Question 1

One of the important limitations of social capital is that it can lead to ________ whereby people do not question shared beliefs.
A) skunkworks
B) think tanks
C) isolation
D) groupthink

Accepted Answer

First, some firms have been adversely affected by very high levels of social capital because it may breed groupthink-a tendency not to question shared beliefs. Such thinking may occur in networks with high levels of closure where there is little input from people outside the network. In effect, too many warm and fuzzy feelings among group members prevent people from rigorously challenging each other.

Question 2

The ________,________,and ________ talent is a necessary but not sufficient condition for creating competitive advantages.
A) attraction; laissez-faire; retention of
B) observance; laissez-faire; regard for
C) attraction; development; retention of
D) observance; development; hands-off approach to

Accepted Answer

The attraction, development, and retention of talent is a necessary but not sufficient condition for creating competitive advantages.

Question 3

An advantage of effective social networks that might help in career success is
A) public information from personal contacts.
B) private information from personal contacts.
C) trustworthy public information.
D) untrustworthy private information.

Accepted Answer

Private information from personal contacts can offer something not found in publicly available sources, such as the release date of a new product or knowledge about what a particular interviewer looks for in candidates. Private information can give managers an edge, though it is more subjective than public information because it cannot be easily verified by independent sources, such as Dunn and Bradstreet. Consequently, the value of your private information to others-and the value of private information of others to you-depends on how much trust exists in the network of relationships.

Question 4

Knowledge workers often exhibit ________ loyalties to their colleagues and their profession relative to their employing organization.
A) fewer
B) less favorable
C) no
D) greater

Accepted Answer

Knowledge workers often exhibit greater loyalties to their colleagues and their profession than their employing organization.

Question 5

In social network analysis,groups can become too insular and fail to share what they have learned with people outside the group.This is a result of
A) intellect.
B) closure.
C) bridging relationships.
D) diverse knowledge.

Accepted Answer

Groups that become too closed can become insular. They cut themselves off from the rest of the organization and fail to share what they are learning from people outside their group. Research shows that while managers need to encourage closure up to a point, if there is too much closure, they need to encourage people to open up their groups and infuse new ideas through bridging relationships.

Question 6

Social network analysis is helpful because the configuration of the group member social ties within and outside the group affects the extent to which members connect to individuals who do all of the following except
A) convey needed resources.
B) have the opportunity to exchange information and support.
C) ensure that everyone has the same perspective on strategic and operational issues.
D) have the motivation to treat each other in positive ways.

Accepted Answer

The configuration of group member social ties within and outside the group affects the extent to which members connect to individuals who convey needed resources; have the opportunity to exchange information and support; have the motivation to treat each other in positive ways; and have the time to develop trusting relationships that might improve group effectiveness.

Question 7

In social network analysis,the importance of ties connecting heterogeneous people that help to ensure a wide range of diversity in information and perspective is known as
A) closure.
B) social supports.
C) redundancy.
D) bridging relationships.

Accepted Answer

Bridging relationships, in contrast to closure, stresses the importance of ties connecting people. Employees who bridge disconnected people tend to receive timely, diverse information because of their access to a wide range of heterogeneous information flows. Such bridging relationships span a number of different types of boundaries.

Question 8

Advantages of effective social networks for career success include all the following except
A) access to private information.
B) greater redundancy in knowledge sources.
C) access to diverse skill sets.
D) greater power.

Accepted Answer

Effective social networks can play a key role in the advancement and success of a personal career. A personal social network potentially can provide three unique advantages:private information, access to diverse skill sets, and power.

Question 9

Social networks can assist with career success.One of the advantages of having a large social network is
A) it can help provide more complete and unbiased perspectives on issues.
B) it creates ways to guard secrets.
C) it can create ways to solve problems alone.
D) it organizes ways to isolate problems from solutions.

