Report on Innovation: Customer Service Strategies at Wesfarmers

This report examines Wesfarmers' approach to fostering innovation, particularly in customer service. It discusses the techniques employed, such as the TRIZ tool and the development of customer-centric innovations like chatbots. The report identifies key drivers of innovation, including high competition and changing market demands, and emphasizes the importance of strategic leadership in shaping positive innovative thinking. It also addresses the challenges and risks associated with innovation, such as employee resistance, and proposes solutions like effective communication and employee development. Furthermore, the report highlights the resources needed for innovation, including funding and skilled employees, and outlines strategies for making innovation an integral part of the organization through continuous modification and monitoring processes. Ultimately, the report reflects on the potential of chatbot implementation to improve customer relationships and meet consumer demands, contributing to Wesfarmers' overall success. Desklib provides access to this and other solved assignments to aid students in their studies.

Running head: INNOVATION
Lead Innovative Thinking and Practice
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Table of Contents
Technique to foster an innovation in Wesfarmers...........................................................................3
Current tool that followed by the organization................................................................................3
Innovative and creative thinking.....................................................................................................3
Specific condition for innovation and issues that impacts on the innovation..................................3
Drivers of innovation.......................................................................................................................4
Leadership style to give shape positive innovative thinking...........................................................4
Method to refine the style and practice............................................................................................4
Establishment of sustainable innovation.........................................................................................4
Method to transfer knowledge.........................................................................................................5
Risk of innovation and resolution....................................................................................................5
Product and service to meet the need of the target audience...........................................................5
Method to communicate and share the information during innovation...........................................5
Techniques to develop communication and initiate employee development..................................5
Resources of innovation..................................................................................................................6
Strategy for innovation....................................................................................................................6
System that support innovation.......................................................................................................6
Strategy to make innovation as the integral part of the organization..............................................6
Monitoring process..........................................................................................................................6
Potential barriers of the strategies....................................................................................................7
Reflection on innovation performance............................................................................................7

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Technique to foster an innovation in Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers is a popular retail organization in Australia. In the recent years they
want to improve their customer service by developing customer centric innovation through
chatbot and customer centric culture (Bain and Kleinknecht 2016). This will help them to
understand the needs of the customers. To this they need to build effective team, flat structure
and use of benchmarking.
Current tool that followed by the organization
Wesfarmers currently focuses on the TRIZ tool. This tool is beneficial to solve the
problem by carrying out a root cause analysis. This practice is also helpful for generating new
ideas.
Innovative and creative thinking
In the context of Wesfarmers the innovative thinking and creative thinking is customer
oriented. They want to improve the customer service by resolving the problem. In the industry
context it is crucial for the retail industry to satisfy the customers by meeting their needs, which
needs innovation (Wang and Ding 2016).
Specific condition for innovation and issues that impacts on the innovation
In order to implement an innovation funding, policy framework, proper skill, analyses of
market condition are the major components of creating a specific condition of the environment.
The major issues are lack of funding and proper collaboration that may affect the innovation of
Wesfarmers.

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Drivers of innovation
High competition, changing market demand and low profit margin are the major drivers
of innovation. In the context of Wesfarmers changing demand of the market and high
competition are the major drivers that lead them to bring innovation in their customer service.
Leadership style for the positive innovative thinking
Leadership style to give shape positive innovative thinking
In order to give shape the chatbot implementation in Wesfarmers it is crucial to adopt
strategic leadership style. This leadership is helpful to generate new idea and to combine the idea
with the strategy. Another example shows that strategic leadership also minimizes the barrier
during innovation. Finally this leadership style also develops strategy based on the need of the
organization (Fuglsang 2016).
Method to refine the style and practice
The major challenges of Wesfarmers the inability of the staffs to understand the needs of
the customers. To reduce this problem they have decided to carry out a market analysis to
understand and to establish a flatter organizational structure.
Establishment of sustainable innovation
In order to build a sustainable innovation it is important for Wesfarmers to align the
business strategy with innovation strategy and establish a culture of innovation. On the other
hand, they need to involve the executives within the innovation process.

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Method to transfer knowledge
In order to transfer knowledge the employees of Wesfarmers need to capture the
information and identify the value of the information. After that this information needs to
document and share among the individuals.
Risk of innovation and resolution
Employee resistance and lack of collaboration are the two major risks of innovation.
Wesfarmers needs to motivate the employees by using effective communication with them,
which will enable this organization to share the importance of innovation (Berry and Berry
2018).
Product and service to meet the need of the target audience
Wesfarmers wants to introduce chatbot to meet the needs of the target audience. This
chatbot will help them to make a continuous conversation with the customers and to resolve their
queries.
Method to communicate and share the information during innovation
Establishment of an open discussion will be helpful for the Wesfarmers to communicate
and share information. An open discussion enables an organization to gain feedback from the
employees and to generate the new ideas.

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Techniques to develop communication and initiate employee development
Use of open door policy and sharing information are crucial to foster a communication.
Wesfarmers needs to apply open door policy and to influence the employees to share information
during communication. On the other hand, they need to provide training to the employees to
develop them and to bring innovation.
Resources of innovation
Wesfarmers needs funding, skilled employees and technical assistance to bring
innovation. However, financial support and workforce are the basic two resources of innovation.
Strategy for innovation
Wesfarmers has taken market analysis strategy to foster the innovation. This strategy will
help them to understand the customer service process of the other competitors based on which
they can introduce new customer service (Basu et al. 2018).
System that support innovation
Establishment of the position paper is crucial to support the innovation. Wesfarmers
needs to introduce position paper system to generate new ideas for their innovation.
Strategy to make innovation as the integral part of the organization
By introducing continuous modification in the existing system Wesfarmers will be able to
make innovation as the integral part of the organization. Continuous change in an existing
system is helpful to maintain the stability of the innovation (Basu et al. 2018).

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Monitoring process
In order to monitor the innovation Wesfarmers needs to use benchmarking tool. This tool
is effective to measure the success of the innovation in this organization.

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Potential barriers of the strategies
Wesfarmers has taken market analysis strategy to bring innovation. However, time and
lack of knowledge are the major barriers of market research, which need to overcome to bring
innovation.
Reflection on innovation performance
Implementation of the chatbot will be effective in the context of Wesfarmers to improve
their customer service process as it will make a good relationship between the organization and
the customers. Therefore, this will help the customers to share their constant feedback, which
will allow this organization to meet the consumer demand.

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References
Bain, D. and Kleinknecht, A. eds., 2016. New concepts in innovation output measurement.
Springer.
Basu, S., Bahuguna, C. and Singh, V., 2018. Simple limbal epithelial transplantation: Impactful
innovation. Indian journal of ophthalmology, 66(1).
Berry, F.S. and Berry, W.D., 2018. Innovation and Diusion Models in Policy Research. In
Theories of the policy process (pp. 263-308). Routledge.
Fuglsang, L., 2017. The critical incident technique and everyday innovation. Research methods
in service innovation, pp.40-59.
Wang, X. and Ding, F., 2016. Modelling and multi-innovation parameter identification for
Hammerstein nonlinear state space systems using the filtering technique. Mathematical and
Computer Modelling of Dynamical Systems, 22(2), pp.113-140.