Introduction
Creativity and innovation are the most important aspects of any business of today. Intellectual capital is the main driving force behind any long-lasting development or productivity growth. The main purpose of any leader is to facilitate the output of the full potential of his subordinates, especially in such a highly competitive environment as an information era society. That is why brain-based enterprise studies are so important; this system is developed specifically to cater to those needs of mental capital. Therefore, this paper will thoroughly study Peter James Cook’s work “Leading Innovation, Creativity, and Enterprise”, because this study is the pioneering research in the field of brain-based enterprises.
Core Principles of Brain-Based Enterprises
The brain-based enterprise system tries to build a productive environment where creativity and innovation can grow naturally. It shapes both the working space and working process, to keep every part of an employee’s behavior properly stimulated for the best performance. In his article, Cook stresses numerous times how important it is to develop your brain-based enterprise cooperatively, with the extensive involvement of both the high-ranked executive staff and employees of lower ranks. Another organizational principle discussed by Cook in his work is the organic structural organization of the working environment. Cook believes that to achieve impeccable performance from your employees, one must build his enterprise in a rather naturalistic way. He chooses a beehive as an example, with a flat hierarchy and great emphasis on cooperative management. According to Cook, balanced localization and professional specialization are the pivotal aspects of the properly arranged brain-based enterprise. Even large companies must appear small for their employees, to maintain the personal feeling and sense of participation at every hierarchical level. Cutting-edge concepts and tools also play a major part in Cook’s work. He states how a well-functioning company always tries to provide its staff with the most relevant means of productivity and strives to follow all of the current trends in its field of duty. For this principle, he uses an example of a musician and his maestro-grade tools that certainly help with the creativity and innovation of any artist.
Brain-Based Enterprises for Modern Leaders
The brain-based enterprise system is primarily the leadership model. According to Cook, it is the guideline for the development of an efficient strategy in the modern world of high competition. Inspiring leadership is the pivotal concept of the brain-based enterprise system because to stimulate the innovative approach to the working process, a compelling example must be set. Therefore, Cook’s paper is aimed at the modern leader, who tries to stay relevant in the current economic climate and is forced to respond to various challenges. The brain-based enterprise system is relevant for any contemporary businessman that wishes to perform efficiently in the ever-changing world of the information society. Even though the majority of Cook’s work is dedicated to leaders and executive staff, his research also influences employees of modern companies. It is understandable since when working on the management model, it is important to comprehend the whole hierarchical system present in the business structure. Leadership is impossible without a properly educated team. Therefore, Cook’s work also provides a lot of important information for low-ranking workers. Cook states that his system must first be applied to employees, and, indeed, a lot of his concepts target the education of the low-ranking staff.
Purpose of Brain-Based Enterprises
As stated by Cook himself, the goal of the brain-based enterprise system is to facilitate the growth of the environment where creativity and innovation will be viewed as “doing business as usual”. In his work, Cook extensively studies the various ways to achieve such a working environment. The purpose of his work can be summarized mainly as the development of ways to implement the brain-based enterprise system for any business structure, no matter the numerous volatile circumstances. Then, Cook tries to illustrate those developed ways of implementation of his system through different examples, while discussing the relevance of his methods in modern society. Though, relevance and actualization, albeit extensively discussed in this work, are still secondary to its primary theme. The main point of Cook’s work is creativity and innovation in the contemporary business field, but also the means to harness those qualities, which, in turn, are aimed at improving the intellectual potential of any company.
The methodology behind Brain Based Enterprises
Since Cook’s paper was made for modern-day entrepreneurs, it works with terminology and methodology relevant for the business community and management science. Cook starts his research with various case studies, such as the study of surveys of Chief Ecology Officers. Then he discusses his experience in Research and Development while pointing out how this job helped him in his studies on creativity. After this recollection, Cook goes to direct interviewing of various entrepreneurs, and this part of his research provides a lot of insight into the inner workings of contemporary firms. This methodology of case studies and focused interviews helped Cook to shape a solid empirical base for his research. He also presents all this information directly and concretely, but not without imagination. He tries to be logical and calculating, but as the proper leader, Cook provides his work with a lot of emotional statements that illustrate the motivational tone of the subject of his research.
Brain-Based Enterprises in Modern Setting
The relevance of Cook’s work is one of the most prominent qualities of this research. Through the interviews of various successful businessmen, he shows how current leading companies can benefit from innovation and an unorthodox approach. To elaborate on the implementation of his brain-based enterprise model, Cook points out some various obstacles that affect contemporary business. Then, through numerous examples, he shows how creative management can solve a lot of uncertain problems. By definition Cook’s brain-based enterprise system is always highly innovative, because its core theme is about constant self-improvement. Whenever he presents a new technique of his brain-based enterprise system, he then tries to actualize this method through the comparison with various examples from his empirical base. This approach makes Cook’s research highly modern and solidifies his position on innovative strategic management.
Conclusion
The brain-based enterprise system is a model of strategic management that can help to build a constantly improving company. The main point of this system is the development of creativity and innovation through the company’s human capital. Cook’s work extensively researches the phenomenon of brain-based enterprises through relevant empirical data. He touches on the subjects of leadership and cooperation, discusses various approaches of currently leading companies to strategic management. Therefore, Cook’s “Leading Innovation, Creativity, and Enterprise” can provide a lot of insight for any modern-day entrepreneur.