A Report on Innovation Analysis of British Airways Operations

This report provides an in-depth analysis of British Airways' innovation-based performance, examining its historical innovation activities, present capabilities, and future strategies. It highlights the company's journey from its establishment in 1974, its early adoption of technologies like remote-controlled aircraft pushback devices, and its continuous investment in innovation to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency. The report also discusses the launch of the 'Ungrounded' innovation lab, the integration of Microsoft Office 365 for improved collaboration, and the use of iPads to streamline operations and enhance customer service. Furthermore, it touches upon the airline's commitment to biometric boarding and its focus on leveraging data to improve customer services in an increasingly competitive aviation industry. The analysis concludes that British Airways has successfully utilized innovation to achieve a profitable position, emphasizing the importance of continued investment in technology and customer-centric strategies for future growth.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF INNOVATION IN BRITISH AIRWAYS
ANALYSIS OF INNOVATION IN BRITISH AIRWAYS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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ANALYSIS OF INNOVATION IN BRITISH AIRWAYS
Executive Summary
The report is based on the analysis of innovation based performance of an organization and
the ways by which it is supposed to behave in the future. The company which has been taken
into consideration for this analysis is British Airways. The ways by which British Airways
has performed in the competitive environment has been discussed in the report. The different
steps that have taken by the organization in order to increase its innovation based
performance are a major part of the analysis. The report has been concluded by stating that
the company has been able to achieve a profitable position in the industry with the help of its
innovative activities and the processes.

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Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................3
Organization and industry overview..............................................................................3
Innovation history of British Airways........................................................................3
Existing innovation performance and capabilities of British Airways......................5
About the airlines in the year 2018............................................................................7
Conclusion......................................................................................................................8
References......................................................................................................................9
Appendices...................................................................................................................11
Appendix 1...............................................................................................................11
Appendix 2...............................................................................................................12

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Introduction
The report will be based on the analysis of innovation based activities that have been
conducted by an organization in the industry. The innovation history of the organization will
be analysed in the report based on data that is available based on research. The present
performance of the organization based on innovation and the its future requirements will be
examined in the report. The innovation analysis or audit will be based on the macro or
external environment and the supply chain activities of the company as well. The
organization that has been taken into consideration for this analysis is British Airways
(Amabile and Pratt 2016).
Organization and industry overview
Innovation history of British Airways
British Airways has acquired the position of a flag bearer and the biggest airlines
organization in United Kingdom with respect to the fleet size. The airlines organization is
based in the Waterside near the main hub in London. The organization had merged its
operations with Iberia which has further helped to create the International Airlines Group or
IAG. IAG has been able to acquire the third-largest position in terms of total revenue and is
the second largest in Europe as well (Britishairways.com. 2018). British Airways was
established in the year 1974 after the establishment of British Airways Board which was
responsible for managing the two major nationalised organizations which are British
Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways (Ali Taha, Sirkova and
Ferencova 2016). The fleet size of British Airways has proved to be a major competitive
advantage for the company for its successful operations in the industry. The alliances which
have been made by the organization in the industry have also played an important part in its
growth in the airlines industry (Amabile and Pratt 2016).

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British Airways has been operating in the aviation industry in an innovative manner
since its inception. The organization has become the first airlines company in the world
which has been able to introduce the remote controlled devices which were used to push back
the aircraft across a short-haul operation. The organization has been able to modernise its
operations in order to maintain and also improve the levels of punctuality of the customers in
the process. The organization has thereby made effective partnerships with Heathrow airport
in order to develop operations that are eco-friendly in nature. The high technology and
innovative types of devices are thereby deployed by British Airways across all the aircraft
stands (Anderson, Potočnik and Zhou 2014).
The company has always aimed at increasing its investment on the wider levels of
technology in order to enhance the experience that is being provided to them. The device
named Mototok has been designed and implemented by the British Airways in order to stay
at the top of the airlines industry. The company has been able to create an important position
in the industry with the help of its successful investments which were made on innovation
based activities. The innovation based investments of the organization have been an
important part of the entire operations and the position that has been held in the market
(Birken et al. 2015).
The airlines organization has also been able to make effective partnerships with the
others in order to operate in a profitable manner. The management of British Airways has
always aimed at making high investments in the ways by which innovation can be
implemented within different processes. The implementation of innovative technologies has
been able to increase the profitability and revenues of the organization in an effective
manner. The speed of operations has been increased with the help of innovative technologies
that have been used by British Airways in its processes. The innovation based on aircraft
technologies will thereby play an important role in different aspects that are related to air

