208KM Tutorial 3

Answers
Question 1
Can organisations operate across the entire spectrum of innovation activities?
Answer:
This question refers to Pearsons uncertainty map. Many firms concentrate their efforts on one
or two of these activities. For example, component suppliers in the automotive industry would
concentrate on improving existing components (quadrant 2) and working with the automotive
manufacturer to develop new features for the final product (quadrant 3). Some large firms may
cover three of these areas of activities. Only the largest firms, for example Microsoft, Siemens
and Mercedes are able to operate across all areas. Even the largest firms are increasingly
using collaborations and alliances to improve their performance in the areas in which they
perceive they are not strong.

Question 2
Explain the fundamental dilemma facing organisations and the tensions it creates.
Answer:
This is a difficult question to answer well. This is because it strikes at one of the most
fundamental dilemmas in business management. It is faced by both small and large firms as
well as established bureaucratic firms and new organic and dynamic firms. It is not something
that can be solved; it must just be managed as best as one can. Firms that have been
successful over a long period of time can be said to have managed this dilemma, but it has to
be constantly and continually managed. If it is not, darkness and failures lie around the corner.

Question 3
How can the uncertainty map help managers?
Answer:
This simple representation of the different environments in an R&D environment helps to
identify the different organisational and managerial requirements necessary for one to be
successful in each of the four areas. For example, development engineering is a very different
activity to that of applications engineering . The former requires much more input and emphasis
on manufacturing technologies, whereas applications engineering requires considerable input
from the market in the form of intelligence about routes to market, competitor products, etc.

Question 4
Discuss the challenges faced by a conductor of an orchestra and the extent to which
these are similar to that of managing research in an organisation?
Answer:
The conductor of any orchestra has to try to organise a large group of highly creative and
talented individual musicians. It is his ability to get the musicians to work together, which will
determine whether the orchestra sounds any good. While individual creative inspiration on the
football pitch may sometimes be desirable there is no place for such individual inspiration within
an orchestra. Yet, at the same the conductor needs his musicians to perform at their best, so he
can hardly go around scolding them. Such individual creativity and talent is found in scientists,
they too need to be encouraged to work together.

Question 5
Discuss the main organisational characteristics that facilitate the innovation process.
Answer:
You need to refer to Figure 3.4 and Table 3.2. Both of these offer an overview of the
factors that influence the innovation process. Each one of the factors in Table 3.2 needs to be
explained and then show how it influences the innovation process. This can be illustrated by
referring to the framework triangle at the end of Chapter 1.

Question 6
Explain the key individual roles within the innovation process and the activities they
perform.
Answer:
You need to refer to Table 3.4 which lists many of the key organisational roles identified
within the literature. Once again each of these needs to be explained and then show how this
role influences the innovation process. What this area illustrates is that the innovation process
is dependent on individuals performing roles and it reinforces the idea that innovation is a
process that can be and is managed.