Strategic Innovation: Managing Innovation Initiatives Quiz Answers

Strategic Innovation: Managing Innovation Initiatives Quiz Answers

Quiz : Managing Innovation

Q1. This course focuses on what you want your organization or team to do in an innovation situation.

• True
• False

Q2. The main point from the airplane example, is that once you have initial success, there is:

• Rapid Development
• Experimentation
• Imitation
• A and B

Q3. A firm should always try to enter a new market as early as possible in order to succeed.

• True
• False

Q4. The example of transistors replacing vacuum tubes, represents a

• J curve
• S curve
• Parabola curve
• Demand Curve

Q5. Uncertainty slows firms down from changing their alignment.

• True
• False

Q6. How do you implement strategy well?

• Create your strategy to fit your organization
• Utilize your organization’s old successful strategy
• Design your organization around your strategy
• Focus on acquiring early adopters

Q7. Over time, one of the key things managers need to do to be successful in a market place is to fine tune their alignment.

• True
• False

Q8. The approach we are using in this class for implementing an organizational strategy is:

• a. The 7 S Framework
• The Star Method
• The Diamond Framework
• The Triangle Framework

Q9. The video emphasized three reasons or ways that the mainstream business might undermine the new one. Which is NOT one of these:

• Mainstream business often has better growth prospects
• The new business may be portrayed as a threat to or a distraction from the mainstream business
• The new business may be hindered by inertia arising from the mainstream businesses’ systems, culture, and norms.
• The mainstream business, even though established, often has a voracious appetite for resources

Q10. In terms of organizational structure, the key feature of an ambidextrous organization that supports innovation initiatives is:

• Decentralized product development teams
• Corporate funding for spinouts and new ventures
• Multiple semi-autonomous small units
• All of the above

Q11. Loose-tight culture is a way of solving this apparent contradiction: “Strong” cultures that are deeply held throughout the organization are associated with high performance; but at the same time, effective cultures in businesses in new market/technological spaces tend to be different than those in more mature markets and firms.

• True
• False

Q12. Which idea is not consistent with ambidexterity?

• Establishing strategic intent that brings together old and new
• Building identity around common vision, values and culture
• Forming multiple semi-autonomous units
• Widespread application of standard processes and systems

Strategic Innovation: Managing Innovation Initiatives Week 02 Quiz Answers

Quiz : Understanding & Responding to Different Types of Innovations

Q1. The reaction of the existing large disk drive manufacturers to the new smaller disk drive was driven by their culture.

• True
• False

Q2. What is the “point of disruption” as described in the video?

• When the demand curve intersects with the supply curve
• When the technology trajectory of the mainstream market intersects with the market trajectory of the new market
• When the technology trajectory of the new market intersects with the market trajectory of the mainstream market
• The point where the mainstream firms decide to exit the market due to disruption

Q3. Netflix and Blockbuster are a good example of a disruptive technology and the reactions of established firms.

• True
• False

Q4. Christensen used the following categorizations for technology:

• Radical vs. Incremental
• Competence destroying vs. competence enhancing
• Destructive vs. withstanding
• Sustaining vs. Disruptive

Q5. Firms’ planning systems are mainly designed to find the large, most certain, and highest margin markets.

• True
• False

Q6. What analogy does Christensen use in regards to how a firm should use when thinking about disruptive technology entering their mainstream market?

• “Don’t skate to where the puck is, skate to where the puck is going to be”
• “There is simply no substitute for hard work when it comes to achieving success”
• “Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”
• “There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.”

Q7. Over time, the market position of incumbent firms is often eroded by disruptive technologies as these technologies continue to develop.

• True
• False

Q8. If a new market is a threat instead of an opportunity, how does that affect the political and undermining behavior examined in the ambidexterity discussion?

