Royal Dutch Shell Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Royal Dutch Shell - Assignment Example Royal Dutch Shell is a trend setter in innovation. From a large, but weak and mediocre company to an innovative multinational, now being 2nd largest in revenue and highest in profits (Rijnbach), and with services in more than 90 countries, Shell has definitely revolutionized the concept of Energy Business. Shell uses multi innovation practices to enhance its innovative tendencies and maintain its name as a brand in the energy business. It has a Projects & Technology organization which heads research into different technological aspects for Shell’s Products and services, and aims at providing solutions for the technological hurdles faced by the upstream and downstream product organizations (shell). Like any organization, the Innovation Structure at Shell has its strong and weak aspects. Strengths of Innovation Management Structure The innovational structure at Shell manifests strengths not only aimed at energy but also at the well being of the Planet, its customers, and employe es. Here is a look at the strengths of Shell’s innovation management structure. 1. ... The management at Shell is not only an advocate of change but also takes initiative in this regard, by all means possible. Special departments have been constructed, to research and propose new avenues of change. The senior management is involved in activities that show risk taking tendencies, an important characteristic of innovation; and also try to bring together groups and people that brainstorm (Ruth) and introduce new ideas and concepts. The Shell Australian Innovation Challenge is one of such attempts made by Shell. It is a joint venture of The Australian and Shell. The challenge allows you to enter whether you are a scientist or not. There is also a category of backyard innovation, which is open to general public, and has prize money of $10, 000 (The Australian). 2. Scenario Planning Strategy Shell has been following its innovation strategy for the past 40 years. Shell utilizes scenario planning in its aim to tackle the energy problems of tomorrow. It first implemented the sa id strategy during the 1970’s oil shock (Rijnbach). With the uncertainty of future growing with every passing day, scenario planning is a strong way to devise strategy. The world is faced with resource, market, organization, and technical uncertainty, the proper management of which leads to radical innovation (O’Connor). Scenario planning refers to the orchestration of probable certain scenarios in the future result from social, economical and political factors (Rijnbach). Shell has a Scenarios Team, which has six members. These members look into different versions of the plausible future (Shell). They do not predict future, rather analyzing different facts, create plausible future scenarios taking place between now and 2050 (Mainwaring). Scenario