Innovation and Strategy at Apple

This article discusses how Apple integrates innovation and strategy to launch groundbreaking products like iTunes, iPad, iPhone, and iPod. It explores the role of leadership, culture, and customer focus in driving innovation at Apple. The article also highlights the impact of Steve Jobs on the company and his views on process and innovation.

INNOVATION AND ENTERPRISE

Answer-1
How does innovation and strategy work together at Apple
Innovation and strategy involves launching of new products and pace up the use of
innovation business models. The company makes game-changing innovations include iTunes,
iPad, iPhone, and iPod. The company avails diversified products with the help of fabulous
software embedded in hardware and beautiful packaging ideas. For example- Michael Lopp
who is a senior engineering manager engages in new business places and makes innovative
marketplaces niches. Apple`s innovative leader always think of new stages and pipelines that
persistently pace up the innovation. Competitors often pursuit Apple`s announcement but it is
committed to culture rather than process-driven. Steve Job has built effective strategy in order
to bind creativity in people, generate new ideas, restructuring the design process, launch
successful and profitable innovations. The strategy is to be always first in the market
(Chuang, & Lin, 2017). Being a first mover and pace fast that can open a range of
opportunities. Steve believes that if you are first than you have the competitive edge. Further,
introduce both incremental as well as breakthrough that values innovation. Customer services
and differentiator drive the strategy to become competitive. The company creates an
innovative culture among top-level management. The organisational culture of innovative
intellectual pace up the innovation procedure. Most importantly, Steve’s leadership has
empowered the organisation. Apple has invested in several resources to be innovative
because innovation needs much funding and lack of funding can hinder creativity (Gassmann,
Frankenberger, & Csik, 2016).
Answer-2
Identify the innovation approach Apple has successfully used to identify customers’ needs,
and how did it help them to continue to stay ahead of the competition?

The company has used the approach of marketing magic with the help of platform strategy.
As innovation strategy is complex and designing, exciting products where it offers
streamlined portfolio strategy. Excessive usage of Apple`s within the product`s families
where it uses platform strategy. OSX operating scheme that used in Apple`s computers and
iPhone. Organisations who follow platform strategy foresees the whole generation of
products in the previous stages of product planning. Complied with one notch of specificity,
the company uses original product as stage with the architecture, which will provide
accommodation the production and development of unoriginal products. This platform
strategy proposes several benefits to the suppliers, customers and the company. For instance-
Apple keep a premium for resources, platform for designs and time investment that is
advantageous across derivative products (Dobni, Klassen, & Nelson, 2015).
A platform strategy is a way, which revolve around the method of permitting platform to
benefit the participants. The company tempts to lot of cash through PPC advertisements
through Facebook and Google. The company uses two complete different strategy such as
product placement and buzz created through positive reviews in media (especially through
celebrities in TV shows) (Kodama, 2018). The aim is to Apple is to design the computer
which will support and foster individual work. They reasoned the potential for the customers,
which would make them fall in love with computer system by mastering machine`s apparent
complexity and help themselves. The company`s products target people with appealing.
Apple has been addressing the users and believes which product is proposed to be useful to
the people. Competitiveness also includes the wrapping of Apple products that realises the
design sensibility where simplicity is sophistication.
Answer-3
What role did Apple’s people have, in the company constantly coming up with innovative
products, and how did the culture at Apple encourage/discourage them?

