Management Engineering - Leadership & Innovation

Exam Simulation

Complete course

Leadership & Innovation 2021/2022 Exam Simulation © © Tommaso Buganza The rules • In order to take the exam you must be enrolled in the call through the online system 2 © © Tommaso Buganza Team Based 3 © © Tommaso Buganza The “Written” Exam The exam will be made of multiple -choice questions, in many cases based on real cases that need to be interpreted or read through models and theories seen during the course. On top of the multiple -choice, a justification of the answer will be asked. 4 © © Tommaso Buganza Premises This is the fifth call of Leadership and Innovation A.Y. 2019 -2020. You are accessing this exam through a personal link sent to your official institutional email. To share this link with someone else is a fraud . On the next page, you will see 5 questions regarding the Innovation part . -Each question has one correct answer among the four alternatives. -The fifth alternative is compulsory and it is an open space for the justification , which is essential to get the full points of the questions. Justifications will be checked even if you did not pick the right multiple choice. -Be sure to select only one of the answers (with the exception of the "Justify your answer" box which will be automatically select when you type the justification) -The 5 questions are randomly assigned to each student out of a wider pool of questions. Probabilities to have the same exam are incredibly low :-) One final note: many questions are based on real cases. To answer, consider only the information written in the text and not what you may know about the case. This part of the exam lasts 30 minutes, after which the survey will be closed. 5 © © Tommaso Buganza Premises 6 © © Tommaso Buganza Premises 7 © © Tommaso Buganza Innovation 8 Part 1: Innovation © © Tommaso Buganza • A plasma display is an emissive flat panel display where light is created by phosphors excited by a plasma discharge between two flat panels of glass. During the early 60s, the University of Illinois used regular televisions as computer monitors for their in -house computer network. The inventors of plasma researched the technology as an alternative to the cathode ray tube -based televisions being used till then. By July of 1964, the team had built the first plasma display panel with one single cell. After that, television broadcast companies considered developing plasma television as an alternative to televisions using cathode ray tubes. However, another technology was rising: LCD or liquid crystal displays made flat -screen television possible, which hindered the further commercial development of plasma displays. It took many years for plasma televisions to become successful. After more than 60 years of continuous improvements, today's plasma televisions use millions of cells and allow High resolutions on a flat screen. They display sharper contrasts and deeper blacks than LCD displays, and technological developments have increased their lifespan – which was a major drawback of Plasma displays and still remains lower than the LCDs. 9 Innovation - 1 © © Tommaso Buganza • The S -shaped curve of Plasma technology is today higher than that of LCD technology • The S -shaped curve of Plasma technology is today lower than that of LCD technology • Looking at both curves today, we may understand the investment policy pursued on both technologies in the past • A technology manager should compare the curves per each relevant performance before taking any investment decision on the two technologies 10 Innovation - 1 © © Tommaso Buganza • The S -shaped curve of Plasma technology is today higher than that of LCD technology • The S -shaped curve of Plasma technology is today lower than that of LCD technology • Looking at both curves today, we may understand the investment policy pursued on both technologies in the past • A technology manager should compare the curves per each relevant performance before taking any investment decision on the two technologies 11 Innovation - 1 © © Tommaso Buganza The S -Shaped curves help technology managers in understanding the evolutionary path of a technology. This means that, seeing how close they are to maturity phase they may decide to invest to one or another technology. The S -Shape curve considers only one parameter at the time, so the manager will have to compare different curves to reach a decision. A and B are false because the text mentioned two different performance, while the model manages only one performance. C is wrong because the “constant innovation effort” is a hypothesis of the model. 12 Innovation - 1 © © Tommaso Buganza S -shaped curves 13 ▪ S -Shape curves ▪ Time based evolution of a single parameter of a technology ▪ Hp: ▪ Limited growth (L) ▪ 3 Phases ▪ Constant innovation effort (b) Initiation Development Maturity L y t © © Tommaso Buganza Innovation - 2 3D Hubs calls itself "the world’s largest network of manufacturing services". 