Question 1

When an organization tries to improve cycle times in a manufacturing process,it finds far more value in problem solving shaped by the diverse experiences,perspectives,and learning of a tightly knit team (shared through knowledge flows)than in a training manual (knowledge stocks)alone.

Accepted Answer

Today, success hinges on the ability to access a growing variety of knowledge flows in order to rapidly replenish company knowledge stocks. When an organization tries to improve cycle times in a manufacturing process, it finds far more value in problem solving shaped by the diverse experiences, perspectives, and learning of a tightly knit team (shared through knowledge flows) than in a training manual (knowledge stocks) alone.

Question 2

Explicit knowledge is generally known to everyone in the firm and is not a critical concern of management.

Accepted Answer

Explicit (or codified) knowledge is knowledge that can be documented, widely distributed, and easily replicated. One of the challenges of knowledge-intensive organizations is to capture and codify the knowledge and experience that, in effect, resides in the heads of its employees. Otherwise, they will have to constantly reinvent the wheel, which is both expensive and inefficient.

Question 3

Technology can be used to leverage human capital and knowledge within organizations as well as with customers and suppliers beyond their boundaries.

Accepted Answer

Technology can be used to leverage human capital and knowledge within organizations as well as with customers and suppliers beyond their boundaries. Two means for sharing knowledge include emails and knowledge-sharing platforms.

Question 4

At Accenture,the knowledge of its consultants has been codified and stored in electronic repositories and,therefore,cannot be employed in many jobs by their huge number of consultants.

Accepted Answer

At Accenture, since the knowledge of its consultants has been codified and stored in electronic repositories, it can be employed in many jobs by a huge number of consultants. Additionally, since the work has a high level of standardization (i.e., there are strong similarities across the numerous client engagements), there is a rather high ratio of consultants to partners.

Question 5

The use of communication platforms such as the Cisco Integrated Workforce Experience (IWE)permits companies to push out information where it is needed.

Accepted Answer

Cisco launched Integrated Workforce Experience (IWE) in 2010. It is a social business platform designed to facilitate internal and external collaboration and decentralize decision making. A Cisco manager suggests that it makes recommendations based on what you are doing, the role you are in and the choices of other people like you. He claims that they are taking that to the enterprise level and basically allowing appropriate information to find you.

Question 6

According to the text,effective e-teams identify group members with a proper balance of technical and interpersonal skills.

Accepted Answer

The potential for process losses tends to be more prevalent in e-teams than in traditional teams, because the geographical dispersion of members increases the complexity of establishing effective interaction and exchanges. Such problems can be exacerbated when team members have less than ideal competencies and social skills. This can erode problem-solving capabilities as well as the effective functioning of the group as a social unit.

Question 7

Most of the interactions among members of e-teams occur through electronic communication channels such as fax machines and groupware tools such as email,bulletin boards,chat,and videoconferencing.

Accepted Answer

There are two key differences between e-teams and more traditional teams. E-team members either work in geographically separated workplaces or may work in the same space but at different times. E-teams may have members working in different spaces and time zones, as is the case with many multinational teams. Most of the interactions among members of e-teams occur through electronic communication channels such as fax machines and groupware tools such as email, bulletin boards, chat, and videoconferencing.

Question 8

The potential for process losses tends to be less prevalent in e-teams than in traditional teams because the geographic dispersion of members increases the complexity of establishing effective interaction and exchanges.

Accepted Answer

The potential for process losses tends to be more prevalent in e-teams than in traditional teams because the geographic dispersion of members increases the complexity of establishing effective interaction and exchanges.

Question 9

Cisco launched Integrated Workforce Experience (IWE)in 2010.It is a social business platform designed to facilitate internal and external collaboration and decentralize decision making.It functions much like a Facebook wall in that a real-time news feed provides updates on employee status and activities as well as information about relevant communities,business projects,and customer and partner interactions.This is a reason to totally eliminate email.

Accepted Answer

Technology can also enable much more sophisticated forms of communication in addition to knowledge sharing. Cisco launched Integrated Workforce Experience (IWE) in 2010. It is a social business platform designed to facilitate internal and external collaboration and decentralize decision making. It functions much like a Facebook wall in that a real-time news feed provides updates on employee status and activities as well as information about relevant communities, business projects, and customer and partner interactions. This is a different function from email and therefore does not replace it entirely.

