Old exams Flashcards
Old exam Q!
Rosabeth Moss Kanter (“How great companies think differently”, 2011) states that successful firms become “institutions”.
Identify, describe and exemplify the principles
by which firms become institutions, according to Moss Kanter.
Correct answer: 1 p per concept, 1 p if description/examples are strong enough evidence you know what the concept means. Divided by 12.
Common purpose. Not just products; internally/externally
Long term orientation. Short term sacrifice; invest in robust operations, people
Emotional commitment. Internal/external; positive spirals; dialogue; real values
Cooperate with the public. Internationalisation; expansion; local affinity; understand the local
Innovation. Social needs a source of innovation; help others; processes and values, not just products and services
Self-organisation. Trust; less management needed; openness vertically and
horizontally; informality; super matrices
Old exam Q!
One of the challenges Hamel and Välikangas (“The Quest for Resilience”, 2003) identify for today’s companies is the “ideological challenge”. What do they mean by that? How can you manage that challenge?
- You need to demonstrate that you understand that this challenge is about embracing the paradox that says that you can in fact work simultaneously with momentum and
optimisation AND innovation and renewal = resilience 2points - Then you need to discuss the problems of e.g. Six Sigma and its view on variation and deviation in relation to innovation 2pt
- You should also indicate that you know that the 20th century has been strongly dominated by ideals of momentum and optimisation 1pt
- You should also indicate that this choice between momentum/optimisation and resilience is difficult because the two strategies are totally different in character. 1pt
- One way to approach this is through spinoffs in CoreCo v NewCo structure, where innovation is organised separately 1pt
- Or you could simply let go and let the owners take responsibility for the diversification of their portfolios 1pt
- But then crucial issue arises, that we might have given up on the idea of organisations capable of renewing themselves. 1pt
- If you had a fruitful discussion about spontaneity, automation and reflexivity you were rewarded 0,5 pts.
- If you also talked about Unity v Diversity you were given 0,5 pts.
In their MIT Sloan article, Sawhney et al. present a model called “the innovation
radar”. Discuss the different dimensions of the innovation radar and how companies
can use the innovation radar to improve their innovation performance.
The innovation radar encompasses four dimensions and another 8 sub
dimensions. If students identify the four dimensions and at least 4 sub
dimensions: 5 points
Shawn exemplify how the radar can be used by referring to how (1) how the
Ipod is novel in more than one dimension; (2) that the radar can be used to
benchmark innovation performance against competitors; (3) to identify and
pursue neglected dimensions of innovation (4) that successful strategy targets
a few dimensions, instead of pursing all dimensions at the same time. If
students identify and discuss at least three of these usages or equivalent
others: 5p.
According to Porter & Kramer (2011), successful “shared/societal value” strategies
can typically be achieved in three ways. Which are these? What do they include?
Identify, describe, and exemplify each of the three.
Correct answer (1/3 each):
1. Reconceive Products and Markets
a. Is our product good for our customers?
b. Corporations more effective than gov and NGO when it comes to
driving change
c. Search for instances in need of development
d. Make sure you truly understand the needs of the markets and what you
can do about it
- Redefine Productivity in the Value-Chain
New ways of looking at efficiency and cost
a. Energy
b. Resource use
c. Procurement
d. Distribution
e. Employee productivity
f. Location
- Enable local cluster development
a. Strengthen the local society, e.g. through infrastructure, education,
healthcare, inclusion etc, because this will improve your operations in
the long run.
b. Take responsibility and show you care. CSR.
One of the challenges Hamel and Välikangas (“The Quest for Resilience”, 2003)
identify for today’s companies is the “strategic challenge”. What do they mean by
that? How can you manage that challenge?
About Valuing Variety 2 p
The range of options correspond to the scope of change in environment (requisite
variety) 2 p
Take smaller pieces, not necessarily “big bets” 2 p
A problem from the Industrial age where variety was a problem (cf eg Six Sigma) 2 p
R&D, Innovation must be linked to business 2 p