3D Hubs offers 3D printing, CNC Machining, and Injection Molding and operates a global network of manufacturing partners. Engineers can easily upload their design and instantly receive quotations from manufacturing partners. Once they select their preferred quotation they can close the order with a click and the manufacturing partner starts the production right away. 3D Hubs also releases a quarterly Digital Manufacturing Report covering recent trends in the manufacturing industry. The report includes print quality ratings, 3D printer model popularity, print categories, most used CNC and 3D printing materials, color choices, and demographics. The report is based on data from 6,000 active international suppliers that create over 200,000 parts each quarter.3D Hubs: 14 © © Tommaso Buganza • It is an industrywide platform where engineers can foster innovation • It is a non -transactional or orthogonal platforms because it uses the transactions on the platform to create the report in a client -as a target perspective • It is a transactional two -sided platforms linking engineers and manufacturing partners • It is an internal platform because it offers 3 d printing, CNC Machining and so on to other engineers 15 Innovation - 2 © © Tommaso Buganza • It is an industrywide platform where engineers can foster innovation • It is a non -transactional or orthogonal platforms because it uses the transactions on the platform to create the report in a client -as a target perspective • It is a transactional two -sided platforms linking engineers and manufacturing partners • It is an internal platform because it offers 3d printing, CNC Machining and so on to other engineers 16 Innovation - 2 © © Tommaso Buganza Engineers are on the first side, manufacturing partners on the second. There are cross -side network externalities between the two parties (more engineers make the platform more valuable for manufacturing partners and vice versa). The platform enables the transaction between the two. A: It is not an industry wide platforms since there are no complementary products “built on” the platform B: It enables transactions between the parties, so it can’t be non transactional. The usage of those data for “internal purposes” can be a value added service, but not a third side. Anyhow, the answer says “client -as -a -target” D: It is not a basic architecture upon which new products are developed. 17 Innovation - 2 © © Tommaso Buganza Innovation - 3 We all are familiar with the diamond frame of the nowadays bicycles, the main component of a bicycle, onto which wheels and other components are fitted. The diamond frame is not the most effective way of translating human leg force into speed. In the summer of 2016, Todd Reichert completed a 200 -meter measuring distance at a speed of 144.17 kilometers per hour on his self - constructed, fully covered recumbent (places the rider in a laid -back reclining position) "Eta". Graeme Obree , who set the hour record in track cycling in 1993 and 1994, is also experimenting with alternative frame shapes for bicycles: In September 2013 he set a new world speed record in prone position on his self -built Beastie Bike at the World Human Speed Championships in Battle Mountain (Nevada). Nevertheless, products not based on the diamond frame would be skeptically received by the market. Which of the following is true? 18 © © Tommaso Buganza • Diamond frame is an example of a dominant design • Diamond frame is not the dominant design because of its inferior performance • Emergence of Beastie Bike and Eta marks the beginning of the transition phase in the Abernathy -Utterback model • Emergence of Beastie Bike and Eta marks the beginning of the specific phase in the Abernathy -Utterback model 19 Innovation - 3 © © Tommaso Buganza • Diamond frame is an example of a dominant design • Diamond frame is not the dominant design because of its inferior performance • Emergence of Beastie Bike and Eta marks the beginning of the transition phase in the Abernathy -Utterback model • Emergence of Beastie Bike and Eta marks the beginning of the specific phase in the Abernathy -Utterback model 20 Innovation - 3 © © Tommaso Buganza It is a typical case of dominant design since it freezes the socio - economical context. It often happens that there are other designs with better performance (that’s why B is wrong), but the dominant design is able to summarize the needs of the vast majority of the market, and it represents the archetype of the product in both designer’s and user’s imagination. C and D are wrong because they may possibly start a new fluid phase. 21 Innovation - 3 © © Tommaso Buganza Dominant design 22 Incremental innovations Fluid Phase Technology Discontinuity Selection Dominant Design From: Tushman et al. (1997) Technology Discontinuity Selection Incremental innovations Fluid Phase Technology Discontinuity Selection Dominant Design © © Tommaso Buganza Innovation - 4 Calimoto is a GPS navigator specialized for motorcyclists. This is how they introduce themselves: "Winding country roads, nature and freedom. We want every rider to find the perfect route. Therefore, we have developed an app designed for motorcyclists. True to our motto “no more straight roads”. Whether you are looking for a nice route from A to B or a spontaneous round trip – our specialized winding road algorithm will always deliver the best ride. If you have a specific destination in mind, Calimoto will provide you with the perfect route along winding country roads. You want a spontaneous tour for two hours? Calimoto will calculate the appropriate round trip so you are back on time. Your motorcycle navigator and route planner – anywhere on your smartphone." 