Information Management Systems Discussion Response
Description
10-1 Reflection: John Mastrey
John Mastrey posted Mar 7, 2022 5:57 PM
Hello Class!
Well, we have finally gotten to the last week. As the spaghetti model is convoluted, it also shows a system thinking approach to solving a problem or mapping out a process. For managing the innovation, the 5 Trajectories laid out avenues. When looking at how to manage this large scope of work many could be applied to this aspect, namely three being “Scale Intensive”, “Supplier Dominated”, and “Science Based”. The reason I say these three are the fact that the large scale of production involved with creating a new vehicle from a capital standpoint of resources and footprint; supplier dominated in the sense of having to source material from the possibility of new sources and requiring existing suppliers to change directions; and science based with regards to the intense R&D scale and budget it would require in the timeframe.
Looking back at the weeks and decisions I was tasked to make, I can see where I made minor adjustments throughout the course based on the relevant week’s new information. My choice for innovation was a discontinuous, radical innovation approach, aka Option A. The strategy for choosing this option was looking at where MasAuto stood, looking at where the competitors stood and seeing the gap that currently existed and the prospect for the gap to increase should nothing be done, or not enough for that matter. The reason I went with this approach was multifaceted. First, looking at the Sales Forecast spreadsheet and information from the CTO regarding new model costs estimating up to $6B USD, an extra $6B USD was allocated during the first two years for R&D- $3B USD each year if Option A was chosen. This would cover the estimated cost for a new model and technology. Secondly, market share forecast didn’t specify whether the forecasts were based on Option A or Option B choices- or Option C of not doing anything, the technology currently used in MasAuto greatly lagged behind the competition with regards to offerings for the luxury market and even aspects of the mass market sector. Additionally, sales growth of connected vehicles from MasAuto were near flatlined when comparing to the competition. This was reaffirmed during the PowerBI portion of the class when charts were used to show market share and growth data, as market share was decreasing in both connected and non-connected vehicles over the 10 year period. When looking at the sales statistics for the two options, the connected growth rate of 25% for years 3-10 greatly outpace the 10.2% for the incremental approach and by year 10, the sales for connected would be $27 vs $10B USD, for a $6B USD investment.
For the aspects of fostering a climate and culture of innovation, I took the approach of allowing the innovation, design, and engineering teams to be agile and free to come up with ideas, removing most of the current structure the organization of MasAuto was faced with. With a 2 year time-frame to develop and launch a new model, it was an extremely narrow window with little room to go through normal “stage gate” steps. I removed the silos and input an R&D Director to oversee the teams and used that director to be the liaison between the teams and the rest of the organization and was used less for managing and more for organizing and creating an environment for the teams to succeed by ensuring they had what they required. Allowing the free flow of information between teams and removing information silos, gave the teams open communication and the ability to use ideas from outside their groups to help build on the current project status.
Wish everyone the best on the remaining courses and a thank you to Dr. Charlene.
John Mastrey
In response to two peers on their selections in the course milestones and project, address the following:
Which of your peer’s recommendations did you find most compelling, surprising, or innovative?
One important theme of this course is the need for most companies to innovate on a regular basis or risk falling behind their competitors. The same can be said for employees.
What skills can you add to your toolbox to future-proof your career?
What skills can you acquire to support an innovative culture at your organization?
For your response posts, do the following:
Write a post of 1 to 2 paragraphs.
Demonstrate more depth and thought than saying things like “I agree” or “You are wrong.” Guidance is provided for you in the discussion prompt.
Consider content from other parts of the course where appropriate. Use proper citation methods for your discipline when referencing scholarly or popular sources.