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travel (De Vries, Bekkers and Tummers 2016). Improvements in the designs that are
implemented by the airlines organizations are able to create an effective environment for the
customers.
Existing innovation performance and capabilities of British Airways
In the year 2017 the Regional Commercial Manager of British Airways, Kola
Olayinka had announced the launch of Boeing 787 which was the first Dreamliner that was
made from carbon-fibre plastic and not aluminium. The pressurisation based issues that are
faced by the customers while they travel has been reduced with the help of these cabins.
Another major issue that can be solved by the usage of modern airlines is the noise. The
airliners which were made with the help of different materials have proved to be less noisy as
compared to the others. The changes that are caused in the taste of food also has been an
important issue in air travel which has also been reduced with the help of these new cabins
(George and Lin 2017).
British Airways had also launched its innovation lab which was ungrounded in nature.
The Ungrounded innovation lab was thereby established with the aim of developing
successful relationships with the technology community which existed on West Coast of
United States. The presence which has been created by the British Airways all over the world
is quite high and the history of innovation of the company has played an important part in its
success. The growth of technology sector has thereby been able to provide huge opportunities
to British Airways. The Ungrounded Lab has also proved to be a breakthrough innovation
which also requires a combination which includes, ambition, partnership and collaboration
(Helfat and Martin 2015).
Innovation has also been used by British Airways in order to foster collaboration and
teamwork in among the employees. The use of Microsoft Office 365 has been pioneered by

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British Airways in order to create a team within the organization. The company has used
Office 365 for the purpose of increasing collaboration levels among the employees. The
facility named Yammer was introduced by British Airways in order to facilitate the
spontaneous levels of communication among the employees and the management. The
innovative ideas that can help the organization in an effective manner have also been fostered
with the help of implementation of Yammer. The levels of communication and collaboration
can be achieved by the organization faster as compared to the situation which was there
before the implementation. The company was then able to collect the feedback of employees
in an efficient way (Jarle Gressgård et al. 2014).
Speed has been an important factor which is able to affect the operations of
organizations in the airlines industry. The implementation of Office 365 has thereby able
been able to increase the speed. Another major innovation activity that has been implemented
by British Airways is based on the ways by which the air travel had been connected with
iPads. The connection of air travel with the iPads was mainly done so that the company is
able to minimise the rates of delay. The services that are required to be provided to the
customers also need to be fast enough so that the company is able to create its position in the
industry (Kuratko 2015).
The communication levels that have been created within the staffs have also been an
important part of the implementation of iPads. The tasks which were required to be done by
the employees on a manual basis are now completed with the help of the iPad connectivity.
The speed of operations within the organization and the services that are provided to the
customers has also increased in an effective manner. The cabin crew is also able to maintain
the passengers easily with the help of the app that is present on the iPad. The seat maps are
also provided in this case so that the empty seats can be filled by the staff without increasing

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their efforts. The details that are related to customers are provided by the apps that have been
installed in iPads that are provided to the staff (Llopis et al. 2014).
The employees are also able to act in a proactive manner so that rates of delay can be
increased in an effective manner. The issues that can be faced by customers with respect to
cancellation of the flights have been solved by the innovative apps that are installed in the
iPad. The fast-paced turnaround that has taken place in the organizational processes have
been able to provide an opportunity of growth to British Airways. The speed with which
flights are cleaned by the staff has been increased with the help of the automation of different
activities that are performed in the organization. The time based on which the cabin crew is
able to get the surroundings ready is decreased with the help of the apps in the iPad (Mendes
et al. 2016).
The apps which are used by the staff in this case are custom-built in nature and are
used for the specific purposes. The reputation based on innovation that has been used by
British Airways has been an important factor behind the creation of a profitable position. A
special innovation based unit has been developed by the company which is responsible for
the implementation of different modern technologies in its operations. A major technology
that was used by British Airways for the first time in the airlines industry is the self-service
biometric boarding. The commitment that has been made by the company in making
innovation based investments has further led to the implementation of new and innovative
technologies (Palacios-Marqués, Merigó and Soto-Acosta 2015).
About the airlines in the year 2018
The growth that has been shown by the airlines industry in the past few years has
played an important part in deciding the future operations. The total number of passengers
who have travelled has increased in the recent years. The security and safety that is provided

