Discussion

An entrepreneur is a person who participates and identifies innovation, opportunities and initiatives required to be implemented in a business along with behaving proactively to engage employees for bringing organisational effectiveness. For the same, increasing entrepreneurial spirit becomes very essential as it boosts organisational culture and drives entrepreneurs to recognise new and innovative ideas that could transform risks into profits. With this regard, this paper will focus upon five ideas that can be implemented at Top Pet Products (TPP) which will increase entrepreneurial spirits among its workforce for creating an organisational culture that can encourage innovative ideas and initiatives from the employee’s perspective. Furthermore, this paper will also bring forward an alternative idea for Top Ten Products after making a close comparison of present market demand in Pet Toys sector.

According to the present condition of TPP, the company requires to implement changes through innovation and being a CEO of the company, creativity and innovation in its core operational activity can be recommended since it seems to have stuck since past 20 years. For the same, managing and developing innovative attributes of new employees as well as the ones who have been working for the company for more than 10 years is very necessary. According to Amabile (2012), Componential Model of Organisational creativity can arise creativity among organisation’s employees after aligning four basic human elements. Three of them relates to individual knowledge, creative thinking and motivation under which employees understands that individual efforts can bring forward creative effort and motivates to solve the issues combinedly. The fourth element relates to external environment where the individuals work. This model can even identify numerous ways through which creativity can be stimulated in the company for making employees undertake work related initiatives.

According to Doran and Ryan (2017), for enabling creativity in organisations, two types of knowledge is essential in which employees need building their technical expertise according to present business requirement. Developing such knowledge will act as a solid foundation through which creativity and innovation can emerge. Secondly, employees must be aware of market opportunities along with combining previous disparate elements, but in fresh manner. However, few authors argue that balance between both types of knowledge is very essential for which Basadur & Gelade (2006) suggests ways through which this balance can be achieved i.e. through building multidisciplinary teams and work environment. This second idea can also include exchange of information through different parties and professionals like designers, researchers and programmers who specialises in making pet toy related products.

Thirdly, work environment proves significant aspect whenever innovation and generation of new idea is discussed. In literature, it has been suggested that organisation’s considering multiple interpositions takes into account every individuals and groups of the firm along with strategic environment during the time whenever new interventions are been selected. According to Amabile (2012), effective flow of information in an organisation is very important. To bring success in TPP and reap utmost profits, supporting creativity and employee’s idea can prove very beneficial. Supporting work environment in the company among workers and owners by exchanging feedback and elaboration of unusual ideas will also help in creating a positive work environment that can provide TPP with effective organisational culture.  

The fourth and most significant element that can foster entrepreneurial spirit among employees for generating innovative and creative idea that can be adopted by firm’s CEO is encouraging workforce by motivating them and cooperating with them while the workforce decides on completing the task through self-organised teams. This will not only encourage them to learn through combined efforts while developing a new idea, but also perceive mistakes as a stepping stone towards success. By motivating employees to utilise their knowledge to avoid past mistakes while making future planning will also heighten entrepreneurial spirits within individuals and create a positive work culture (Owoyemi & Ekwoaba , 2014). By utilising this idea, TPP’s employees will not only get motivated to work in an innovative manner, but also develop a similar nature which the initial founders of the organisation have made 30 years back i.e. making various experiments out of which a successful product was developed.

In an organisation, passion instils the best that maintains entrepreneurial spirit among CEO’s that can inspire other employees to show their talent effectively. Fifth idea is instilling passion in the form of enthusiasm that can be depicted by the CEO with regards to the company that can trigger emotions among employees to develop and create innovative thinking and initiatives for firm’s success. However, developing essential skills is also necessary so that the CEO can convince the employees about how advantageous innovation and initiatives from their side can bring to the organisations (Aned & Alya, 2013). Along with enhancing entrepreneurial spirit, this idea will give more hope to TPP’s employees as well as its owners and reason to continue developing the organisation rather than selling it to its competitors.

According to me, TPP can approach an innovative product that is dissimilar to its previous product as in many websites dealing with novelty pet toys, similar products along with few electronic ones in which rays of light can be flashed that can direct pets towards different directions is seen (Amazon, 2018). However, my idea is to develop a battery-operated pet toy that looks more like a cheese resembled with fake holes. There will be two holes from which a mouse will poke out from the holes whenever the toy will be switched on. This product can prove innovative for the company as such kind of product is not yet been seen in pet stores and also cats and dogs are very obsessed with hiding mouse that can make this toy more indulging for them.

Conclusion

The above paper summarised five ideas which can be implemented at Top Pet Products that can increase entrepreneurial spirit among employees along with creating an organisational culture that will encourage innovative idea as well as initiative from every employee of the company. The idea of enabling multidisciplinary work teams along with motivating workforce will not only help in removing fear among employees but also help them to develop new and creative idea that will impact positively on organisational innovation as well as development of new products. Since more than 100 workers work in the company, fostering innovation and creativity among them will also help in increasing sales that has been declining since past few years. To save the company and get it back on track, developing knowledge along with showing passion towards work and internal cooperation can prove a great asset for the firm and in fostering entrepreneurial spirit among every employee.

References

Amabile, T. M. (2012). Componential Theory of Creativity . Retrieved from https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/12-096.pdf

Amazon. (2018). Amazon: Best Sellers in Cat Toys. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Pet-Supplies-Cat-Toys/zgbs/pet-supplies/2975303011

Aned, A. O., & Alya, A. O. (2013). Invigorating Entrepreneurial Spirit Among Workforce. International Journal of Management and Sustainability, 02(05), 107-112.

Basadur, M., & Gelade, G. A. (2006). The Role of Knowledge Management in the Innovation Process. Journal compilation, 15(01), 45-62.

Doran, J., & Ryan, G. (2017). The role of stimulating employees’ creativity and idea generation in encouraging innovation behaviour in Irish firms. The Irish Journal of Management, 36(01), 32-48.

Owoyemi , O. O., & Ekwoaba , J. O. (2014). Organisational Culture: A Tool for Management to Control, Motivate and Enhance Employees’ Performance. American Journal of Business and Management, 03(03), 168-177.