23 © © Tommaso Buganza • Calimoto is a good case of innovation of meaning, since it changes the reason why a motorcyclists should use a navigator • Calimoto is a good example of technology push innovation, since it uses the GPS to enable a new function which is not available in traditional navigators • Calimoto is a good example of platform innovation because it offers a service leveraging the data gathered during the usage of the service • Calimoto is a good example of market pull innovation, since all the bikers would love to avoid "straight roads" 24 Innovation - 4 © © Tommaso Buganza • Calimoto is a good case of innovation of meaning, since it changes the reason why a motorcyclists should use a navigator • Calimoto is a good example of technology push innovation, since it uses the GPS to enable a new function which is not available in traditional navigators • Calimoto is a good example of platform innovation because it offers a service leveraging the data gathered during the usage of the service • Calimoto is a good example of market pull innovation, since all the bikers would love to avoid "straight roads" 25 Innovation - 4 © © Tommaso Buganza The reason why a motorcyclist uses the navigator is not to reach a destination that can’t reach autonomously, but because he/she wants to discover new (curvy) roads or to sightsee an area finishing where it starts. It’s not a matter of technology push because it’s based on the traditional technologies used in app based navigators. It’s not a platform innovation because we have no information on possible client -as -a -source usage of the data, and anyhow using digital data to offer a service does not mean to foster platform innovation. It’s not market pull even though it’s answering a need, because it has not been “asked” by the customers or identified through any market pull techniques. 26 Innovation - 4 © © Tommaso Buganza Innovation - 5 Founded in 1899, Miele is a German manufacturer of high -end domestic appliances and commercial equipments . During a Miele investigation of the increasingly growing number of people with allergies, a mother was observed hoovering her child’s mattress multiple times. “Because then I know that it’s clean!” – she exclaimed when she was asked the reason why of that action. A few times later, a vacuum cleaner with hygiene sensors at the nozzle was released. This had a small light indicator that turned from red, through amber, to green as clean progress, allowing people with allergies to know when a room or cleaning surface was dust -free. The previous sentence describes an innovation coming from: 27 © © Tommaso Buganza 28 © © Tommaso Buganza • Lead Users Analysis: because a sample of customers are observed in their natural context to understand their behaviour • Ethnography: because users are observed in their natural context to understand their needs • Lead User Analysis: because users are expecting to obtain high benefit from a solution to their needs • Ethnography: because users are involved in the project cycles to leverage on their capability to spot innovative solutions 29 Innovation - 5 © © Tommaso Buganza • Lead Users Analysis: because a sample of customers are observed in their natural context to understand their behaviour • Ethnography: because users are observed in their natural context to understand their needs • Lead User Analysis: because users are expecting to obtain high benefit from a solution to their needs • Ethnography: because users are involved in the project cycles to leverage on their capability to spot innovative solutions 30 Innovation - 5 © © Tommaso Buganza It’s a typical case of ethnography, a technique that is based on users’ observation in the context of use to understand possible observable needs. It’s not D because in ethnographic research the users are observed, not involved. It’s not Lead Users since in that technique the users actually develop the innovation themselves. 