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to the customers on air is also an important part of the successful operations. The airports,
airlines and governments have also started investing high amounts in different innovative
ways in order to increase the speed of operations. The advancements which have been seen in
the technologies have been able to affect the aviation industry (Randhawa et al. 2017).
Airlines organizations are thereby concentrating on the ways by which data of the
customers can be gathered and maintained so that they can be provided with the best of
services with respect to their needs. The organizations need to improve the services that are
provided by them in order to stay competitive in the industry. The implementation of chatbots
will play an important part in success of the airline organizations. The costs that are incurred
by organizations in this industry with respect to the call centres that need to be maintained in
order to solve the issues of customers. Technology based factors have been able to penetrate
in every part of the airlines industry (Sung and Choi 2014).
Customers have been able to form the most important part of operations of the airlines
organizations. The tech-savvy customers need to be managed and maintained by the staff in
the airlines industry. The airlines organizations also face huge challenges based on the lack of
financial resources and bankruptcy. This can also create an unfavourable situation for the
airlines organizations and their operations. The industry has however been able to show high
levels of growth and has attracted customers from all over the world (Vogel and Fischler-
Strasak 2014). The future of the industry which can be analysed in this case is quite bright.
The industry will also become much more advanced in technologies and the organizations
will be able to rebrand themselves in an effective manner. The organizations thereby use
artificial intelligence and big data in order to increase the customer base and also to provide
appropriate services to them in an effective manner (Sung and Choi 2014).

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Conclusion
The report can be concluded by stating that the organizations which operate in the
airlines industry need to innovate their operations in order to remain profitable. British
Airways has been able to implement these activities in order to remain profitable in the
industry. The company has also been able to attract more customers in this manner. The
levels of services have thereby been developed with the help of innovative technologies
which are implemented in all departments.

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References
Ali Taha, V., Sirkova, M. and Ferencova, M., 2016. The impact of organizational culture on
creativity and innovation. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 14.
Amabile, T.M. and Pratt, M.G., 2016. The dynamic componential model of creativity and
innovation in organizations: Making progress, making meaning. Research in Organizational
Behavior, 36, pp.157-183.
Anderson, N., Potočnik, K. and Zhou, J., 2014. Innovation and creativity in organizations: A
state-of-the-science review, prospective commentary, and guiding framework. Journal of
management, 40(5), pp.1297-1333.
Birken, S.A., Lee, S.Y.D., Weiner, B.J., Chin, M.H., Chiu, M. and Schaefer, C.T., 2015.
From strategy to action: How top managers’ support increases middle managers’
commitment to innovation implementation in healthcare organizations. Health care
management review, 40(2), p.159.
Britishairways.com. 2018. Book Flights, Holidays & Check In Online | British Airways.
[online] Available at: https://www.britishairways.com/en-us/home#/ [Accessed 4 Aug. 2018].
De Vries, H., Bekkers, V. and Tummers, L., 2016. Innovation in the public sector: A
systematic review and future research agenda. Public administration, 94(1), pp.146-166.
George, G. and Lin, Y., 2017. Analytics, innovation, and organizational
adaptation. Innovation, 19(1), pp.16-22.
Helfat, C.E. and Martin, J.A., 2015. Dynamic Managerial Capabilities: A Perspective on the
Relationship Between Managers, Creativity, and Innovation in. The Oxford handbook of
creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, p.421.

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Jarle Gressgård, L., Amundsen, O., Merethe Aasen, T. and Hansen, K., 2014. Use of
information and communication technology to support employee-driven innovation in
organizations: a knowledge management perspective. Journal of Knowledge
Management, 18(4), pp.633-650.
Kuratko, D.F., 2015. Corporate entrepreneurship: Accelerating creativity and innovation in
organizations. The Oxford Handbook of Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship,
pp.477-488.
Llopis, O., García-Granero, A., Fernández-Mesa, A. and Alegre, J., 2014. Managing risk-
taking to enhance innovation in organizations. In Management Innovation (pp. 75-90).
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Mendes, M., Gomes, C., Marques-Quinteiro, P., Lind, P. and Curral, L., 2016. Promoting
learning and innovation in organizations through complexity leadership theory. Team
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Palacios-Marqués, D., Merigó, J.M. and Soto-Acosta, P., 2015. Online social networks as an
enabler of innovation in organizations. Management Decision, 53(9), pp.1906-1920.
Randhawa, K., Josserand, E., Schweitzer, J. and Logue, D., 2017. Knowledge collaboration
between organizations and online communities: the role of open innovation
intermediaries. Journal of Knowledge Management, 21(6), pp.1293-1318.
Sung, S.Y. and Choi, J.N., 2014. Do organizations spend wisely on employees? Effects of
training and development investments on learning and innovation in organizations. Journal
of organizational behavior, 35(3), pp.393-412.
Vogel, P. and Fischler-Strasak, U., 2014. Fostering sustainable innovation within
organizations. In Sustainable entrepreneurship (pp. 191-205). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

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Appendices
Appendix 1

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Appendix 2