BIZ301 - Analyzing Apple's Organizational Innovation Strategies

This case study examines Apple's approach to organizational innovation, focusing on its platform strategy, iterative customer involvement, and emphasis on product design. It explores how Apple confronts competition and identifies customer needs, highlighting the role of its employees and work culture in driving innovation. The report also discusses Steve Jobs' views on innovation and how his leadership shaped Apple's success. The analysis emphasizes Apple's commitment to quality, design thinking, and continuous adaptation to maintain its position as a leading technology company. Desklib provides access to similar case studies and resources for students.

Running Head: ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATION 0
Organizational Innovation
Organizational Creativity and Innovation
(Student Details:)
10/6/2018

Organizational Innovation 1
Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
‘Innovation and Strategy’ Implementation at Apple..................................................................2
Platform strategy....................................................................................................................2
Iterative Customer Involvement.............................................................................................2
Beautiful Products..................................................................................................................3
Innovation approach of Apple to confront competition.............................................................3
Innovation approach of Apple to identify customer’s needs.....................................................4
Role of Apple’s people in bringing innovative products by the company.................................4
Work Culture at Apple Company and its effects on employees................................................4
Steve Job’s views about innovation...........................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6

Organizational Innovation 2
Introduction
Innovation and creativity are getting more importance day by day within all
organisations for gaining excellence and growth aiming to survive in the competitive business
globe. Each and every organization uses numerous techniques and innovative methods to
confirm competitive advantage in their business market as well as their consumer’s needs
(Umoh, 2017). This report will explore methods and approaches adopted by a leading
organization and also to critique a global brand name. Thus, focus of this report is to
recognize the success of Apple as well as attributes of places, people, approaches and
products which have evolved Apple as the most respected company in the world regarding its
marketplace capitalisation. At Apple, innovation, execution and product growth have been
intensely interweaved with the company’s history and co-founder Steve jobs’ essential
influence over it (Safian, 2018).
‘Innovation and Strategy’ Implementation at Apple
Platform strategy
Apple was always having focus on its strategy and operations which is a clear
approach behind turning into presentation magic and high opportunities among followers. But
Apple’s approach to implement innovation has been multifaceted than just planning and
designing and evaluating exciting products. Apple has a strong platform strategy that gives
huge benefits to a firm, its suppliers, and most importantly its consumers. For companies like
Apple, who place a premium on resources, design, and time devoted to the original product is
leveraged through derived products; as they can be established more swiftly as they form on
and utilize surviving design basics available in the platform. Thus, this strategy gives much
steady and trustworthy design products those require less reparation, service and
maintenance, in general as well as specifically for first-time consumers (Thomke & Feinberg,
2012).
Iterative Customer Involvement
Apple maintained integrating consumer’s experience into all of its product design and
development procedures. This strategy of Apple depicts that each and every innovative
design must be driven first by user requirements and desires, which exactly was reinforced by
Cordell Ratzlaff, the developer of Apple’s operating system OS X (Thomke & Feinberg,

Organizational Innovation 3
2012). Thinking behind the said strategy is that an innovation must really be suitable for the
users. For an example, people use a computer because they want to generate some required
results. Additionally, the computer is a tool for helping it’s users for what they want to do
with it. Therefore, company need to know exactly who those publics are as well as what they
are demanding to accomplish.
Beautiful Products
Apple’s driving strength behind colours as well as new materials suggests that design
is carrying huge importance as a drive for sustained innovation, quite than having a static
methodology with single conclusion. It also proposes that a passion and close thoughtfulness
towards innovative materials and innovative engineering processes offer new market
prospects for its product innovation (Thomke & Feinberg, 2012).
Innovation approach of Apple to confront competition
The challenge for Apple during its struggling period was that whether to permit the
Mac operating system and initiate to participate in the “emulating space,” as well as creating
the importance in business market. Market was having almost zero permeation for Apple. As
the Apple was having about fifty per cent of the education market and ruled artistic
enterprises, such as in advertising, graphics, movies, music, and animation (Jun & Sung Park,
2013). Moreover, the whole business market was entirely a mixture of the Intel processors
and Windows operating system, known as Wintel. Hence, products at Apple flourished in
value of various strategies and failings. Where, the PowerBook (1990) laptop, were huge
success, yet creating TVs set-top boxes, was a flop idea (Gambino, 2011). Moreover, Apple’s
personal digital assistant (referred as PDA) became unsuccessful for the hand-writing
analysis error. These above mentioned innovation and failures are showing that innovation
doesn’t mean always success but it is a sequence of unconditional attempts in the direction of
bringing positive change in the market. Apple Company has not achieved success in just 2 or
3 innovative strategically attempts but it is implementing innovative strategies continuously
since more than forty years. Apple implemented three assessments at the launch of a product
notion:
 A marketing, advertising and promotion requisite document
 A production requirement document
 An user-experience document containing feedbacks (Thomke & Feinberg, 2012)

