IDEO Case Study
IDEO is a global award-winning firm consisting of various groups of employees from different sections and backgrounds. The firm uses teamwork to improve innovation and creativity in its activities. Teamwork helps in brainstorming together of all the members to share and improve skills by leveraging the members’ skills in solving problems together. The reason for bringing the members together and using their skills is that they use the same process in making their products. Teamwork influence innovation by enhancing communication where members exchange their information and skills in a formalized structure and openness. Teamwork also influences innovation by coordinating members together in handling various tasks where each member gives his or her fundamental aspects of the task. The teamwork coordinates the contribution of each member and creates synchronization and harmonization of all the individual contributions. Through this, the members can reach a common related goal, which is effective and efficient to the task they were carrying out. The members help get the best design for the task they were carrying out, which is free from gaps and overlaps. Teamwork also enhances innovation by increasing mutual support from the members through intensive collaboration in the IDEO firm (Klaic, Burtscher & Jonas, 2020). This helps the members work with respect when giving contributions to various aspects of the task, resulting in more efficient work.
Diversity is another aspect that influences the effectiveness of teamwork at IDEO. Diversity increases creativity, innovation, and flexibility of employees in various sections within the IDEO firm. This eliminates redundant layers of bureaucracy and flattens the hierarchy in large organizations (Wei n.d). Diversity in different teams at the IDEO firm helps to get various firm opportunities and help the members solve various problems. Personal diversity in the IDEO firm is important in helping different team members relate together regardless of their age and cultural differences. Diversity improves the effectiveness of members acquiring various working and learning styles, which they adopt from the other team members. There is plenty of skill diversity in team members within IDEO firm, and this is important as members bring in new skills and ideas when solving various problems. The high level of competency among the team members in the IDEO firm helps create innovation as members integrate various ideas and skills to form a major innovative product. Diversity is important and ensures teamwork effectiveness as the team members have different skills and knowledge that are necessary for the successful completion of tasks (Ortiz, 2016). The diversity among the members also helps the team build creativity that is crucial in efficiently achieving the goals.
The characteristics that can be found in the staffing team at IDEO projects include; honest and straightforward. The members are honest upon giving their views on their area of expertise. The other characteristics are being fair in sharing the load. The members should have a sense of equity and fairness to feel motivated. The members should be reliable in meeting deadlines and completing tasks on time. The members should embrace a positive attitude by enhancing a can-do attitude. Members should have good communication skills and be social with other members. Good communication skills are crucial in their group discussions as they help the members to work together and understand each other.
References
Klaic, A., Burtscher, M. J., & Jonas, K. (2020). Fostering team innovation and learning by means of team‐centric transformational leadership: The role of teamwork quality. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.
Wei, M. S. WIP: Cultural Diversity and Teamwork Effectiveness: A Systematized.
Ortiz, R. (2016). IDEO new product development and human-centered business solutions.