Accepted Answer

While expertise has become more specialized during the past few decades, organizational, product, and marketing issues have become more interdisciplinary. This means that success is tied to the ability to transcend natural skill limitations through others. Highly diverse network relationships, therefore, can help you develop more complete, creative, and unbiased perspectives on issues. Trading information or skills with people whose experiences differ from your own provides you with unique, exceptionally valuable resources. It is common for people in relationships to share their problems. If you know enough people, you will begin to see how the problems that another person is struggling with can be solved by the solutions being developed by others. If you can bring together problems and solutions, it will greatly benefit your career.

Question 10

The use of information technology (e.g.,email)has increased in recent years in many organizations.This has helped to
A) make more effective use of time in every situation.
B) communicate information efficiently.
C) restrict social network growth.
D) create smaller social networks.

Accepted Answer

Email is an effective means of communicating a wide variety of information. It is quick, easy, and almost costless. Sharing knowledge and information throughout the organization can be a means of conserving resources, developing products and services, and creating new opportunities.

Question 11

The use of sophisticated information sharing platforms has increased in recent years in many organizations.This has helped to
A) facilitate internal and external collaboration.
B) keep employees satisfied with social networks.
C) override the need for email.
D) increase paperwork.

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 12

Top executives can use email effectively for all of the following except
A) updates on company strategy.
B) executive perspectives on key issues.
C) overview of the executive work for the month.
D) updates on corporate intelligence.

Accepted Answer

Martin Sorrell, chairman of WPP Group PLC, the huge 17 billion USD advertising and public relations firm, is a strong believer in the use of email. He emails all of his employees once a month to discuss how the company is doing, address specific issues, and offer his perspectives on hot issues, such as new business models for the Internet. He believes that it keeps people abreast of what he is working on. Corporate intelligence generally is a market research activity that is shared on a need-to-know list that is different from an email blast across the company.

Question 13

The Cisco Integrated Workforce Experience (IWE)platform is a social business platform designed to facilitate ________ and ________ collaboration and decentralize decision making.
A) internal; network-side
B) external; personal
C) external; individual
D) internal; external

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 14

Knowledge-based resources tend to be more ________ in nature and therefore they are ________ difficult to protect against loss (i.e.,the individual quitting the organization)than other types of capital,such as equipment,machinery,and land.
A) explicit; less
B) explicitly; more
C) tacit; more
D) tacit; less

Accepted Answer

Knowledge-based resources tend to be more tacit in nature and therefore they are much more difficult to protect against loss (i.e., the individual quitting the organization) than other types of capital, such as equipment, machinery, and land.

Question 15

The power of a manager,traditionally,was embedded in the hierarchy of the firm.As organizational structures flatten,this power is repositioned in the ________ of the network.These people are not necessarily at the top of the hierarchy or even experts in their fields.
A) clients
B) brokers
C) employees
D) suppliers

Accepted Answer

Traditionally, manager power was embedded in the hierarchy of the firm. But when corporate organizations became flatter, more like pancakes than pyramids, that power was repositioned in the brokers of the network (people who bridged multiple networks), who could adapt to changes in the organization, develop clients, and synthesize opposing points of view. Such brokers were not necessarily at the top of the hierarchy or experts in their fields, but they linked specialists in the firm with trustworthy and informative relationships.

Question 16

Social capital has downsides.Which of the following is a downside?
A) High social capital may breed groupthink.
B) Socialization processes are inexpensive.
C) Individuals may be more willing to collaborate on joint projects.
D) Management commitment is easy to obtain.

Accepted Answer

There are several downsides to social capital. Some firms have been adversely affected by very high levels of social capital because it may breed groupthink, a tendency not to question shared beliefs. Additionally, the socialization processes (orientation, training, etc.) can be expensive in terms of both financial resources and managerial commitment.

Question 17

Tying knowledge workers to a firm is part of the objective of the development of
A) intellectual capital.
B) explicit knowledge.
C) human capital.
D) social capital.

Accepted Answer

The development of social capital (that is, the friendships and working relationships among talented individuals) gains importance, because it helps tie knowledge workers to a given firm.

