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Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship
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Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship 1
Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Support or barriers to creativity, innovation and corporate entrepreneurship.................................2
Organisational barriers to creativity and innovation...................................................................2
Organisational support for creativity and innovation..................................................................6
Conclusions......................................................................................................................................9
Feasible recommendations...............................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................12

Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2
Introduction
The aim of the paper is to enlighten the reader about the theories and concepts of innovation
corporate entrepreneurship and creativity in the business environment of Webasto Company.
This paper is a subsequent report prepared of the assessment one which development plan for the
company to promote creativity and innovation was implemented. This part of the assessment
evaluate concept of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in the business environment of
Webasto. The paper also highlights several external as well as organizational barriers in
implementing the given plan in the organization. The support factors of creativity are also
highlighted in the paper. Creativity is an important of the business as it helps them to be
competitive and significantly grow. This aspect helps the organization to innovate the structure
and introduce new features in the business. With the changing conditions of the environment, it
has become important for the organization to use creativity and innovation in business for growth
(Linder, and Williander 2017). Webasto being an automotive product manufacturer organization
is a global innovative system partner that collaborates with almost all famous automotive
companies and provides their products and services accordingly. The employees of the
organization need to adopt innovation in their business process in order to grow. However, the
problems faced by the organization in implementation of the innovation-training plan are
mentioned below along with support features.
Support or barriers to creativity, innovation and corporate
entrepreneurship
Organisational barriers to creativity and innovation
 Resistance to change: employees fear to implement changes in their working pattern
every time when organization demands to change the business structure for growth. It has
already been evaluated that innovation, creativity and corporate entrepreneurship are
important factors for the businesses like Webasto because it helps them to be competitive
in the environment. Therefore, change is important for the success of the organization but
the employees resist to implement such changes in the business environment (Taneja,
Pryor, and Hayek 2016).

Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship 3
The employees of the company believe that the ways in which they are currently working
is appropriate and it also providing them profitability to grow then why there is needs to
change the business strategies. Thus, in this way resistance to change occurs from the end
of employees because it makes them change their current working style as well.
Resistance to change is the biggest barrier for any organization because it makes the
management and the employees stand on different opinions (Davey, Rossano, and van
der Sijde 2016). The company Webasto also faced this type of organization barrier while
implement creativity and innovation in the business. Employee’s resistance leads to
negativity in the organization that in turn makes the positive employees negative in the
environment. This type of barrier is difficult for the organization to coup up with.
Leadership plays the lead role in eliminate the problem of resistance to change in the
business environment. Innovation and creativity is not easy for every person to accept but
it can be adopted with significant practices in the workplace environment (Rizos, et. al.,
2016).
 Inadequate training or education: not every person knows how to perform innovative
and creative tasks in the business environment using adequate entrepreneurship skills.
Therefore, training and education is important for the success of this project. Few
employees present with the company hold the efficiency to adopt the innovation and
entrepreneurship practices but not all employees hold efficiency to make use of such
practices on their own. Resulting in which, it is important for the company Webasto to
introduce training program (Cunningham 2015). Inefficient training program distract the
employees from innovation and change program. Improper training increases the
resistance of employees because they do not get to understand the type of innovation that
the management wants to introduce in the business (Heyes, et. al., 2018).
Partial or limited education about the course also leads to ineffective implementation of
innovation and entrepreneurship in the business. Therefore, it should be noted that
training and education helps the employees understand the objective of innovation,
creativity and entrepreneurship in business and how Webasto wants to introduce it in the
business. Ineffective training program increases the confusion in the minds of employees
that increase the level of resistance in the environment. Employees need to know what
the business is expecting from them and what sort of innovation they want the employees

Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship 4
to adopt. If the management will not answer such questions of employees then they
would act as a barrier between the organization and innovative features (Hueske, and
Guenther 2015).
 Lack of brainstorming ideas: brainstorming refers to the process of group discussions
conducted to produce ideas and solve the organizational problems using innovative
solutions. Brainstorming is an important part of implementation of innovation, creativity
and entrepreneurship in the business environment. In order to implement these aspects, it
is important for the employees of Webasto to use brainstorming ideas in the business.
However, the employees are unable to suggest any brainstorming ideas because they are
consistently working to achieve standardization (Engle, et. al., 2017).
Resulting in which, even if the problem of resistance is resolved, the employees are
unable to suggest brainstorming ideas due to which the ultimate motive of the business is
unachieved. Middle and lower level employees is the people who are directly connected
with the products and services. Therefore, it is important for the employees to introduce
ideas to change the business process for the good. The top level management of Webasto
can solve resistance and training issue but they can introduce brainstorming ideas from an
employee’s perspective. Therefore, it an organizational barrier in achieving innovation,
entrepreneurship and creativity in the business environment (De Jesus, and Mendonça
2018).
 Overspecialization: the company is serving its products and services to the automotive
industry from a long period of time resulting in which they have become comfortable
with the activities that they perform. Due to which, the employees became specialized in
the field in which they are currently working. Overspecialization leads to rigidness in the
business function and the actions of the employees. Resulting in which, they fail to
implement innovation and entrepreneurship facilities in the workplace environment. The
employees of the company Webasto are using same practices for a long period of time
due to which they do not find it suitable to change business practices when the current
practices are already providing profit to the organization (Nassar, and Faloye 2015). With
an aim to implement innovation and creativity in the business, the management of
Webasto need to implement flexibility aspects in business function. Lack of flexibility
makes employees to pass on the possible opportunities coming to them in the business

Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship 5
environment and work only on the given market condition. Overspecialization leads to
the process of blocking the employees to make changes in the environment. It should be
noted that this process makes the employees so much comfortable in the Webasto
surroundings in the which they are which makes it difficult for them to see changes in the
environment because the work which they do has become so easy for them that they do
not put extra efforts in performing it (Ceptureanu, and Ceptureanu 2015).
 Efficient communication and interaction: it is important for the top level management
of the company to initiate effective communication with the middle and lower level of the
employees so to plan new strategies for Webasto to achieve success in the worldwide
environment. Lack of efficient communication and interaction between the employees of
the organization makes difficult to introduce creativity and innovation in the business
environment because it require regular communication and use of brainstorming ideas
(Zanello, et. al., 2016). Thus, it should be noted that efficient communication is one of
the barrier in the business environment that makes it difficult for the employees to use
this practice in the business environment. It should be also be noted that it seems that
there is proper communication in the business environment but when it comes to
implementation of changes in the business, the employees do not feel comfortable in the
environment nor they trust top level management in the given case. Therefore, it should
be noted that along with having appropriate communication in the business environment,
it is important for the management to construct environment that grows on trust and
bonding of the employees with each other. Also, it seems that leader in the organization
is unable to influence the employees due to which they are resisting towards changes in
the business even they are beneficial for the organizational success (Coulson-Thomas
2017).
 Fear of failure and negativism: lastly, it should be noted that the fear to fail by using
these new techniques makes it difficult for the adopt it. The fact should be noted that in
the beginning of any new process in the organization, the employees feel uncomfortable
with the change but soon after implementation of training and guiding, they start to feel
confident to implement such strategies in the business. It should be noted that the fear of
failure and negativity is the biggest factor that makes it difficult for the organization to
look at innovation in a positive way (Cahen, Lahiri, and Borini 2016). It should be noted

Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship 6
that negativity eats all the confidence of the employees and spreads like fire in the
organization. Therefore, it should be noted that fear of the employees and negativity
present beneath them stop them to implement such changes in the business environment
(Blažek, and Csank 2016).
Thus, these are the barriers faced by the organization Webasto in the business environment while
implementing such changes in the organization. It should be noted that apart from these crucial
barriers, there are several other minor barriers that would get resolved itself if the organization
focuses on implementing innovation in the workplace environment (Franchetti, and Page 2017).
Organisational support for creativity and innovation
 Adequacy of Resource: Webasto is a large scale organization working with automotive
industry, therefore, the company make use of several resources in the business
environment in order to carry out regular business functions. There is presence of
adequate resources with the employees so that they can innovate and create new things
for the organization. The top level management of the company support the use of
innovative tools to promote creativity in the business. This aspect supports the employees
as it provides them all the resources that they require. Supply of innovative resources
drive the employee to make use of hi-tech technology to perform functions in the
organization.
Resulting in which, innovation and creativity is subsequently supported by the
management and developed by the employees in the business environment (Renko, et. al.,
2015). For instance, before introduction of cloud based technology or SAP, the
employees used to record the data manually but introduction of technological resources
insisted the employees to use it for the betterment of themselves and the organization as
well. So, it can be said that the organization is adequately investing in providing
resources to the employees due to which they are attracted to implement innovation,
creativity and entrepreneurship using such practice (Karyotakis, and Moustakis 2016).
 Development of Positive Culture: culture is the most crucial part for the implementation
of change management process in any organization. If the culture in an organization is
negative then the employees face difficulty in adopting change management practices in
the workplace environment. Positive environment provides more scope of change and

Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship 7
growth in the business because the employees in such environment are motivate to
implement changes in the business environment for the growth of the company. The
culture of the organization support innovation and it is easy for the employer to convince
the employees towards change in positive workplace environment.
Like any other organization, with the introduction of change, the environment becomes
negative but the management aimed to smoothen the culture so that the employees could
easily welcome entrepreneurship and innovation in their business environment.
Therefore, the environment of Webasto was controlled by top level management of the
company due to which positivity was introduced from the upward The top level
management addressed every query of the employees with perfect solution that drove
positive workplace environment. It can be said that use of innovation, creativity and
entrepreneurship is not an achievement but it is a process that is slowly dissolved in the
original working pattern of the organization (Howaldt, et. al., 2016)..
 Freedom and Openness to Change: the business environment is free and open. On one
hand, this aspect provides barriers to the organizational process because the rigid mind-
set of employees let them create hindrance in the process of innovation and
entrepreneurship. However, at the same time freedom to take actions and openness in the
organizational culture let the employees think out of the box and take decisions
accordingly. It should be noted freedom policy of the organization involves open door
policy under which the employees can directly knock the doors of top management and
seek answers for their problems with them (Ehrenberger, Koudelkova, and Strielkowski
2015).
Freedom and openness builds trust of employees on the functions of the company. The
company Webasto provide enough support to the employees to take clerical actions on
their own and suggest new measure with the help of which they can improve the business
process. Freedom coupled with opportunities and resources helps the employees to focus
on new ways and techniques for the growth of business. These aspects are considered are
intangible and less crucial factors in implementing innovation in business but they
successfully act as a resource for the organization that Webasto adequately understands.
Thus, it can be said that openness and freedom acts as a support to creativity, innovation
and entrepreneurship in the business process of Webasto (Dubravska, et. al., 2015).

Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship 8
 Idea Support and Brainstorming: in order to implement innovation and
entrepreneurship in the business environment, it is important for the organization to
complete introduce the process in the business environment. As some organization
believe that they want to innovate and use entrepreneurship but they do not welcome new
options and opportunities in the business environment, then they cannot succeed in the
international environment. While considering the case of Webasto company, it should be
noted that the organization effectively focuses on creating a culture of innovation and
brainstorming in the organization. The company has initiated an addition in the decision
making framework of the company that is to introduce and welcome brainstorming ideas
as the employees are welcomed to learn and give suggestions to the team and the team
would surely consider it while making any crucial decision (Sekliuckiene, and Kisielius
2015).
The company has initiated changes in the mentoring strategy of the organization due to
which the culture of the organization has subsequently started to change. The leadership
style and working patterns are changing the business due to which employees are
becoming more confident above the change in the business. Thus, it can be said that idea
generation and brainstorming feature in the organization provides the opportunity to the
employees to focus on new aspects and initiate entrepreneurial activities for the
organization (Sarooghi, Libaers, and Burkemper 2015).
 Mentoring and Training: mentoring and training are two most important factors that are
required while introducing innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in the business.
The organization is aiming to train as many people as they can in the workplace
environment. Although, the training process is considered as a barrier in implementation
of innovation in the business environment but it is expected to influence 3 out of 7 people
and then gradually attract more as well. every employee has a mentor in the organization
whom they like and follow (Lukes, and Stephan 2017). Thus, taking guidelines from such
mentor in order to implement innovation and entrepreneurship collectively act as a
positive factor for the organization. Thus, it should be noted that although the training
sessions are already influencing and training several employees in the organization but
there is scope of the company to increase the benefits of such trainings (Lumpkin, and
Dess 2015).

Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship 9
Conclusions
Thus, concluding the above mentioned facts, it should be noted that the paper highlighted
information about the importance of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in the
environment of Webasto. As the organization focusing to implement such factors in the business
environment, they are facing several barriers in implementation of such activities. Barriers like
resistance to change, ineffective training are some of the factors that affect the implementation of
creativity and innovation in the organization. It is concluded that along with the above mentioned
barriers, the company Webasto provides several supports to the implementation of these aspects
in the business. The culture and resources offered by the organization attract the employees to
effectively introduce change management process in the workplace environment so that they can
effectively make the employees learn entrepreneurship and use it in the organization. Thus, it
should be noted that the company has all the resources that they should use to change the
workplace environment. The company needs to change the leadership strategies in the business
and provide better resources to the employees to integrate brainstorming ideas into actions in
Webasto international environment. Thus, with the help of below mentioned recommendation,
the company would be able to achieve success by eliminating barriers.
Feasible recommendations
 Implement Transformational Leadership: transformational leadership refers to the
leadership capability that motivates the organization to implement changes in the
business. It can be seen that change is the only constant factor that let the organization to
grow in the diverse environment. The above mentioned analysis explained that the
organization faced barrier in implementing effectively leadership strategy in the business
environment. Use of this type of strategy would highly motivate the employees to
implement changes in the business environment and learn new things as well. The
transformational leadership process motivate change management strategy in the business
environment. This of leadership would let the leader to form a mutual bond with the
employees in Webasto and then understand their issues accordingly. The leader should
make use of this type of process so as to eliminate the resistance to change in the
organization and let the employees accept innovation and change with their arms wide
open. This type of leadership process also assists the change management process in the

Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship 10
business environment. Thus, the organization should transformational leadership style so
as to be competitive and shape the future of the company in a way that they want in the
business environment.
 Implement Change Management Strategies: whenever any organization implement
change in the business environment, it is important for them initiate effective change
management strategies in the business environment for the success and growth of the
organization. Without implementation of successful change management strategies in the
organization, the business fails to adopt in the business. The company Webasto should
make use of Lewin’s change management model in order to initiate changes in the
business. The company should firstly unfreeze the workplace environment, then change
and then again refreeze the environment. By unfreezing the environment, the
management should give opportunity to the employees to make changes in the business.
After introducing changes in the business, the company should then focusing on changing
the organizational context in order to mold the business functions according to the
changes. All the changes should be happened at this phase only, the employees should
learn, adopt changes and make mistakes during this time in the business environment.
Once the entrepreneurship is successfully adopted by employees, then the company
should again freeze the environment so that profitability is attain from such activity. This
type of change management would let the employees use changes while eliminating
resistance from their mind-set.
 Motivation: lastly, it is recommended to the organization Webasto that they should
continuously focus on providing motivation to the employees. Motivation is the key
feature that keeps the environment positive and the employees happy. The company
should make use of both monetary and non-monetary incentives in the organization so as
to highly motivate the employees in the workplace environment. Motivation would lead
to increase in satisfaction of the employees in the business environment. High degree of
motivation of the employees in the business environment resolves the problem of
resistance to change in the workplace environment because the people start to trust on the
activities of the company in a better way. Thus, it is recommended that high degree of
motivation should be provided to the employees by all ways in the company Webasto.

Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship 11
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