Q- BANK 2016-17

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

Ch. 1. Innovation and why it matters.
1. What is innovation and why innovation matters? (Pg. 3-7)
2. Explain how innovation matters? (Pg. 9-15)
3. Explain in detail the 4 dimensions of innovation space. (Pg.23-29)
4. Explain in detail concepts of Incremental, Platform, Discontinuous,
Component/architecture Innovation and Innovation life cycle. (30-46)
5. What are the different sources/ triggers of Discontinuous innovation (Pg.
35-39)

Ch. 2. Innovation as a Core Business Process.

1. Write a short note on Services and innovation (Pg.61-66)
2. Explain how the statement- In managing innovation the size of the
organization and the innovation systems matter. (Pg. 68-74)
3. How innovations evolve in complex ways over a period of time? (Pg. 75-
77)
4. What are the problems faced in having partial mental models while
managing innovation? (Pg. 77-78)
5. Can we manage innovation which is enormously and complex process?
(Pg. 79-81)
6. What are the core abilities needed in managing innovation? (Pg. 82)
7. Despite the rich environment full of potential sources of innovation how
different organizations differ widely in their ability to innovate? (Pg. 83-85)
8. Draw and explain in detail the SSIC process model of innovation Search-
Select-Implement-Capture (Pg. 88-95)

Ch.3. Building Innovative Organizations

1. Explain the statement with an example of an innovative organization of
your choice. Innovation has nothing to do with how many R & D dollars
you have its not about money. Its about the people you have, how
youre led and how much you get it. Steve Jobs, interview with Fortune
Magazine, 1981. (General Knowledge)
2. Explain how shared vision, leadership and the will to innovate matters in
an innovative organization (Pg. 109 -115).
3. Explain how an appropriate organization structure is critical for developing
innovative products and processes. (Pg. 115-120)
4. How key individuals serve as enabling figures in championing innovations?
(Pg. 120-123)
5. Why creativity and innovation has to go beyond R & D and there is a need
for high involvement of everyone in innovation? (Pg. 124- 132)
6. In innovation, what are the key elements in effective high-performance
team working and what are the various characteristics that promote
effective teamwork? (Pg. 132 139)
 7. Microsoftss only factory asset is the human imagination (Bill Gates)
Explain how a creative climate fosters creativity and innovation (Pg. 139-
155)
8. How external focus and extensive networking for openness to new stimuli
form outside is a characteristic of successful innovating organizations?

Ch.4- Developing an Innovation Strategy

1. Explain in detail the Rationalist strategy for innovation and what are its
implications for management? (Pg.170-175)
2. Explain in detail the Incrementalist strategy for innovation and what are its
implications for management? (Pg. 175-178)
3. Explain the concept of Innovation Leadership Versus Followership. (Pg.179-
181)
4. Explain the 9 factors affect which influence the firms capacity to benefit
commercially from its technology? (188-195)
5. What are the differences amongst the industrial sectors in the sources and
directions of technological change and what are the 5 major technological
trajectories? (Pg. 195-197)
6. Explain the metaphor of the tree used by Hamel and Prahlad in in the
development of firm-specific competencies. (Pg.198-204)

Ch.5- Sources of Innovation

1. Explain in detail the wide range of stimuli which could be relevant in kick
starting the innovation journey. (Pg. 233-234)
2. Explain the concept of Knowledge Push in innovation (Pg. 234-236)
3. Explain the concept of Need Pull in innovation (Pg. 236-243)
4. What C.K.Prahlad meant when he used the term bottom of the pyramid
markets and what are the assumptions and reality associated with it? (246-
249)
5. What is mass customization and what are the options in customization? (Pg.
249-251)
6. How users can be innovators? (Pg. 252-256)
7. Tough customers mean good designs. Explain the concept of Extreme Users.
(256-258)
8. How learning from others (imitation) is a viable and successful strategy for
sourcing innovation? (Pg. 258-259).
9. What is recombinant innovation? Explain with an example) (Pg. 259-260)
10.What is Design-led Innovation? Explain with a diagram and example (Pg. 260-
261)
11.How legal regulations can be a two-edged sword that restricts as well as
opens up innovations? (Pg. 262)
12.How accidents have triggered important innovations. Explain with examples.
(Pg. 264-264)
13.How the Absorptive Capacity of the Organization plays a critical role in the
search, selection and implementation of the knowledge in innovation? (Pg.
271- 273)
 14.How the firms should balance Exploitation and Exploration in their quest
for innovation? (Pg. 273-274)
15.What are the various tools and mechanisms to enable search in innovations?
(Page 274 284)
16.Explain in detail the map of innovation search space and its 4 zones for the
ways in which innovation is managed. (Pg. 286-287)