Question 10

Generally,teams suffer process loss because of low cohesion,low trust among members,a lack of appropriate norms or standard operating procedures,or a lack of shared understanding among team members about their tasks.

Accepted Answer

Generally, teams suffer process loss because of low cohesion, low trust among members, a lack of appropriate norms or standard operating procedures, or a lack of shared understanding among team members about their tasks.

Question 11

Since electronic teams (e-teams)seldom meet face-to-face,it is not important for them to be concerned with how to combine individual contributions effectively.

Accepted Answer

Successful action by both traditional teams and e-teams requires that e-team leaders and key members know how to combine individual contributions in the most effective manner for a coordinated and appropriate response.

Question 12

The management of intellectual property (IP)involves,besides patents,contracts with confidentiality and non-compete clauses,copyrights,and the development of trademarks.

Accepted Answer

The management of intellectual property (IP) involves, besides patents, contracts with confidentiality and non-compete clauses, copyrights, and the development of trademarks.

Question 13

E-teams do not have the potential to acquire a broader range of human capital or the skills and capacities that are necessary to complete complex assignments.

Accepted Answer

There are multiple advantages of e-teams. They are less restricted by the geographic constraints that are placed on face-to-face teams. Thus, e-teams have the potential to acquire a broader range of human capital or the skills and capacities that are necessary to complete complex assignments.

Question 14

Intellectual property rights are easier to define and protect than property rights for physical assets (e.g.,plant and equipment).

Accepted Answer

Intellectual property rights are more difficult to define and protect than property rights for physical assets (e.g., plant, equipment, and land). If, however, intellectual property rights are not reliably protected by the state, there will be no incentive to develop new products and services.

Question 15

Given the narrower boundaries associated with e-teams,members and leaders generally have limited access to a wider range of social contacts than would be typically available in more traditional face-to-face teams.

Accepted Answer

Given the broader boundaries associated with e-teams, members and leaders generally have access to a wider range of social contacts than would be typically available in more traditional face-to-face teams.

Question 16

One should only rely on communication platforms and never on email for communicating information.

Accepted Answer

Sharing knowledge and information throughout the organization can be a means of conserving resources, developing products and services, and creating new opportunities. We discuss how technology can be used to leverage human capital and knowledge within organizations as well as with customers and suppliers beyond their boundaries. This includes the use of email and communication platforms.

Question 17

Technology can also enable much more sophisticated forms of communication in addition to knowledge sharing.

Accepted Answer

Technology can also enable much more sophisticated forms of communication in addition to knowledge sharing. Cisco, for example, launched Integrated Workforce Experience (IWE) in 2010. It is a social business platform designed to facilitate internal and external collaboration and decentralize decision making.

Question 18

One of the challenges of knowledge-intensive organizations is to capture and codify the knowledge and experience that,in effect,resides in the heads of its employees.This is known as explicit knowledge.

Accepted Answer

Tacit knowledge is embedded in personal experience and shared only with the consent and participation of the individual. Explicit (or codified) knowledge, on the other hand, is knowledge that can be documented, widely distributed, and easily replicated. One of the challenges of knowledge-intensive organizations is to capture and codify the knowledge and experience that, in effect, resides in the heads of its employees.

Question 19

Once a knowledge asset (e.g.,a software code)is developed and paid for,it can be used many times at very low cost as long as it does not have to be substantially modified each time.

Accepted Answer

One of the challenges of knowledge-intensive organizations is to capture and codify the knowledge and experience that, in effect, resides in the heads of its employees. Once a knowledge asset (e.g., a software code or processes) is developed and paid for, it can be reused many times at very low cost, assuming that it does not have to be substantially modified each time.

Question 20

Process losses prevent teams from reaching high levels of performance because of inefficient interaction dynamics among team members.

Accepted Answer

There are challenges associated with making e-teams effective. Successful action by both traditional teams and e-teams requires that: members identify who among them can provide the most appropriate knowledge and resources, and e-team leaders and key members know how to combine individual contributions in the most effective manner for a coordinated and appropriate response. Group psychologists have termed such activities identification and combination activities, and teams that fail to perform them face a process loss. Process losses prevent teams from reaching high levels of performance because of inefficient interaction dynamics among team members.

Quiz 4: Recognizing a Firms Intellectual Assets: Moving Beyond a Firms Tangible Resources