Question 18

Structural holes,according to Ron Burt of the University of Chicago,are the ________ gap between two groups and are common in organizations.
A) economic
B) social
C) interpersonal
D) relational

Accepted Answer

Ron Burt of the University of Chicago originally coined the term "structural holes" to refer to the social gap between two groups. Structural holes are common in organizations. When they occur in business, managers typically refer to them as silos or stovepipes. Sales and engineering are a classic example of two groups whose members traditionally interact with their peers rather than across groups.

Question 19

If employees are working effectively in teams and sharing their knowledge and learning from each other,they will be ________ to add value to the firm and they also will be ________ to leave the organization because of the loyalties and social ties that they develop over time.
A) more likely; more likely
B) less likely; more likely
C) less likely; less likely
D) more likely; less likely

Accepted Answer

If employees are working effectively in teams and sharing their knowledge and learning from each other, not only will they be more likely to add value to the firm, but they also will be less likely to leave the organization because of the loyalties and social ties that they develop over time.

Question 20

Which of the following reasons explains why painter Vincent van Gogh died penniless,while painter Pablo Picasso left a 740 million USD estate upon his death?
A) Van Gogh had a wider range of social connections.
B) Picasso had a wider range of social connections and bridging relationships.
C) Picasso was a solitary node with few connections.
D) Van Gogh was a hub who embedded himself in a vast network that stretched across various social lines.

Accepted Answer

These two artists enjoyed sharply contrasting levels of success during their lifetimes. Effective social networks provide many advantages for the firm. They can play a key role in the career advancement and success of an individual. A personal social network potentially can provide three unique advantages:private information, access to diverse skill sets, and power. Bridging relationships in a social network connect otherwise disconnected people. Employees who bridge disconnected people tend to receive timely, diverse information because of their access to a wide range of heterogeneous information flows. Such bridging relationships span a number of different types of boundaries.

Quiz 4: Recognizing a Firm's Intellectual Assets: Moving Beyond a Firm's Tangible Resources

One of the important limitations of social capital is that it can lead to ________ whereby people do not question shared beliefs.

The ,,and talent is a necessary but not sufficient condition for creating competitive advantages.

An advantage of effective social networks that might help in career success is

Knowledge workers often exhibit ________ loyalties to their colleagues and their profession relative to their employing organization.

In social network analysis,groups can become too insular and fail to share what they have learned with people outside the group.This is a result of

Social network analysis is helpful because the configuration of the group member social ties within and outside the group affects the extent to which members connect to individuals who do all of the following except

In social network analysis,the importance of ties connecting heterogeneous people that help to ensure a wide range of diversity in information and perspective is known as

Advantages of effective social networks for career success include all the following except

Social networks can assist with career success.One of the advantages of having a large social network is

The use of information technology (e.g.,email) has increased in recent years in many organizations.This has helped to

The use of sophisticated information sharing platforms has increased in recent years in many organizations.This has helped to

Top executives can use email effectively for all of the following except

The Cisco Integrated Workforce Experience (IWE) platform is a social business platform designed to facilitate and collaboration and decentralize decision making.

Knowledge-based resources tend to be more in nature and therefore they are difficult to protect against loss (i.e.,the individual quitting the organization) than other types of capital,such as equipment,machinery,and land.

The power of a manager,traditionally,was embedded in the hierarchy of the firm.As organizational structures flatten,this power is repositioned in the ________ of the network.These people are not necessarily at the top of the hierarchy or even experts in their fields.

Social capital has downsides.Which of the following is a downside?

Tying knowledge workers to a firm is part of the objective of the development of

Structural holes,according to Ron Burt of the University of Chicago,are the ________ gap between two groups and are common in organizations.

If employees are working effectively in teams and sharing their knowledge and learning from each other,they will be to add value to the firm and they also will be to leave the organization because of the loyalties and social ties that they develop over time.

Which of the following reasons explains why painter Vincent van Gogh died penniless,while painter Pablo Picasso left a 740 million USD estate upon his death?