NAME: ___________________________

SURNAME: ___________________________
ID (matricola): ___________________________

LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION

A.Y. 2014/2015
Exam Call of September 7th, 2015
□ ATTENDING – Team N: _____________
□ NON-ATTENDING

□ If requirements are met, I would like to take the optional oral exam.

DURATION: 1h 30min
RULES:
 The questions have been formulated thoroughly and they intend to have a precise and clear answer.
 The answers have to fit in the space that has been allocated to each of them.
 The synthesis ability it will be positively evaluated.
 We will NOT accept any extra/scratch pages.

1) Which are the main phases of the creative process? Please fill the table indicating the name of the
phase and a brief description for each phase, making also an example of the creative process
followed during your experience in team work

Phase Description Example

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2) Imagine you are a high quality car maker who wants to develop a new electric vehicle. Which type of
user needs analysis methodology you suggest to use? Why ethnography can have some limits in this
context? What are the type of users you would select for analysis.
a) Suggested methodology: _________________________________
b) Motivation:

c) Limits of ethnography:

d) Type of users:

3) What is the difference between validative and exploratory test of a product/service/solution? Could
you please make an example of each of the two types of test?

Validative test Exploratory test

What is it?

Example

Main difference among the two:

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 Leadership & Innovation – Exam Call of September 7th, 2015
NAME: ___________________________
SURNAME: ___________________________
ID (matricola): ___________________________
4) The model of the “S-Curves” powerfully illustrates the difference between radical and incremental
innovation. However, it is based on a strong assumption. Which assumption? Which kind of
innovation does not it capture properly?

Question Answer

Which
assumption
underpins
the model of
the “S-
curves”?

Which kind
of
innovation
is not
properly
captured by
the model of
the “S-
curves”?

5) Imagine you are Nike, and you are engaged in a project aimed at finding new meanings for running
shoes. Provide two examples of interpreters that you would involve to assess your vision for new
meanings (just indicate which category of interpreters you would search for, e.g. a cook, a lawyer, an
hairdresser, …). Then explain why you picked them.

Category Why did you pick this category?

Interpreter

Interpreter

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6) Indicate the correct answer (only ONE choice is correct)

Questions:

6.1. The more a technology is adopted…

□ … the less valuable it becomes due to market saturation.

□ … the more susceptible it becomes to decreasing returns to adoption.
□ … the better are the opportunities for development of complementary assets.
□ … the lesser are the possibilities for improvements in the technology and its applications.

6.2. Genetech Inc. has produced a new generation video game console. The new product can still be
used to run the same games as the previous generation of the video game console. In this context,
Genetech is typically applying:

□ Backward integration.
□ Backward compatibility.
□ Backward linkage.
□ Backward traceability.

6.3. Which of the following statements is true of learning effects?

□ There are substantial differences in the rates at which organizations learn.

□ The learning rate is impervious to organizational factors, such as firm strategy.
□ As a technology is adopted, the rate of technical development of the technology decreases.
□ The cost of producing a unit rises as the number of units produced increases.

6.4. Imagine that Microsoft wants to estimate the “installed base” for Windows. What does this mean?
To assess the number of…:

□ Substitutes available for its software.

□ Developers working on its software.
□ Uses for which its software can be applied.
□ Users of its software.

6.5. Maverick Systems was a leader in the phone market and profits from its cell phones were very high.
Maverick Systems developed a new generation smartphone and has been advised by a consulting firm
to “embrace cannibalization.” This means that the company should:

□ Introduce the new technology right away and increase its market lead while taking away profits from its
present product.
□ Delay introduction of the next generation product until profits have begun to significantly decrease for
the current product.
□ Use up most of its financial resources in promoting the new phone.
□ Wait for the previous cell phone to become obsolete and then introduce this new phone into the
market.

6.6. Which of the following is true of outsourcing?

□ It involves significantly less transaction costs.

□ It is a way to meet market demand with a long-term capital commitment.
□ It is a great way for a company to develop in-house manufacturing capabilities.
□ It carries a risk of proprietary technology being expropriated by the contract manufacturer.

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 Leadership & Innovation – Exam Call of September 7th, 2015
NAME: ___________________________
SURNAME: ___________________________
ID (matricola): ___________________________
7) What is situational leadership? What is the key difference between the theories of situational
leadership and contingency theories of leadership? Which decision styles do you have to use with
unsecure followers? Which styles with followers unwilling to accomplish a task?
a. Definition of situational leadership (we suggest exploiting model(s) rooted in established literature).

b. Difference between the theories of situational leadership and contingency theories of leadership.

c. Imagine of having a follower able to accomplish a task, but insecure in accomplishing it. What would you
do in order to leverage of her/his potential? How your decision style would change in case the follower
would be unwilling to accomplish the task?

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8) Imagine of having to set the stage for starting a big reorganisation of a medium-sided company that
aims to switch from a pure functional form to a mainly divisional-oriented one. The CEO of the
organisation fixed a meeting with you for the next Friday through which deepening how to start up
the whole process. He asked you to organise your though around three phases, for which he asked
you to sketch preliminary ideas on what to do. Describe your ideas.

a. First phase (with details and/or theoretical models that could be useful exploits)

b. Second phase (with details and/or theoretical models that could be useful exploits)

c. Third phase (with details and/or theoretical models that could be useful exploits)

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 Leadership & Innovation – Exam Call of September 7th, 2015
NAME: ___________________________
SURNAME: ___________________________
ID (matricola): ___________________________

9) Why organisations are progressively switching from mentors to networks of mentors? What are the
two key dimensions over which classifying the various network associated to mentoring? What are
the four kind of networks associated to mentoring? Briefly describe them.
a. Why organisations are progressively switching from mentors to networks of mentors?

b. What are the two key dimensions over which classifying the various network associated to mentoring?

c. What are the four kind of networks associated to mentoring? Briefly describe them.