Recent Innovations achievements of M&C Saatchi marketing agency
Discuss about the Model Of Creativity And Innovation In Organization.
The ability of this company to compete and win over critical business has never depended on the establishment of high-level business contacts by its founders but rather on its ability to come up with innovative projects. Currently this company is recognized not only in Australia but globally as a leading advertising agency. Amidst a global advertising industry characterized by stiff competition, since its establishment in 1995 to date, M&C Saatchi has managed to withstand the stiff competition and remain at the top. The secret behind the top performance of this company is in its innovations. As a result of embracing innovation, M&C Saatchi has managed to fashion itself to match the extended as well as the ever constantly changing needs of clients. Moreover, the success of this company can be attributed to its ability to change its operations to fit the emerging business trends(Weerawdena, et al. 2006). For instance, M&C Saatchi came up with innovations such as the majority-owned direct marketing operation.
Similarly, to effectively address the needs of its customer base in the technological world, the company came up with the online one stop shop platform which provided for a combination of the advertising know-how with web design distribution and consultancy. This makes it easier for clients to access the services of the company via its online platform and hence playing a significant role in the growth and internationalization strategy of the company(Garcia-Morales, et al. 2006). The company has been engaged in various sustainability innovations such as corporate social responsibility as well as environmental sustainability. For instance, in Australia especially among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, M&C Saatchi is involved in corporate social responsibility innovations geared at ensuring sustainability within the community.
The innovations are aimed at empowering the communities through the provision of essential programs such as quality and affordable education, clean water among other hygiene and sanitation projects. The company is involved in innovative programs such as the digging of boreholes to provide clean water as well as sensitizing of the communities on the need to conserve essential resources such as forests, water among other critical resources. Similarly, with the aim of ensuring environmental sustainability, M&C Saatchi has embraced innovations geared at ensuring that the environment is protected. For instance, having realized that forest fires present one of the biggest threats to the conservation of the environment in Australia, this company has conducted various researches with the aim of coming up with a viable solution to the problem of forest fires.
The NRMA Fire Blanket sensor network
Such efforts have resulted to the innovation by the agency of the NRMA Fire Blanket sensor network to address the issue of destruction of forest resources as result of the perennial forest fires(Bartel & Garud, 2009). This innovation has enabled for the detection of the areas within the forests that are mostly prone to forest fires. Similarly, the innovative network has made it possible for the authorities to receive signals on the areas where fire starts. This makes it easier for the authorities to access the areas within the forest that are under the threat of fire and stop the fire before it spreads and destroys large areas of the forest.
This system is used in the provision of an early warning signal in the case of bushfires(Amabile, 1988). NRMA Fire blanket is a type of prototype sensor network that is wireless and has the ability to smell bushfire, assist in pinpointing the exact location where bushfire has occurred, while at the same time has the ability to tract and predict the areas where the fire could spread to.
The NRMA Fire Blanket sensor network is an engineering innovation which is credited to M&C Saatchi. This is an essential innovative product of this company which has significantly impacted the protection of the forests. Due to the importance of this engineering project advanced by the company, it was rated as the best in Australia in 2017. For the longest time in history, Australian forests have been under the threat of forest fires. The hot, dry climate of Australia exposes nation’s forest cover to the threat of bushfires especially during the warmer months of the year(Angle, 1989). The fires significantly impacts large tracts of land leading to damages not only to the forests but also to personal property such as houses near forests as well as causing loss of human life.
Indigenous groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, who use fire as a means to forester grassland in their hunting process as well as clearing of the dense vegetation for farming have over the years increased the chances of bushfires. Similarly, change in Australia’s climate over the last 30 years increased the chances of occurrence of bushfires. Several efforts by the government to control the damage caused by the bushfires bore little fruits as massive tracts of land and property continued to be destroyed by the bushfire(Rogers & Schoemaker, 1971).
Diffusion and entrepreneurship associated with the innovation
The innovation of the NRMA Fire Blanket sensor network by M&C Saatchi as a prototype wireless sensor with the ability to smell bushfire, pinpoint the specific areas where there is bushfire, track as well as predict areas likely to be under bushfires is therefore an essential initiative which has increased response to the bushfires by authorities thereby reducing the impact of fire on the Australian forest cover and property. The innovative device has the ability to sense and track smoke from bushfire as well as provides the communities and the authorities with an early warning signal. The device sniffs the air to detect the bushfire smoke and then allows the nodes to send communication with each other suing a sensor network that is wireless to assist in the location of the source of the smoke(Angle & Van de Ven, 1989).
The NRMA Fire Blanket sensor network system innovated by M&C Saatchi immediately diffused into the Australian society. Due to the high total annual cost of natural disasters which were expected to rise from $9-$33 billion by the year 2050, innovation of the NRMA system has been highly embraced across Australia (Bennis, et al. 1962).
The use of the NRMA system saves the nation billions of dollars which was used in the fight against natural disasters such as bushfire. This innovation, which is a corporate social responsibility initiative by the company has had entrepreneurship impacts on the company(Marcus & Weber, 1989). The company has gained trust and confidence from clients as it is viewed to be having the good will of the client at its heart. The rating of the company as the most innovative companies in Australia by Science and Technology Australia (STA) has seen the company gain public limelight which has enabled it market its services to the public hence increasing its customer base and annual revenue.
