Essay INFS5058: Business Practice for IT Professionals – Nordstrom’s Innovation – Business Assignment Help

Assignment Task:

Case Study -1 

Nordstrom’s innovation, efforts recognize the importance of the soft side of implementing change 

Based in Seattle, Washington, Nordstrom Inc. is an upscale department store chain that operates more than 300 stores across the United States and Canada. The company got its start in 1901. As a small shoe store in downtown Seattle, and it has since grown into a well-regarded fashion speciality chain with net sales of more than $13.1. Billion in 2014. Nordstrom has built a loyal customer following through its quality products, and it’s almost legendary customer service. The company prides itself on its culture, which supports and empowers employees, and for the last decade, the company has consistently been named one of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work for.” 

In keeping with its commitment to quality, Nordstrom has invested heavily in innovation throughout its organization – by embarrassing omnichannel retailing strategies that allow customers to make purchases in the store, online and via mobile devices, and through its approach to developing and supporting the variety of information systems that fuel the company’s growth. 

For instance, Nordstrom looked for innovative solutions to help it revamp its approach to developing mobile apps. After a detailed analysis of internal processes determined that its typical development cycle for updating customer mobile app was 22 to 28 weeks- far too long to keep the company competitive in the rapidly changing mobile marketplace. The project was successful (Cutting development cycles down to 30 days or less) because the company took the time to thoroughly map, all of the processes – and then shared that detail with employees and other stakeholders. Through that process it became clear to everyone involved how much change was needed in order for the company to stay competitive on the digital front. In addition, having every step mapped out showed each individual team how it needed to change. 

According to Courtney Kissler Nordstrom vice president of e-commerce and store technologies, the process analysis work that Nordstrom formed at the start of the project provided the data that help build momentum for change within the organization. Kissler’s advice to other teams looking to make such a transformation is, “make the conversation as much about data as possible and not about emotion. A lot of the sceptics come around once they see [the data].” 

In another effort to strengthen its innovation practices, the retailer recently made changes to its “Innovation Lab,” which it established in 2010 to focus on jumpstarting technology projects. Over time, the company came to realize that those efforts needed to be better integrated into the business groups in order to spur collaboration between the technology innovators and other Nordstrom employees – and encourage acceptance of new initiatives. Therefore, the company moved most of its technologies out of its central lab into the different business groups so they could work more closely with end users, especially those who work directly with customers. This approach “works better because we have a broader intake of new ideas from both business and technology teams.” According to Nordstrom CIO Dan Little. 

These changes in the way Nordstrom is innovating and providing the information systems that support its core business mean that Nordstrom employees – both on that technical and business side – need to learn new ways of working with technology and the development process. However, the changes also mean that new innovations have a higher chance of adoption and acceptance because end users are more connected to the innovation process. 

Keeping an organization as large as Nordstrom competitive and innovative requires all employees to embrace change. And for Nordstrom, its focus on the soft side of implementing change is paying off. Nordstrom has been able to build on its organizational culture to encourage innovation and acceptance of the change. As Sam Hogenson, vice president of technology at Nordstrom, puts it if you don’t pay attention to culture, everything is really hard to do. But if you do everything else works. 

Question 1.1. What are the recent innovative initiates of Nordstrom?

Question 1.2. What was the impact of innovation on employees and the organisation? 

Question 1.3. What are the lessons learnt from the above case study? -Explain your points.

Question 1.4. ‘Many risks are associated with being an innovative company’- List at least 3 risks and propose recommendations to overcome them. Include at least 4 academic references to support your arguments.

Case Study 2 

Human Capital In the Aging Workforce 

Over the past century, the average age of the workforce has continually increased as medical science has continued to enhance your longevity and vitality. Recent medical research is exploring techniques that could extend human life to 100 years or more. As we discussed in the chapter, many individuals will work past the previous established age of retirement, and the fastest-growing segment of the workforce is individuals over the age of 55. 

Unfortunately, older workers face a variety of discriminatory attitudes in the workplace. Researchers scanned more than 100 publications on age discrimination to determine what types of age stereotypes were most prevalent across the studies. They found that stereotypes inferred that older workers are lower performers. Research, On the other hand, indicates they are not, and organisations are realising the benefits of this needed employee group. 

Dale Sweere, a human Resources director for engineering firm Stanley Consultants, is one of the growing number of management professionals actively recruiting the older workforce. Sweere says older workers ‘typically hit the ground running much quicker and they fit into the organisation well’. They bring to the job a higher skill level earned through years of experience, remember the organisation’s history and know the ageing customer base. 

Tell that to the older worker who is unemployed. Older workers have long been sought by government contractors, financial firms and consultants, according to Cornelia Gamlem, president of consulting firm GEMS Group Ltd, and she actively recruits them. However, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, for example, that the average job search for an unemployed worker over age 55 is 56 weeks, versus 38 weeks for the rest of the unemployed population. The reason might be that unemployed older job-seekers are actually pre-selecting themselves right out of potential jobs. They report assuming that employers will consider them overqualified and requiring of higher salaries, greater health care, and more training than the jobs warrant. Faced with the possibility of rejection, they don’t always pursue position opportunities they might otherwise consider. 

To be sure, there is age discrimination in organisations. A recent survey by the Australian Human Rights Commission confirmed anecdotal evidence that age discrimination is most commonly experienced when older people are out of a job and looking for paid work. Nearly three in five (58%) of those who looked for paid work were a target of discrimination because of their age. It is the responsibility of companies to ensure that employees are treated fairly regardless of age. Many of the techniques to limit age discrimination come down to fundamentally sound management practices relevant for all employees: set clear expectations for performance, dealing with problems directly, communicate with workers frequently, and follow clear policies and procedures consistently. In particular, management professionals note that clarity and consistency can help ensure all employees are treated equally regardless of age. 

As we’have seen,older workers should also take some responsibility for ending age discrimination. Older unemployed job-seekers need to stay current in their training, with the technology, and on the latest trends. For employees interested in positions that are not as demanding as their former careers,clear communication of skills and salary/benefit expectations can go a long way toward establishing a fit in the mind of the potential employer. Finally,individuals who are knowledgeable about the older-worker stereotypes can show employers how that outdated viewpoint is incorrect. 

Question. 2.1. What changes in the employment scenario are likely to occur as the population ages?

Question.2.2. What measures are required by the older employees to reduce the age discrimination?

Question. 2.3. As an IT manager, how increasing age diversity will create new challenges for you? academic references to support your ideas. 

Question. 2.4. What measures can organisations put in place to limit age discrimination in the workplace?