• Those behaviors are unchanged. A firm should treat opportunity and threat markets with the same integrity
• Those behaviors become less significant, because an incumbent firm should only focus on markets that present opportunities
• Those behaviors become more significant, because employees within the organization are going to threaten the firm’s main business
• None of the above are correct

Q9. Christensen emphasizes values about what gross margins are acceptable and what size a business opportunity needs to be to be interesting.

• True
• False

Q10. Which is NOT one of the three main types of capabilities highlighted in the video?

• Resources
• Processes
• Values
• Customers

Q11. According to Christensen’s research, when is it typically necessary for an organization to create an independent organization (either from the start or for commercialization)?

• For all innovation opportunities
• Only for innovation opportunities that fit poorly with the organization’s processes
• Only for innovation opportunities that fit poorly with the organization’s values
• Only for innovation opportunities that fit poorly with both an organization’s values and processes

Q12. If a firm acquires a startup firm primarily to gain access to the startups resources, it should still operate the former startup as an independent organization with integration through senior executive involvement.

• True
• False

Q13. Corporate entrepreneurship is important as a way of generating internal growth.

• True
• False

Q14. Resource authority was referred to as a choice between dedicated (corporate provides resources) or Ad Hoc (business units generally provide resources).

• True
• False

Q15. The “default” model of corporate entrepreneurship (i.e., the one that firms generally start with) is:

• Producer
• Advocate
• Enabler
• Opportunist

Q16. Which approach is most suitable for development of ideas that don’t fit within the business units well, and may even threaten their businesses?

• Producer
• Advocate
• Enabler
• Opportunist

Strategic Innovation: Managing Innovation Initiatives Week 03 Quiz Answers

Quiz : Teams and Innovation

Q1. Which team structure was said to result in teams that are most difficult for senior management to control?

• Functional Team Structure
• Lightweight Team Structure
• Heavyweight Team Structure
• Autonomous Team Structure

Q2. Questions are raised about senior management’s degree of influence and control when heavyweight teams are utilized.

• True
• False

Q3. In a heavyweight team structure, functional managers are not responsible for what the team delivers.

• True
• False

Q4. Which team structure does not have a mechanism that links the functions together?

• Functional Team Structure
• Lightweight Team Structure
• Heavyweight Team Structure
• Autonomous Team Structure

Q5. What is not an advantage of having executive sponsorship?

• Empowers the team
• Allows functional managers to communicate issues directly to the team
• Reassures executives regarding their control over the team
• Reduces the likelihood of debilitating conflict

Q6. In a heavyweight team, accountability for product success is predominantly delegated to the team rather than remaining with senior managers.

• True
• False

Q7. The first and likely the most important capability that a heavyweight team leader must have is the ability to be the ultimate leader of that team.

• True
• False

Q8 . How do you bring information from different functional areas together effectively in a heavyweight team?

• By using senior managers
• Sequentially across the functions
• Interactively within the team
• Delegating members to collect information relevant to their function

Q9. Dedicated teams are needed for innovation, because the “performance engine” (i.e., the mainstream organization) is not capable of effective innovation.

• True
• False

Q10. Several models for innovation (e.g., innovation = ideas + process) stumble when the innovation opportunity is non-routine and unpredictable (i.e., we can’t look to the past to generate good predictions).

• True
• False

Q11. Which of the following approaches were suggested as effective models of innovation?

• Innovation = ideas + motivation
• Innovation = ideas + process
• Innovation = ideas + leader + team + plan
• All three approaches can be effective

Q12. Which is NOT a core component of Govindarajan & Trimble’s model of innovation execution as described?

• Idea generation
• Dedicated team
• Partnership with Shared Staff
• Custom Plan

Q13. Which is NOT a criteria that indicates a need for separating work out to the dedicated team, according to the video?

• Lack of needed work relationships between units and individuals
• Power structure that does not fit needs of innovation initiative
• Operational tempo that doesn’t fit innovation needs
• Executive leadership is not sufficiently supportive of innovation initiative

Q14. A key bias in staffing the dedicated team is over-estimating the impact of outsiders on its success.

• True
• False

Q15. Partly due to the popularity of Christensen’s work on organizational separation, the research reported in the video tended to find that firm’s “overscoped” the dedicated team.

• True
• False

Q16. Which is NOT indicated in the video as a way to manage the partnership between the dedicated team and shared staff?

• Positive, persuasive, collaborative leadership style;
• Ongoing support from senior leadership;
• Hiring outsiders to break out of existing patterns
• Appropriate processes & systems

Strategic Innovation: Managing Innovation Initiatives Week 04 Quiz Answers

Quiz : Planning & Evaluation & Innovation Across Organizations: Quiz

Q1. Which is not an important impediment (or challenge) to learning in organizations that was emphasized in the video?

• People are not good at learning in complex situations with incomplete, delayed or ambiguous feedback regarding cause-effect relationships.
• Managers are not used to valuing learning as a central goal
• Results orientation can lead to problems learning and changing course
• All three answers were described as important impediments to learning

Q2. The quickest and most attention needs to be focused on assumptions that are:

• Action-outcome relationships are poorly understood and consequences if the assumption is wrong could be severe
• Action-outcome relationships are not that poorly understood, but the consequences if the assumption is wrong could be severe
• Action-outcome relationships are poorly understood, but the consequences if the assumption is wrong are manageable
• All of these are equally important to focus on quickly and intensively

Q3. Which is NOT one of the recommended characteristics of planning for challenging innovation initiatives?

• Have a faster review cycle than is normal
• Have separate planning forums than those for established operations
• Focus on outcomes rather than trends
• Only make revisions to the predictions through a formal process

Q4. Which of the following is not a question asked in regard to accountability?

• Did the leader take planning seriously?
• Did predictions get better, especially for critical unknowns?
• Did the leader hold subordinates responsible for their key performance indicators?
• Did the leader maintain and update a cause-effect model, through an evidence based process?

Q5. A bias towards concluding shortfalls as a result of poor execution was described as the most omnipresent and dangerous enemy of innovation.

• True
• False

Q6. Within challenging innovation initiatives, generally managers should hold people accountable for outcomes.

• True
• False

Q7. Which is a key step in effectively addressing the biases arising from blaming shortfalls on outcomes being too low?

• Recognition of the need to offer an alternative planning & evaluation system
• Work on better implementation of the plan
• Recognize the need to work harder
• Implement a new training program for managers

Q8. If your organization has autonomous innovation and the capabilities needed exist outside the organization, what approach should you take?

• Integrated Approach
• Virtual Approach
• Open Innovation Approach
• User-driven Approach

Q9. As your firm moves toward a more virtual approach, the ability to resolve conflicts and coordinate activities increases.

• True
• False

Q10. An integrated approach is rarely more beneficial than a virtual approach in today’s fast-moving business environments.

• True
• False

Q11. What is a fundamental choice that managers face in business that was related to the choice to either develop innovations inside the firm or innovate across firm boundaries?

• Leader or Follower decision
• Centralization or Decentralization
• Long-term or Short-term predictions
• Make-or-Buy decision

Q12. Which of the following is NOT a reason why implementation of ventures/alliances is problematic?

• Demanding federal and state regulations
• Misalignment in strategic goals
• Difficulties gaining commitment by employees
• Problems sharing needed resources

Q13. When organization building in an alliance or joint venture environment, it is important to build in incentives to make employees comfortable working in a new venture.

• True
• False

Q14. Key issues in product direction and marketing cannot be resolved in advance of creation of the alliance/venture.

• True
• False

Q15. Which answer includes three elements that were described as central and often under-developed when designing joint ventures and alliances?

• Strategic alignment, resource sharing, and product specification
• Strategic alignment, resource sharing, and economic considerations
• Strategic alignment, product specification, and resource sharing
• Strategic alignment, resource sharing, and governance & decision-making

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