31 Innovation - 5 © © Tommaso Buganza Leadership 32 Part 2: Leadership © © Tommaso Buganza Leadership - 1 Dear Anna, Thank you for the presentation of this morning, the client was very delighted by your proposal. Great performance, but I’d like to give you my feedback about your attitude. Last week when I texted you to offer some help on the project, I did it because I perceived you were struggling to keep up with the workload. I'd like to make clear that here “asking for help is not a fault”. We are a team and we should help each other. Please, the next time I’d appreciate you to ask for support and trust other team members in front of difficulties. Since I’m citing the issue of trust, I suggest you have a look at this book: “The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth” by Amy Edmonson. A great read for the summer! I’d love to hear your thoughts about psychological safety during our next 1 -to -1 in September. Finally, I’d like to let you know that I really appreciated the way you faced the Q&A session, this is the spirit of constructive criticism I was suggesting during our last lunch. Keep working this way, great job Best Mark Which model might help you in start defining Mark's leadership approach in dealing with Anna? 33 © © Tommaso Buganza 34 © © Tommaso Buganza • Transactional Leadership • Shared Leadership • Attribution theory • Managerial Grid 35 Leadership - 1 © © Tommaso Buganza None of the models fully explains completely Mark’s leadership approach towards Anna. Yet, no transactions are mentioned, nothing regarding attribution theory is said and no other leaders to share leadership with are mentioned. The Managerial grid has 2 axes: concern for people and concern for production. No information are provided about the latter while we have many information about the concern for people like : “asking for help is not a fault”; “We are a team and we should help each other”, “trust other team members” etc. Thus we can certainly say that the concern for people is high so the managerial grid can start providing information about Mark’s leadership approach in dealing with Anna. 36 Leadership - 1 © © Tommaso Buganza Leadership - 2 Judy is a project manager in a multinational company. Recently she has been assigned to a new project where she will have to manage a completely new team of people she never met before. At the Kick -Off meeting, she takes some minutes to introduce herself, telling about her background, career, and leadership style. In particular, at a certain point, she says: "Project needs are as important as people's needs. I believe in the necessity to care about people's well -being and focus on tasks and routine to attain organizational goals." Leveraging on the Managerial Grid Model, Judy’s style can be classified as: 37 © © Tommaso Buganza • TEAM MANAGEMENT: she is committed to people, besides he believe that interdependence through common goals brings to trust and good relationship • COUNTRY CLUB MANAGEMENT: she cares about friendly climate to bring people to fair productivity • AUTHORITY COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT: she believes that people’s needs do not have to interfere with the final goal • IMPOVERISHED MANAGEMENT: she believes that minimum effort is enough for defining the organizational belonging 38 Leadership - 2 © © Tommaso Buganza • TEAM MANAGEMENT: she is committed to people, besides he believe that interdependence through common goals brings to trust and good relationship • COUNTRY CLUB MANAGEMENT: she cares about friendly climate to bring people to fair productivity • AUTHORITY COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT: she believes that people’s needs do not have to interfere with the final goal • IMPOVERISHED MANAGEMENT: she believes that minimum effort is enough for defining the organizational belonging 39 Leadership - 2 © © Tommaso Buganza It is a typical case of team management, showing high concern for people (“projects are important as people’s needs”) and high concern for production as well “focus on tasks and routine to attain organizational goals”. 40 Leadership - 2 © © Tommaso Buganza 41 Managerial Grid Concern for production © © Tommaso Buganza Leadership - 3 Marta during her one to one meeting with her supervisor told him: “Since I joined our team, I perceive I change a lot, both professionally and personally. You challenged me to perform different kind of tasks and projects, making me aware of the importance to meet goals and expectations. Thanks to your guidance I perceive my self -esteem increased as well as my intrinsic interests in meeting goals and meaningful tasks”. According to Marta words, how would you describe Marta’s supervisor behavior? 42 © © Tommaso Buganza Leadership - 3 1. Inspirational motivation 2. Laissez Faire 3. Active Management by Exceptions 4. Intellectual stimulation 43 © © Tommaso Buganza Leadership - 3 1. Inspirational motivation 2. Laissez Faire 3. Active Management by Exceptions 4. Intellectual stimulation According to the transformational model: the leader challenges followers to be innovative and creative. A common misunderstanding is that transformational leaders are "soft," but the truth is that they constantly challenge followers to higher levels of performance. The key message that Marta is highlighting is being challenged by her supervisor. 