Exam 6: Innovation and Adaptability

Refer to the scenario below to answer the following questions. Innovation Variables at Lightspeed (Scenario) 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 team. 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?

Refer to the scenario below to answer the following questions. New Ideas Inc. (Scenario) Though New Ideas Inc. has been in business for 30 years, the company and its employees have seemingly been in a constant state of change. Paul Gill has been president of New Ideas for the last 15 years. During this time, he has had to change the strategic focus of the company three times. The employees have become vocal recently about the decrease in their bonus cheques and are wanting to increased profits. It seems as though his competition is always introducing new products into the market, and the niches Gill thought New Ideas held leadership in are always changing. Recently the government has been active in passing new legislation to increase the control of the product packaging and product contents. The technology used to manufacture the products is constantly improving with the use of robotics to make the process more efficient. -The robotics change in the manufacturing process to make it more efficient is the result a competitor lowering their price. Therefore it is a(n) __________ force for change.

In organizations, people who act as catalysts and assume the responsibility for managing the change process are called __________ agents.