Chapter 10: Organizational Change & Innovation

product innovation

a change in the appearance or the performance of a product or a service or the creation of a new one

process innovation

a change in the way a product or service is conceived, manufactured, or disseminated

change agent

a consultant with a background in behavioral sciences who can be a catalyst in helping organizations deal with old problems in new ways

benchmarking

a process by which a company compares its performance with that of high-performing organizations

organizational development

a set of techniques for implementing planned change to make people and organizations more effective

resistance to change

an emotional/behavioral response to real or imagined threats to an established work routine

technology

any machine or process that enables an organization to gain a competitive advantage in changing materials used to produce a finished product

radically innovative change

involves introducing a practice that is new to the industry, very threatening

reactive change

making changes in response to problems or opportunities as they arise

proactive change

planned change, involves making carefully thought-out changes in anticipation of possible or expected problems or opportunities

adaptive change

reintroduction of a familiar practice, least threatening

treatment

the attempt to correct the diagnosed problems

incremental innovations

the creation of products, services, or technologies that modify existing ones

radical innovations

the creation of products, services, or technologies that replace existing ones

innovative change

the introduction of a practice that is new to the organization, somewhat threatening

creativity

the process of developing something new or unique

seeds of innovation

the starting point for organizational innovation