innovation management at Nypro to discover how innovation occurs and how capabilities get built
In most organizations, innovation occurs as a result of deliberate proactive actions designed from a strategic approach to tackling issues with inquisitiveness and open-mindedness. Goffin, K., and Mitchell (2016) argue that often, the day to day operations of the modern organizational setting hinder the potential for creativity, which is a basic recipe for innovation. This claim suggests that sustainable innovation is a way of thinking rather than a technology, or product, or an immediate answer to organizational problems. As such, it demands time, dedication, and proper management. This essay will examine innovation management at Nypro to discover how innovation occurs and how capabilities get built.
Nypro Inc., a leading manufacturer of precision custom injection molded plastic parts, is highly dependent on innovation for its advancement of both the business and production processes. With the molding industry within which Nypro operates historically focused on small scale molding jobs, company president Gordon Lankton’s strategy of developing superior technology using large scale production techniques was the first innovation the company experienced. The result of this was a more focused production method with specific clientele, mostly large multinational customers who considerably boosted Nypro’s revenues. The conducive atmosphere Lankton created exemplifies the idea of innovation is a mindset rather than technology, which cultivated a culture of creativity and growth at Nypro.
Seemingly, innovation at Nypro is built on the capabilities of its key components, which are its employees. The organization’s structural design is one that promotes healthy competition within its internal ecosystem by paying close attention to performance outcomes hence bolstering ‘progress through conflict.’ Using this approach, fostered by Gordon Lankton, the company can ignite the potential of its staff towards achieving their best, which, in turn, translates to building in capabilities and innovation culture. Additionally, having teams partake in customer-specific project development, and process improvement provides the staff with an opportunity to build on their previously acquired capabilities. By combining diverse expertise, the company strategically created a conducive environment for innovative ideas through diversity.
Another crucial way innovation occurs at Nypro is through the active development and adoption of new technologies, which constitutes the core of innovation management. With Nypro’s technological innovation based on processes rather than products, most of its innovative ideas occurred from attempts to resolve production and revenue issues. Challenges such as the shifting basis of competition, standardization of methods, and technology transference ensured motivation to find creative solutions. Another way innovation occurs at Nypro is through its popular design of immaculate production facilities, designed like clean rooms that are both aesthetically and quality-wise innovative. The corporate section is also innovatively designed and clean, perceived to be a visual factory, that effectively conveys the company’s value to its customers.
Innovation is a crucial aspect of growth in the modern business environment, which involves not only technological advancement but also the building of capabilities within the organization. The importance of innovation at Nypro is evident in its need for superior manufacturing and product development towards competitive advantage in the market. At Nypro, innovation also constitutes building capabilities within the company, with staff pushed to cultivate their potential through internal competition driven by meticulous performance management. The staff’s capabilities get applied through teamwork that allows them to develop projects together through expertise diversity creatively. The company also engages innovation through active development and adoption of new technologies such as designing of immaculate and ultramodern production facilities.