The Quest for Continual Growth in Textiles : Innovation Diversity and Organizational Resiliency

• The brutally competitive nature globally and raw material volatility of textile industry are some of the reasons why companies cannot afford to fall behind in efficiency, innovation or organizational resiliency. The present article seeks to explore the common thread and textile-related scientific views that changed our lives through the ages. Who were the textile dream weavers and the companies that transformed our industry? In addition we explore how we can use the teachings of these lessons to build novel platforms for innovations in textiles for the future. Today, textiles and fiber science in US and Europe, from its once lofty perch in the global economy, stands in stark contrast to its preeminent position of just a decade ago. Its influence on the society as a whole has eroded enormously. Many of the synthetic fiber products that once fueled the rapid growth of the industry have become mature commodity products now characterized by low growth and lower profit margins. Intense global cost pressure, higher consumer expectations, a highly diverse customer base, shorter fashion cycles and reduced R&D spending have all contributed to the current malaise. What does the future hold and how can we reverse the trend to achieve and sustain the impressive credentials of the past? To add to the current dilemma, organizational ‘health’ and growth processes are constantly threatened in this era of turbulence. James Moore, in his book ‘The Death of Competition’ (1995) describes this dynamics as a ‘co-evolving’ one with unpredictable changes in markets, technology, workforces and organizations. Thus the drive for survival and success has translated, in recent times, to quest for resiliency – to survive and thrive in turbulences. On the other hand, most managers and academicians agree that innovation ensures superior organizational performance while recent research has shown that most resilient companies can dynamically orchestrate diverse innovation strategies. This has intensified the organization’s search for differentiated products and services, processes, business models, technology, strategies etc. pushing firms to gain competitive advantage and also to develop new knowledge and innovation performances to drive sustainable growth. This has resulted in organizations to follow multiple innovation strategies and to prudently devise their innovation repertoire for delivering growth, hence, success in turbulent times emphasizing resiliency. In this paper, authors diagnose an organization’s innovation in terms of the tendency to utilize its resources and dynamic capabilities, and streamline them along an ‘innovation topology’ viewed through a two dimensional matrix of (i) locus of development - innovation either internal or external to the organization, and (ii) change in performance - innovation either in use or being created newly. The portfolio of innovation strategies include sustaining innovation (internal) or through mergers and acquisitions (M&A)/joint ventures (JV) (by extending firm boundary) but using existing resources and capabilities in both cases; or radical/break-through innovations (creating new capacities internally) or disruptive/transformational innovation (exploring and creating new capacities beyond existing boundaries). A case study approach is adopted using Du Pont Company with its unparallel 200 years of ‘history of innovation and transformation’ for validating the proposed model. This is seminal from both business and academic theory-building perspective for devising unique innovation repertoire and organizational resiliency for continual growth.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Innovation Diversity

Organizational Resiliency

Organizational Resilience

Innovation

Textiles and Fashion (General)

Textil och mode (generell)

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)