Organizational Innovation 4
When these all are approved, then only the design system of the company would
develop a budget, as well as a team leader. The assigned team would effort on escalating the
documents, introducing plans for the marketing and manufacturing engineering, and user-
experience wants in figures, ads cycle, and the pricing particulars (Pontiskoski & Asakawa,
2009).
Innovation approach of Apple to identify customer’s needs
Apple’s innovation approach regarding identifying Customer-experience can be
explained as below. By getting customer’s right experience about whether he is satisfied post
purchasing the product or not customer’s needs can be identified. There can be three more
feedbacks in this context from the consumer’s end, such as completely dissatisfied, need not
fulfilled and need well fulfilled. After getting correct feedback regarding his or her
experience, appropriate solution can be created and delivered to address the problems.
Role of Apple’s people in bringing innovative products by the
company
Apple’s people are the base behind Apple’s products has been so constantly
outstanding and whenever you walk into any Apple retail store across the world will have an
actual identical experience (Panmore Institute, 2018). As they have been capable to recognize
basic requirements those are expected by the customers and hence innovated those areas
which are lagging in fulfilling needs of the customers. Finally, because of rightly
understanding the needs of consumers, Apple’s people created excited features which keep
their company in a unique group. They do so through a blend of distinguished abilities, like
innovative industrial design and user-interface design thinking.
Work Culture at Apple Company and its effects on employees
From planning, designing, sales, marketing associates to top level executives or
officers, Apple is unified by a common corporate culture. Moreover, that culture ensures that
Apple’s customers must enjoy the valued experience that they are expecting while they
interact with the Apple Company. The experience may be related to buying and using iPhone,
go to see an Apple store, or communicating with Apple technical support cell (Fast Comany,
2011). Apple is legendarily secretive and innovative; hence employees are also expected to
give the perfect work through their lives. Apple’s people are very effective and good at

Organizational Innovation 5
protecting secrets. Thus, work culture at Apple company teach their employees about how to
keep a secret from everyone and how to think differently, and it improves their lifestyle as
well as professional life in every aspects.
Steve Job’s views about innovation
Mr Jobs is undoubtedly one of the greatest iconic innovators of our lifetime. The
credit of success of the Apple Company goes to Steve Jobs as he has brought innovation
through mixing business knowledge and product design sensibility, by making his own
unique technology (Amit & Zott, 2012). Apple’s technological innovation in its products is
really cool and seen very appealing with so many new different products timely released.
Steve Job’s opinion for the company’s production area was that our devices will not be the
cheapest but they will be technically the best in the world. His philosophy declared that when
Apple is achieving the upper extreme limits of the quality and reliability of its products then
the Company cannot achieve other extreme limit of lowest price (Wall, 2011). Job’s
technology and innovation inspired eyes raised the company to the top in terms of
desirability, among global people. With the contribution of Steve Jobs Apple has developed
the premier technology company across the world through constantly sticking with the aim of
making things attractive to customers as well as very easy to use (Fast Comany, 2011).
Conclusion
Apple is the most innovative company of the globe. Because of the blend of
innovation and it unique strategies Apple’s computers succeeded to keep a significant amount
of their design integrity, and fanatical that is fan base during the riotous period. When Jobs
port the firm, and when he reverted back to become its chief executive officer again, Apple
survived because of its constant learning, adaptation, wisdom, business experimentation, and
innovation oriented design thinking throughout whole period and so after that period. These
user-centric attributes and strategies of the company, implemented design thinking time-to-
time in order to serve its users according to their modified demands according to the
advanced technological world. Thus, innovation and strategy worked together at Apple in the
guidance of Steve Jobs, which are still maintained.

Organizational Innovation 6

Organizational Innovation 7
References
Amit, R., & Zott, C. (2012). Creating value through business model innovation. MIT Sloan
Management Review, 53(3), 41-49.
Fast Comany. (2011, 02 11). Steve Jobs, Apple, and the importance of company culture.
Retrieved from Fast Comany: https://www.fastcompany.com/1792485/steve-jobs-
apple-and-importance-company-culture
Gambino, M. (2011, 10 06). The Many Contributions of Steve Jobs (1955-2011). Retrieved
from Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-
many-contributions-of-steve-jobs-1955-2011-99643361/
Jun, S., & Sung Park, S. (2013). Examining technological innovation of Apple using patent
analysis. Industrial Managment & Data Systems, 113(6), 890-907.
Panmore Institute. (2018, 09 11). Apple Inc.’s Organizational Culture & Its Characteristics
(An Analysis). Retrieved from Panmore Institute: http://panmore.com/apple-inc-
organizational-culture-features-implications
Pontiskoski, E., & Asakawa, K. (2009). Overcoming barriers to open innovation at Apple,
Nintendo and Nokia. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 53,
372-377.
Safian, R. (2018, 02 21). Why Apple is the World's most innovative Comany. Retrieved from
Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com/40525409/why-apple-is-the-worlds-
most-innovative-company
Thomke, S., & Feinberg, B. (2012). Design thinking and innovation at Apple. Cambridge:
Prseident and Fellows of Harvard College.
Umoh, R. (2017, 09 13). How Apple's success can be traced to Steve Jobs. Retrieved from
CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/13/how-apples-success-can-be-traced-to-
steve-jobs.html
Wall, M. (2011, 10 07). Steve Jobs' greatest technology contributions. Retrieved from NBC
News: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/44817208/ns/technology_and_science-
tech_and_gadgets/t/steve-jobs-greatest-technology-contributions/#.W7hldmgzbIU

Organizational Innovation 8