Qualab AbbasInnovation & Entrepreneurship ByAnn Mc Glynn

By

Innovation Report

Presented to the board of directors of Café kylemore

O’Connell street Dublin1

Ireland

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INNOVATION REPORT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

This report examines the management innovation in Café Kylemore. It highlights the different part of business and the potential areas where management need to be more innovative in their approach.

THE FINDINGS

I have done an innovation management analysis based on self assessment tool that is enclosed in this report.

Score of Café kylemore in five important areas of innovation management is following

STRATEGY 3.25

PROCESSES 2.75

ORGANIZATION 2.87

LINKAGES 2.5

LEARNINGS 3.6

Self Assessment Tool

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OBSERVATIONS

After completing the self assessment tool I found Café kylmore is below the average in innovation. There are some practical reasons to score below the average in the organization.

The layout of the restaurant, Menu, method of ordering food, Method of payment, Hot counter design and organizational structure has not been changed for number a of years that clearly shows the poor strategic planning process of the business and there is no vision in ever changing the business environment as we all know a bad plan is better than no plan.

Process column got only 2.75 score because all the employees including management are doing routine tasks for a number of years and they are so reluctant to any change in their job structure.

Café kylemore is not an innovative driven company because it has limited resources and just follows the instructions from the head office. Linkages got the least score in the table because there is no evidence of interaction between the organization, employees, suppliers and customers.

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RECOMENDATIONS

Café kylemore restaurants need to be a more innovative company because all the processes in the management hierarchy are very traditional and has not been updated for number of years.

In house experience for the customers need innovation for example touch screen system for ordering food, Layout of the tables should change to diagonal that will facilitate more space between the tables and give the better dining experience, Dim lighting system will help to create impressive look for the restaurant interior, Different methods of payment should be introduce in the restaurant because of dynamic environment we living in these days ,Different color uniform should introduce in different department it will help the customers to identify the service staff, These days the public is more aware about healthy foods so the menu should be updated to meet the customers expectations .All guests should be meet with a friendly greeter as they enter the premises.

Success of any business depends on its employees as they are the best assets for the organization. Café kylemore should provide more training and development programs to its employees that will help them to expand their knowledge, improve performance, Address their weaknesses, more satisfaction towards the job and most importantly will give them confidence to interact with the valuable customers.

Five years ago social media was a novelty but today every single business has realize the power of social media. Café kylemore should have a social media team their prime responsibility should include to interact with customer and create awareness about its brand, services, product line and special offers by creating a website, face book and twitter account.

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How Well Do We Manage Innovation?

This simple self-assessment tool focuses attention on some of the important areas of innovation management. Below you will find statements which describe ‘the way we do things around here’ – the pattern of behaviour which describes how the organization handles the question of innovation. For each statement simply put a score between 1 (= not true at all) to 7 (=very true). Statement Score 1=Not true at all to

7=Very true

1 People have a clear idea of how innovation can help us compete

3

2 We have processes in place to help us manage new product development effectively from idea to launch

1

3 Our organization structure does not stifle innovation but helps it to happen

5

4 There is a strong commitment to training and development of people

4

5 We have good ‘win-win’ relationships with our suppliers 4

6 Our innovation strategy is clearly communicated so everyone knows the targets for improvement

5

7 Our innovation projects are usually completed on time and within budget

4

8 People work well together across departmental boundaries

3

9 We take time to review our projects to improve our projects to improve our performance next time

6

10 We are good at understanding the needs of our customers/end-users

4

11 People know what our distinctive competence is – what gives us a competitive edge

5

12 We have effective mechanisms to make sure everyone (not just marketing) understands customer needs

2

13 People are involved in suggesting ideas for improvements to products or processes

1

14 We work well with universities and other research centres to help us develop our knowledge

1

15 We learn from our mistakes 3

16 We look ahead in a structured way (using forecasting tools and techniques) to try and imagine future threats and opportunities

1

17 We have effective mechanisms for managing process change from idea through to successful implementation

3

18 Our structure helps us to take decisions rapidly 219 We work closely with our customers in exploring and

developing new concepts 1

5

20 We systematically compare our products and processes with other firms

4

21 Our top team have a shared vision of how the company will develop through innovation

3

22 We systematically search for new product ideas 223 Communication is effective and works top-down, bottom-

up and across the organization 4

24 We collaborate with other firms to develop new products or processes

3

25 We meet and share experiences with other firms to help us learn

4

26 There is top management commitment and support for innovation

2

27 We have mechanisms in place to ensure early involvement of all departments in developing new products/processes

4

28 Our reward and recognition system supports innovation 1

29 We try to develop external networks of people who can help us – for example, with specialist knowledge

1

30 We are good at capturing what we have learned so that others in the organization can make use of it

3

31 We have processes in place to review new technological or market developments and what they mean for our firm’s strategy

4

32 We have a clear system for choosing innovation projects 3

33 We have a supportive climate for new ideas – people don’t have to leave the organization to make them happen

3

34 We work closely with the local and national education system to communicate our needs for skills

1

35 We are good at learning from other organizations 236 There is a clear link between the innovation projects we

carry out and the overall strategy of the business 3

37 There is sufficient flexibility in our system for product development to allow small ‘fast-track’ projects to happen

3

38 We work well in teams 439 We work closely with ‘lead users’ develop innovative new

products and services 3

40 We use measurements to help identify where and when we can improve our innovation management

5

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