Exam 7: Innovation and Adaptability

In a short essay,describe in detail what is meant by creativity and innovation.Next,discuss the three sets of variables that have been found to stimulate innovation.

Free

(Essay)

4.9/5

(31)

Question 1

Correct Answer:

Verified

1.Creativity refers to the ability to combine ideas in a unique way or to make unusual associations between ideas.An organization that stimulates creativity develops unique ways to work or novel solutions to problems.Innovation is the process of taking a creative idea and turning it into a useful product,service,or method of operation.Thus,the innovative organization is characterized by its ability to channel creativity into useful outcomes.When managers talk about changing an organization to make it more creative,they usually mean they want to stimulate and nurture innovation. 2.The three sets of variables that have been found to stimulate innovation are the organization's structure,culture,and human resource practices.Structural variables: Research into the effect of structural variables on innovation shows three things.First,organic structures positively influence innovation.Second,the easy availability of plentiful resources provides a key building block for innovation.Finally,frequent interunit communication helps break down barriers to innovation.Cultural variables: Innovative organizations tend to have similar cultures.They encourage experimentation,reward both successes and failures,and celebrate mistakes.Human resource variables: Within the human resource category,innovative organizations actively promote the training and development of their members so that their knowledge remains current,offer their employees high job security to reduce the fear of getting fired for making mistakes,and encourage individuals to become "champions" of change.

According to Lewin,the objective of refreezing is to ________.

Free

(Multiple Choice)

4.7/5

(36)

Question 2

Correct Answer:

Verified

Edwin Lee leads a cross-functional product development team at Lightspeed.com, a software company with employees in 10 countries around the world. The members of Edwin's team are hard-working and highly creative, but he wonders if there are ways to stimulate more innovation from the team. As the company has grown, so too has the bureaucracy. Numerous rules and policies have been introduced, and decision making has become highly centralized. This has resulted in resource limitations and tight project deadlines. Fortunately, with the use of web cams and other Internet technology, Edwin is able to hold frequent meetings with his global cross-functional teams. And despite some structural limitations, the company's culture does seem to foster creative solutions. Diverse opinions are encouraged, and even the most unrealistic, "off-the-wall" solutions are accepted without criticism. Mistakes are treated as learning opportunities—a good thing, since there have definitely been some mistakes! -Which cultural variable relates to the acceptance of "off-the wall" solutions at Lightspeed?

Free

(Multiple Choice)

4.9/5

(33)

Question 3

Correct Answer:

Verified

Sensitivity training is a method of changing behaviour through unstructured group interaction.

(True/False)

4.8/5

(34)

Question 4

The ________ metaphor compares an organization to a group of complete strangers aboard a raft travelling at night toward an uncertain destination.

(Multiple Choice)

4.8/5

(41)

Question 5

Managing change is an integral part of every manager's job.

(True/False)

4.8/5

(30)

Question 6

Edwin Lee leads a cross-functional product development team at Lightspeed.com, a software company with employees in 10 countries around the world. The members of Edwin's team are hard-working and highly creative, but he wonders if there are ways to stimulate more innovation from the team. As the company has grown, so too has the bureaucracy. Numerous rules and policies have been introduced, and decision making has become highly centralized. This has resulted in resource limitations and tight project deadlines. Fortunately, with the use of web cams and other Internet technology, Edwin is able to hold frequent meetings with his global cross-functional teams. And despite some structural limitations, the company's culture does seem to foster creative solutions. Diverse opinions are encouraged, and even the most unrealistic, "off-the-wall" solutions are accepted without criticism. Mistakes are treated as learning opportunities—a good thing, since there have definitely been some mistakes! -Which structural variable that can foster innovation is present already at Lightspeed?

(Multiple Choice)

4.9/5

(34)

Question 7

Edwin Edwards is a team leader for Lightspeed.com, an e-business that has employees in every global time zone. Some of the factors that the team has to contend with are deadlines, strong work ethic, creativity-innovation chain, high-speed turnaround, and professionalism. As a team leader, Edwin sees team members via videoconference only a few times per year or via compressed video via Internet a few times more per year. A frustration that he is encountering himself is that he works with all of these people and does not have control over their "actual" work or the few organizational rules, regulations, and policies. Yet, due to the position he is in, he feels he gets all of their complaints. The team does not deal well when a member offers an "off-the-wall" solution to a team problem. Team members seem to have more trouble with this than any other team-conflict issue. What he likes most about leading the team is that they seem to prefer getting their objectives accomplished instead of wasting time trying to decide who should be doing what tasks. -If Edwin decided to introduce new methods and work processes,he would be making a change in which of the following categories?