Ch.6. Innovation Networks

1. Explain with examples the statement No man is an island in the context of
innovation. (Pg. 299-300).
2. Explain the Spaghetti model of Innovation. (Pg. 301-302)
3. Innovation has always been a multi-player game. Explain the concept of
Innovation networks. (Pg.302-309)
4. Why successful entrepreneurs recognize the need to network extensively?
Explain the need for networks at the start-up. (Pg. 309-311)
5. Increasingly firms are recognizing that the real need is for improved
knowledge networks inside the organization. Explain the concept of Networks
from inside. (Pg.311-312)
6. Why networks on the outside are important in open innovation? (Pg. 313-316)
7. Networks into the unknown How organizations should face the challenges of
building new networks and what are the barriers that they are likely to face? (
Pg. 316-317)
8. Why managing innovation networks as a system which is inter-organizational
in nature is important in innovation? ( Pg. 319-321)

Ch. 7 Decision making under uncertainty

1. What important tools and systems should be used for decision making in
Incremental Innovation? (Pg. 332 335)
2. Explain the concept of the Funnel of Uncertainty. (pg. 331-332)
3. Why decision making at the edge or making the right bets is important for
radical innovation. (Pg. 339-346)
4. Why Mapping the Selection Space with Environmental complexity and
Innovation are critical factors in deciding the course of action that the firm
should take. (Pg. 346-349).

Ch. 8 Building the Innovation Case

1. Which 9 aspects should be kept in mind while developing a formal business
plan? (Pg. 359 361)
2. Which 5 aspects should be kept in mind while selecting the forecasting tool
and what are the 4 most common methods used for forecasting? (Pg. 362-
369)
3. What are 5 characteristics of innovation? (Pg. 373-377)
4. Dealing with risk and uncertainty is central to the assessment of most
innovative projects. What are the most common issues to be managed in
risk assessment? (Pg. 378-384)

Chapter 9. Creating New Products and Services

 1. What are the challenges and the various processes involved in the New
Product and Service Development from concept to product commercialization
and review? (Pg. 405-412)
2. What are the factors influencing product success or failure? (Pg. 412-421)
3. What is the influence of Technology and Markets on commercialization?
4. Architectural products consist of novel combinations of existing technologies
that serve new markets or applications. In such cases the critical issue is to
identify or create new market segments. Explain this statement with
examples. (Pg. 430-437)
5. What are some fundamental differences between manufacturing and service
operations? (Pg. 446-449)

Ch.10. Exploiting open Innovation and Collaboration.

1. Almost all innovations demand some form of collaborative arrangement. Why
do firms collaborate and what are the forms and patterns of collaboration?
(Pg. 461-471).
2. Why firms should collaborate with suppliers and customers to innovate? (Pg.
486-490)
3. How lead users are critical to the development and adoption of complex
products? (Pg. 491)
4. What are the benefits and limits of open innovation? (Pg. 493)

Ch.11. Exploiting Entrepreneurship and new ventures.

1. Discuss the role and management of internal corporate ventures and new
ventures in the creation and execution of new technologies.
2. What are the factors influencing the decision to establish a venture? (Pg.
506-513)
3. What are the wide range of motives for establishing corporate ventures?
(Pg. 520-523)
4. Write a short note on University Incubators (Pg. 544-547)
5. What are the contributing factor s for the growth and performance of
innovative small firms (Pg. 549-556).

Ch.12. Capturing the benefits of Innovation.

1. How firms can create value through innovation? (Pg. 565-569)
2. How exploiting knowledge and intellectual property can be used in the
development and commercialization of innovations? (Pg. 573-594)
3. Write short notes on: Innovation and Economic Development. (Pg. 595-598)
4. Write short notes on: Innovation and Social Change.(Pg. 598-606)
5. Write short notes on: Innovation and Sustainability. (Pg. 606-611)

Ch.13. Capturing Learning from Innovation.

1. Elaborate on the statement: Innovation is a journey a complex fitful travel
through uncertain territory involving false starts, wrong directions, blind
alleys and unexpected problems.
2. What aspects should be kept in mind while measure innovation? (Pg. 631-
632)