Human resources is an important part of the organisation. The HR help the employees to love
their apparatus and the knowledge of using the animation, which continues to inspire Apple
product. The company often has its design target and work with engineers to reach to the
goal. Employees are persuaded to take those things, which were impossible before and finally
creativity and ingenuity is applied on the designs where it enforces the engineers to work on
the same creativity. Apple is one of the most transformative company who is constantly
moving forward as the company uses USP (unique value proposition). Employees will have
to be adapting to the changes but the employers in China, which do not have innovation
factor but they manufacture the battery of the iPhone mobile. Whereas, the company will
have to use tools of training to adapt the changes because top-level management do not leak
full innovation strategy before the employees until there is need to fully implement (Nylén, &
Holmström, 2015). Innovation leaders in Apple does not believe in bureaucracy and strictly
believes in stability in innovation creation but still it is example of command control structure
especially when Steve as a general. He is a corporate dictator who often makes critical
decision. One of the strength and ability of employees of the organisation is the
entrepreneurial trait where the Steve only talks of power of picking the things, which are
innovative.
The company has 130000 employees ranging from 18 to 85 years where 29% of the leaders
are women and 39% of the leaders are under 30. Organisational culture and structure of
Apple can often constraint innovative thinking especially when technology is provided. HR
strategy brings out to inculcate incredibility production. Although, Apple encourages
employee facilities but rather than promising balanced work life, the company focuses on
hard work for its employees. The company does not support career path. The company tries
to inculcate huge talent in its workforce. Employees are kept in dark as they only have few
details such as pipeline of company`s product. Therefore, it is used only to ensure secrecy for

its product strategy among the customers. Rather than getting advices from the employees,
company helps and supports to enhance technical skills and a collaborative leadership. Due to
intense competition, company gets serious about the market share (Pisano, 2015).
Answer-4
What impact did Steve Jobs have on Apple and what did he bring, personally, to the
organisation? What was Steve Jobs view of process and innovation?
Apple and Steve jobs seem as interchangeable terms where any discussion in the company
segues Steve and influence. The personal traits of Steve have permanent imprint on the
organisation. In earlier times, Steve`s “design sense” was refined or confident. The sensibility
dominating the organisation, reinforce like-minded persons were hired and projected the
work changed, who have no formal exercise with formal design wearing as he also never had
engineering and business education. It is important to highlight that people who have both
formal business training and huge engineering experience are often impressed from both
talent and ability of Steve. Although, his characteristics are often dictatorial that reflects
demand and distinct mission and vision of the company. His vision was to demand across
board excellence especially in aesthetics. Job`s ideology is establishes design perfection
whereas in other areas, greater performance is the outcome. Goods are launched on time with
great quality. Other object types and examples are not before shown in public. The main
reason of Apple`s extraordinary success is due to its growth strategy with the use of
innovation. Job founded hundreds of developers who wanted to make money eagerly. Many
times, Job looked after Google to know how the operating system of Android is operated.
Innovation, execution, and product development was deeply intertwined with the
organisation`s history and pivotal impact on it. For example- Mac never intended to only rely
on computer devices as it exemplified how people work with a computing device. As
powerful is the team, the vision where Apple`s innovation is managed to recall a considerable

amount of integrating the designs and make a fanatical fan base. The organisation was
advanced from scratch and featuring the patented operating system along with the exclusive
hardware (Umoh, 2017).
References
Chuang, S. H., & Lin, H. N. (2017). Performance implications of information-value offering
in e-service systems: Examining the resource-based perspective and innovation
strategy. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 26(1), 22-38.
Dobni, C. B., Klassen, M., & Nelson, W. T. (2015). Innovation strategy in the US: top
executives offer their views. Journal of Business Strategy, 36(1), 3-13.
Gassmann, O., Frankenberger, K., & Csik, M. (2016). Innovation Strategy: From new
Products to Business Model Innovation. In Business Innovation: Das St. Galler
Modell (pp. 81-104). Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden.
Kodama, M. (2018). Apple versus Sony: strategy transformation by capabilities congruence
through asset orchestration: Driving Congruence in Capabilities. In Sustainable
Growth Through Strategic Innovation. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Nylén, D., & Holmström, J. (2015). Digital innovation strategy: A framework for diagnosing
and improving digital product and service innovation. Business Horizons, 58(1), 57-
67.
Pisano, G. P. (2015). You need an innovation strategy. Harvard Business Review, 93(6), 44-
54.

Umoh, R. (2017). How Apple’s success can be traced to Steve Jobs. Retrieved from:
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/13/how-apples-success-can-be-traced-to-steve-
jobs.html