(Multiple Choice)

4.8/5

(30)

Question 8

In order to make change happen successfully,managers need to understand their own role in the process.

(True/False)

4.9/5

(42)

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of a structural variable that can foster innovation?

(Multiple Choice)

4.9/5

(44)

Question 10

A change in demand for health care employees is an example of an economic change.

(True/False)

4.9/5

(42)

Question 11

According to our textbook,managers' options for change fall into which three categories?

(Multiple Choice)

4.8/5

(42)

Question 12

For business success,today's organizations need to be proactive which means they are able to adapt to the circumstances as required.

(True/False)

4.9/5

(32)

Question 13

Allowing employees who resist change to participate in the change efforts has potential for a poor solution.

(True/False)

4.9/5

(37)

Question 14

________ is a key characteristic of entrepreneurial ventures.

(Multiple Choice)

4.8/5

(30)

Question 15

Edwin Lee leads a cross-functional product development team at Lightspeed.com, a software company with employees in 10 countries around the world. The members of Edwin's team are hard-working and highly creative, but he wonders if there are ways to stimulate more innovation from the team. As the company has grown, so too has the bureaucracy. Numerous rules and policies have been introduced, and decision making has become highly centralized. This has resulted in resource limitations and tight project deadlines. Fortunately, with the use of web cams and other Internet technology, Edwin is able to hold frequent meetings with his global cross-functional teams. And despite some structural limitations, the company's culture does seem to foster creative solutions. Diverse opinions are encouraged, and even the most unrealistic, "off-the-wall" solutions are accepted without criticism. Mistakes are treated as learning opportunities—a good thing, since there have definitely been some mistakes! -Which cultural variable relates to the acceptance of diverse opinions at Lightspeed?

(Multiple Choice)

4.9/5

(31)

Question 16

Technology and competition are internal forces for change.

(True/False)

4.7/5

(39)

Question 17

Lewin's three-step process treats change simply as a break in the organization's equilibrium state.

(True/False)

4.8/5

(33)

Question 18

An innovative culture is likely to have ________.

(Multiple Choice)

4.9/5

(42)

Question 19

Adaptability requires forward-thinking leadership within organizations whereby they proactively ________.

(Multiple Choice)

4.8/5

(29)

Question 20

Showing 1 - 20 of 152

In a short essay,describe in detail what is meant by creativity and innovation.Next,discuss the three sets of variables that have been found to stimulate innovation.

According to Lewin,the objective of refreezing is to ________.

Sensitivity training is a method of changing behaviour through unstructured group interaction.

The ________ metaphor compares an organization to a group of complete strangers aboard a raft travelling at night toward an uncertain destination.

Managing change is an integral part of every manager's job.

In order to make change happen successfully,managers need to understand their own role in the process.

Which of the following is an example of a structural variable that can foster innovation?

A change in demand for health care employees is an example of an economic change.

According to our textbook,managers' options for change fall into which three categories?

For business success,today's organizations need to be proactive which means they are able to adapt to the circumstances as required.

Allowing employees who resist change to participate in the change efforts has potential for a poor solution.

________ is a key characteristic of entrepreneurial ventures.

Technology and competition are internal forces for change.

Lewin's three-step process treats change simply as a break in the organization's equilibrium state.

An innovative culture is likely to have ________.

Adaptability requires forward-thinking leadership within organizations whereby they proactively ________.

Introduction to Management and Organizations

Organizational Culture and the Organizational Environment

Managing Diversity

Managing in a Global Environment

Managing Entrepreneurially

Managing Responsibly and Ethically

Decision Making

Foundations of Planning

Managing Strategically

Designing Organizational Structure

Managers and Communication

Managing Human Resources

Leadership

Motivating Employees

Managing Groups and Teams

Evidence-Based Decision Making

Filters