A former engineer at Apple shared how the lack of internal conflict in the company is not that good for the tech giant, citing the days under Steve Jobs when everything is chaotic but rewarding.
Bob Burrough told CNBC about the time he started working with the iPhone maker back in 2007. He said that the organizational aspect was in a wild setting because the priority was the product, which in turn encouraged innovation and the ability to solve any problem even if it was not in your job description. Moreover, because employees see the huge impact of anything they make to the product, the results were rewarding.
On the contrary, when Tim Cook took charge, everything became hierarchical and everyone is clear about his or her specific responsibilities. Tim Cook was able to increase the company's revenue, making it the richest in the world. On the downside, Apple is said to have slowed down in innovating on other products other than its iPhone. These include smart TV, self-driving cars and the Internet of Things.
Case made, HBR and Forbes both said competition within a company would encourage innovation. And innovation is essential to stay relevant in the business by improving on your technology, products, and services. One cannot simply keep on doing what others are doing.
According to Forbes, innovation helps employees avoid being complacent because there's always an urge to do better. The competition also helps one to focus on a target audience, which can translate to a better understanding of the market and provision of service.
HBR shared some guidelines on how to ensure internal competition successfully encourages innovation. These include framing the competition around a specific need, lay out the process in clear and implementable steps, providing company resources and mentors, and giving importance to the process as much as to the results.
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