CGM CGM Technology & Innovation Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A general manager overseeing a digital transformation initiative should FIRST:
- Purchase the latest technology available
- Assess organizational readiness and align technology with business goals (Correct answer)
- Outsource all IT functions immediately
- Eliminate all legacy systems at once
Correct answer: Assess organizational readiness and align technology with business goals
Digital transformation must start with an assessment of readiness and a clear alignment between technology investments and strategic objectives.
Question 2: Which metric BEST measures the return on a technology investment (ROI) for a new software system?
- Number of employees trained on the system
- Net benefits minus costs divided by total costs (Correct answer)
- The vendor's customer satisfaction score
- Number of features included in the software
Correct answer: Net benefits minus costs divided by total costs
ROI is calculated as net benefits minus costs divided by total costs, expressed as a percentage.
Question 3: In technology project management, a 'minimum viable product' (MVP) is used to:
- Deliver a fully finished product on day one
- Test core functionality with real users before full development (Correct answer)
- Reduce the total number of product features permanently
- Avoid gathering user feedback during development
Correct answer: Test core functionality with real users before full development
An MVP allows teams to validate core assumptions with real users at lower cost before investing in full product development.
Question 4: What does 'cloud computing' allow organizations to do that traditional on-premise infrastructure does not?
- Eliminate the need for internet connectivity
- Scale computing resources up or down on demand (Correct answer)
- Own all hardware and software outright
- Reduce the need for cybersecurity measures
Correct answer: Scale computing resources up or down on demand
Cloud computing provides elastic scalability, allowing organizations to adjust resource usage based on real-time demand.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of disruptive innovation in a traditional industry?
- A taxi company painting its cars a new color
- A ride-sharing app replacing traditional taxi dispatch systems (Correct answer)
- A restaurant expanding its seating capacity
- A retailer offering a loyalty card program
Correct answer: A ride-sharing app replacing traditional taxi dispatch systems
Ride-sharing apps disrupted the taxi industry by introducing a technology-enabled business model that redefined how transportation services are delivered.
Question 6: A general manager's role in fostering innovation BEST includes:
- Discouraging new ideas that deviate from current strategy
- Creating a psychological safety environment where experimentation is encouraged (Correct answer)
- Limiting innovation to the R&D department only
- Requiring all new ideas to be pre-approved by senior leadership before testing
Correct answer: Creating a psychological safety environment where experimentation is encouraged
Psychological safety—where employees feel safe to propose and test new ideas without fear of failure—is foundational to building an innovative culture.
A general manager overseeing a digital transformation initiative should FIRST: