Exam 6: Innovation and Change

Technological discontinuities are followed by discontinuous change characterized by technological substitution and design competition.

Covisint is an e-commerce venture involving many car manufacturers that allows carmakers access to online auctions for buying component parts and materials. Because the idea of such a Web site was a new concept, the prototype site was built and tested, then revised and rebuilt for further testing before the Web site was ever offered to customers. The management concept of ____ was used to develop Covisint.

The three steps in the basic process of managing organizational change outlined by Kurt Lewin are ____.

____ is the phase of a technology cycle characterized by technological substitution and design competition.

Explain the difference between activity-oriented and results-driven change. List the advantages of the results-driven approach to change. Characterize each of the approaches to organizational change presented in the text in terms of their apparent degree of emphasis on activities or results.

Differentiate between the experiential and compression approaches to innovation. What is the single component that both approaches have in common?

____ refers to the production of novel and useful ideas.

Patterns of innovation over time that can create sustainable competitive advantage are called ____.

Hewlett-Packard is currently exploring new products and markets through the development of digital imaging products in its plants in India, South Africa, and the United States. To jump-start this innovative process, Hewlett-Packard can ____ across all of its plants around the world.

Identify the methods that can be used to manage resistance to change. Which one should be used only as a last resort?

Briefly describe the typical pattern of technology cycles that occurs during technological innovation.

Organizational ____ is the successful implementation of creative ideas in organizations.

In the typical S-curve pattern of innovation, increased effort (i.e., money, research, and development)brings only small improvements in technological performance when performance limits of the technology are reached ____.

Resistance to change usually results from organizational factors: such as the absence of promotion guidelines, bonuses, and praise.

Tom Valerio was the point man on a major push to reinvent CIGNA Property & Casualty. His vision for CIGNA was to become a top-quartile, specialist property and casualty company. It was a radical proposition. Valerio was a(n)____.

Levi Strauss Emily Morgan is a 30-year veteran at Levi Strauss & Company. She joined the company as a secretary in the advertising department and slowly began rising through the ranks. The more she saw how the company worked, the more dissatisfied she became. According to Morgan, the company was "dysfunctional" and "internally competitive, one division against another." This is why Morgan became a part of the change initiative when talk of reinventing the company spread through headquarters. She led the team that designed the Develop Sources process, a system for working with suppliers. When Morgan became vice president for fulfillment, Asia, her job was to convince Levi's Asia suppliers to adopt more efficient production and distribution techniques. The Asian suppliers were afraid of change. Once Morgan and her staff showed suppliers how use of the Develop Sources program would benefit them, Morgan's job to transform Levi's Asian operations became easier. Refer to Levi Strauss. Which of the specific techniques for dealing with resistance to change did Morgan use to convince the Asian suppliers that it was in their best interest to adopt the Develop Sources process?

During the ____ phase of a technology cycle, companies innovate by lowering the cost and improving the functioning and performance of the dominant design.

Which of the following is NOT one of the basic methods for managing resistance to change?

Explain how the concept of innovation streams relates to the concept of sustainable competitive advantage. Give an example of how this occurs in the business world.

Kodak is a company associated with photography. The company has recognized that digital photography is a threat to the future growth of the company. Therefore, the company has decided to become a market leader in digital imaging while still providing customer support for people still using film cameras. The existence of both technologies is an example of ____.