One of the key factors contributing to bushfire in Australia is the hunting and agricultural culture of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. These communities have the tendency of using fire to clear bushes for farming as well as using fires fire to forester grassland in the hunting process, which in some cases leads to the spread of fire affecting the forests. To ensure effective operation of the technological innovation in addressing the problem of bushfire, M&C Saatchi has enacted cultural engagement policies aimed at incorporating the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the fight of bushfires.
M&C Saatchi’s cross-cultural engagement policies
The company involves the services of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the detection of the bushfires. Since these group lives adjacent to forests, they have been trained on how to use the innovation in detecting bushfires to enable them report to the authorities in case they observe the smoke signs so that the fire can be controlled(Cummings, 1965). Hence some of the cross cultural policies of the company include education and enlightenment of the indigenous communities on the effects of bushfire, empowerment of these communities to give them an alternative source of livelihood and enable them move from the hunting as an economic activity
M&C Saatchi has embraced innovation as the best way of gaining a competitive advantage in the competitive global business environment. The company has set up the research and development department which is in charge of conducting research and coming up with innovations in various areas. One of the senior engineers behind the innovations at M&C Saatchi is Martin MacGregor, the former Managing Director of Nota Bene MEC Cape Town.
Since joining the company, MacGregor has initiatives a myriad of innovations which have seen the company gain major accolades as the most innovative company(Clark, 1987). He brought to the company the innovative ideas which led to the shift of the company from focusing on the making of big TV ads and thinking that it would make the company achieve major success. According to him, success of the company relies on its ability to embrace sustainable innovations and as a result, the company embraced innovations such as the NRMA Fire Blanket sensor network which is marked as one of the major breakthrough innovations of the company.
Although Saatchi marketing agency was rate as the most innovative company in 2017, the company has faced various challenges which have hindered its capacity to embrace full innovation. Some of the challenges include;
- The high cost of innovation
- Inadequate personnel with the necessary research skills
- Overconcentration on commercial activities which bring immediate financial gains as opposed to innovative initiatives
Challenges faced in producing required information
In gathering information from the company on innovation, I encountered various challenges such as;
- Lack of cooperation from some respondents.
- Time limit. There was no adequate time to cover all the areas of innovation of the company.
- Financial constraints. Due to inadequate funds to facilitate effective information collection, it was impossible to collect data from all necessary areas of the company’s innovation.
Recommendations on what should be done to improve future data collection
To ensure effective data collection in the future, the following measures should be put in place;
- Do proper feasibility studies to come up with appropriate budgetary allocations for the information collection.
- Allocate more time for the research to allow for the collection of all relevant data.
- Talk to the company in advance to inform respondents of the purpose of the research to improve their cooperation.
Diagrammatic model summarizing the innovation process at M&C Saatchi
M&C Saatchi uses the Rodgers’s basic innovation and diffusion model in its innovation. The diagrammatic model views the innovation process as a linear sequence consisting of three basic stages of the idea of the invention, development of the idea and finally the diffusion of the innovation and its adoption by users(Rogers, 1983)
References
Amabile, T. M. 1988. A model of creativity and innovation in organizations. In Research in Organizational Behavior, Vol. 10, B. M. Staw and L. L. Cummings, eds. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
Angle, H. A. 1989. Psychology and organizational innovation. Chapter 5 in Research on the managementof Innovation: The Minnesota Studies, A. Van de Ven, H. Angle, and M. S. Poole, eds. New York: Ballinger/Harper & Row.
Angle, H. A., and A. H. Van de Ven. 1989. Suggestions for managing the innovation journey. Chapter 21 in Research on the management of Innovation: The Minnesota Studies, A. Van de Ven, H. Angle, and M. S. Poole, eds. New York: Ballinger/Harper & Row.
Bartel, C. A., & Garud, R. (2009). The role of narratives in sustaining organizational innovation. Organization science, 20(1), 107-117.
Bennis, W. G., K. D. Benne, and R. Chin. 1962. The Planning of Change. New York: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston.
Bryson, J., and W. Roering. 1989. Mobilizing innovation efforts: The case of government strategic planning. Chapter 18 in Research on the management of Innovation: The Minnesota Studies, A. Van de Ven, H. Angle, and M. S. Poole, eds. New York: Ballinger/Harper & Row. Clark, P. 1987. Anglo-American Innovation. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Cummings, L. L. 1965. Organizational climates for creativity. Academy of management Journal, 8:220–227.
Dornblaser, B. M., T. Lin, and A. H. Van de Ven. 1989. Innovation outcomes, learning, and action loops. Chapter 7 in Research on the Management of Innovation: The Minnesota Studies, A. Van de Ven, H. Angle, and M. S. Poole, eds. New York: Ballinger/Harper & Row.
Garcia-Morales, V. J., Llorens-Montes, F. J., & Verdú-Jover, A. J. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of organizational innovation and organizational learning in entrepreneurship. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 106(1), 21-42.
Marcus, A., and M. Weber. 1989. Externally induced innovation. Chapter 16 in Research on the Management of Innovation: The Minnesota Studies, A. Van de Ven, H. Angle, and M. S. Poole, eds. New York: Ballinger/Harper & Row.
Rogers, E. 1983. Diffusion of Innovations. Third Edition. New York: Free Press.
Rogers, E., and F. Schoemaker. 1971. Communication of Innovation: A Cross-Cultural Perspective. New York: Free Press.
Weerawardena, J., O’Cass, A., & Julian, C. (2006). Does Industry matter? Examining the role of industry structure and organizational learning in innovation and brand performance. Journal of business research, 59(1), 37-45.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
