Thesis (MPhil (Information Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The strategic focus in many organisations is on innovation. This is driven by the need
to grow and sustain shareholder value. Innovation takes the form of business process
innovation, technological innovation and social innovation through acts of
organisational restructuring. Innovation strategies have become a priority for the
mineral resource sector. This is due to the constraints imposed on business growth by
the finite nature of the mineral resources. The need for innovation brings two
organisational aspects into focus. These are the organisational system constituted of
structure, process, culture and people and the business system constituted of strategy,
throughput activities, resource configurations, and product or service offerings. The
two systems are in constant interaction. Innovation is therefore an emergent
phenomenon dependent upon interaction of such systems. A Systems approach is
required to analyse the complex interactions that take place between the two systems
in organisations. The Jwaneng Mine Production Interface (JMPI) consists of several
inter-dependent subsystems and it is therefore appropriate to analyse it as an
intersystem.
The research focuses on the factors that impact the business system and the
organisation system. Innovation requires the development of competencies and
capability in people constituting the organisation. The way people interact with
technology can be a determining factor for innovation. Theories of technology and
social systems provide an important insight on how social and technological systems
can be organised for innovation. The developmental paths of an organisation are
influenced by its culture and structure. Theoretical insights are used to gain deeper
understanding of how innovation can be derived from organisational systems and
business systems. To gauge the status of innovation activities in the JMPI, specially
selected case studies are used for detailed analysis. In addition, appropriate
benchmarks in similar and dissimilar industries are also utilised.
The critical success factors to mining production innovation are found to be social,
structural and technological in nature. Innovation is shown to cover the whole life
cycle of the business product or service offering. The design for innovation therefore
requires a holistic approach that incorporates strategy, organisational structures,
technology, business processes, leadership and people.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/2476 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Mkonto, Strength |
| Contributors | Botha, D. F., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. Information Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
Page generated in 0.0016 seconds