Strategic Leadership - Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Strategic Leadership - - Case Study Example Routines Creation of the Central Research Laboratory enabled 3M to learn outside its defined domain by looking on opportunities generated by both external demand and internal capacity (Bartlett & Mohammed 3). Substantial organizational slack manifested through the policy encouraging researchers to spend up to 15% of their time pursuing projects of interest to them (Bartlett & Mohammed 4). Identifying and developing innovations arising from projects even when no large market potential was evident (Bartlett & Mohammed 4) Continued organic growth and spurning off of new groups, divisions and products strengthened 3M through increased product variation. Culture Creativity was encouraged via institutionalized individual entrepreneurship (Bartlett & Mohammed 2) Informal recognition given to maverick employees through semi-legend stories that were circulated in the company to encourage individual persistence and commitment to innovation (Bartlett & Mohammed 5). Tolerance for what McKnight referred to as â€Å"well-intentioned failure† and risk taking was encouraged as shown by management supporting those who were involved in failed projects quickly move on to something new (Bartlett & Mohammed 5). 3M has been able to retain its market leadership through technological innovation, market responsiveness and institutionalized entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship by its very nature is characterized by high risk and possibility of failure. Therefore it is necessary to have a management that encourages employees to innovate through incentives, and giving them time to actually pursue these innovative projects. Innovation requires research, which is resource intensive, therefore the company needed to ensure that these resources are available by making huge investments in R&D such as in the development of the Central Research Laboratory. However, we must note that this is a business where the ultimate goal is to maximize on shareholder return. Thus giving each of these innovative divisions a clear set of corporate financial performance targets ensures that they self-monitor themselves, by investing only in those products that show promise of a return. If say, 3M lacked this form of financial targets for each of its divisions we would probably see some divisions becoming less accountable than others. Is 3M an â€Å"innovation factory,† or does it work by a different model? And are those at 3M â€Å"T-shaped†? 3M is an innovation factory because we can identify within it the four intertwined work practices that characterize such a factory namely: capturing good ideas (3M spans multiple markets with multiple business units), keeping ideas alive (3M has a database containing over 25 years of information on hundreds of projects), imagining new uses for old ideas (3M encourages cross-functional interaction among all its divisions) and putting promising concepts to the test (3M encourages development of innovations from projects ev en when no large market potential is evident) (Hargadon & Sutton 324). The staff at 3M is T-shaped. This is so because we can identify several of the approaches highlighted by Hansen and von Oetinger as necessary for an organization to have so that its staff can effectivel be T-shaped. Firstly, we see that 3M constructed a facility at Austin, Texas whose specific purpose was to facilitate cross-functional interaction and encourage teamwork (Bartlett & Mohammed 12) which is line with the formalization of cross-unit

The Role the Bible in Regards to Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Role the Bible in Regards to Ethics - Essay Example The Bible gives Christians the answers to different morality aspects that often bring up arguments and disagreements. Such matters include: abortion, immorality, drug abuse, homosexuality, alcoholism, divorce and the family among other aspects of life that often bring up dilemmas. (London, 2009) The Bible talks about morality and ethics in specific and general terms. In the Book of Mark 7:20-23, the Bible specifies that it is what comes from inside of Christians that causes them to sin. The heart directs us to steal to kill and to rob; to be jealous to be immoral and to commit any form of sin against the Lord. The verse mentions specifically the acts that are known to be immoral and unethical in accordance to the Bible. In Romans 1:25-32 the Bible goes ahead into specifications that when men sin against the Lord and are involved in worshiping the creations of the Lord and not God himself; it results into acts such as homosexuality where men have a strong passion for each other instead of the natural relationships created by God. In verses 29-30 it goes ahead and specifies the evils that the Lord is against including: slander and malice, disobedience of parents, being proud and not keeping promises among others. (Clapp, 1996: pg 36) In the Book of 1 Peter 4:3, the Bible continues to specify on aspects such as drunkenness which it depicts as evil. In the same chapter, it is also stated that for every wrong that is committed, the Lord is going to judge human beings accordingly. Therefore, it is clear from the Bible that the wrong doers will be punished and those who are strong and they suffer physically for the Lord will be saved. II. Nature of the Relationship between the Bible and the Church in regards to Ethics Churches of the world regard the Bible not as a collection of verses by the ancient people but as the word of The Lord. The Bible is taken as God's voice speaking directly to us. It is the voice of the Lord to the congregation and to the entire world. This is an act of faith and is what interconnects the Bible to the church. The main purpose of the church is to interpret the word in the Bible to the congregation and let it known to individuals what is right and wrong in the eyes of the Lord. The church serves as an institution of direction to the believers on the path to follow in order to be righteous and to live a holy life and waiting on the Lord. In the book of Isaiah 40:8, the Bible states that all other things in this world will come to pass but the word of the Lord will stand forever and ever. The message of the Bible that was intended by God to guide our every step and our day's activities is preached in churches. What is right or what is wrong (ethics) is emphasized in the c hurch using the wordings of the Bible. (London, 2009) In the Book of Nehemiah 8:1-16, the people of Israel are gathered in the Watergate to listen to the word that the Lord had given to Moses for them. Ezra the priest at that time read the scripture out loud to the people and they listened attentively to every word. They stood up in respect of the word and they bowed down to the Lord and worshipped Him in song and Praise. Ezra discouraged them from being sad and he told them that the joy of