where proactive employees, an innovative culture, and strategic leadership intersect to foster creativity and groundbreaking advancements. By maintaining these principles, GM continues to thrive in a disruptive automotive industry while preparing for the future.

References

• Abrahamson, M. (2018). "Actual Center of Detroit": Method, Management, and Decentralization in Albert Kahn's General Motors Building. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 77(1), 56-76.
• Kremer, H., Villamor, I., & Aguinis, H. (2019). Innovation leadership: Best-practice recommendations for promoting employee creativity, voice, and knowledge sharing. Business Horizons.
• Yun, J. J., Zhao, X., Jung, K., & Yigitcanlar, T. (2020). The culture for open innovation dynamics.
• [Additional references would go here]