44 © © Tommaso Buganza Transformational leadership 45 Transformational leadership Inspire followers to transcend their own self -interests and who are capable of having a profound and extraordinary Effect on followers Transactional leadership Guide followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements Active leader Passive leader Ineffective Leader Effective Leader Laissez faire Contingent reward Management by exceptions Intellectual stimulation Individualised consideration Idealised influence Inspirational motivation © © Tommaso Buganza Leadership - 4 Max is the latest intern hired by Teply , an energy company which aims at providing a wide range of energy -related services, developing innovative solutions. He is doing his final semester at MIP, where he is finishing an MBA. He has got good knowledge about Teply working field as he worked as a consultant in a different company, in the Energy Practice for 4 years. In that experience Max demonstrated to be autonomous and motivated. For this reason, Elisa (head of new service development in Teply ) decided to invest on him. He will be part of the most ambitious Team in Teply , a task force focused on the development of the most innovative electric mobility and fast -charging services. An unexplored competence for the whole Team but an extremely important business area for the strategic direction of the company. The first task of Max is revising 250 pages of reports to give Elisa a 2 -page memo about electric mobility in Singapore. According to the Situational Leadership Model, which kind of style should Elisa adopt with Max in her team? 46 © © Tommaso Buganza Leadership - 4 • Telling • Participating • Delegating • I don't have enough information to answer 47 © © Tommaso Buganza Leadership - 4 • Telling • Participating • Delegating • I don't have enough information to answer We have a lot of information on Max background, but we have no information regarding his readiness in the new job. He is experienced, but is he also willing and secure in the new environment and in such an important project? He has a lot of previous information, but is he also really able to perform such tasks in the new environment? Does he feel comfortable or terrified in being part of the most ambitious team in Teply ? We don’t have information regarding how Elisa should behave with him according to the situational leadership model. 48 © © Tommaso Buganza Situational Leadership 49 Q 3 . Q 4 . Q 2 Q 1 Low Task behaviour (guidance) High Low Supportive behaviour (relationship) High Explain decisions and provide clarification Selling Share ideas and facilitate in decision making Participating Turn over responsibility for decision and implementation Delegating Provide specific instruction and closely supervise performance Telling © © Tommaso Buganza Leadership - 5 John is at the first day of his new job as production manager at the Fruits&Co , a leading company in the transformation and packaging of dried fruits. As the first thing, he has a meeting with his boss Bob, the supply chain manager of the company. Bob says: “In our company performance is everything. Our production plant works on three shifts, 5 days per week in order to maximize production volumes: our market is expanding, and we need to keep the pace. Our main KPI is the OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) which enables us to understand our efficiency level of production. The results of all the people working in the production plant, including you, are linked to this indicator. As far as the OEE is above 80% per week, the plant is performing well, therefore everyone will receive a bonus in the paycheck of that week. If the target is not met, no bonus will be provided to anybody.” According to Bob’s words, he is… 50 © © Tommaso Buganza Leadership - 5 1. Defining contingent reward 2. Stimulating John Intellectually 3. Demonstrating Individualized Consideration 4. Managing passively by Exception 51 © © Tommaso Buganza Leadership - 5 1. Defining contingent reward 2. Stimulating John Intellectually 3. Demonstrating Individualized Consideration 4. Managing passively by Exception Bob is acting as a transactional leader: goal and expected outcome are clear, and defined; besides rewards and punishment over their completion are clear. Specifically, he is setting a contingent reward: he is clarifying rewards for successful performances (bonus on paycheck) and expectation (OEE > 80%) Being characteristics of the transformational leadership style, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration are wrong as the situation provided clearly shows the enactment of the transactional style. Furthermore, neither active nor passive management by exception are applicable because Bob does not take corrective actions to prevent mistakes and also there is no indication that he only intervenes when expectations or standards are unfulfilled. 52 © © Tommaso Buganza Transformational leadership 53 Transformational leadership Inspire followers to transcend their own self -interests and who are capable of having a profound and extraordinary Effect on followers Transactional leadership Guide followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements Active leader Passive leader Ineffective Leader Effective Leader Laissez faire Contingent reward Management by exceptions Intellectual stimulation Individualised consideration Idealised influence Inspirational motivation