Advice on TMA03

David Parry writes:

In the last presentation TMA03 did not elicit the rich answers the course team had hoped for.

The TMA asks students to apply material from several course blocks to the question of whether their organisation has a dynamic technological capability; whether this is due to particular internal or external forces; and whether, in their judgement, a dynamic capability might or might not be an appropriate response to such forces.

In discussions with tutors, the course team concluded that students may have found it difficult to relate the question to their situation because few organisations acquire dynamic technology capability and many probably do not require one in most areas (e.g. those that simply use IT as a tool in procedures).

The TMA can be answered well, though differently, in all cases. Few organisations develop dynamic technological capability fully. Whether an organisation has some such capability (or none at all), may result from: a deliberate strategy of flexibility (or focus); from emergent strategy; or from no strategy. An organisation may have developed dynamic capability only where critical to the business: it is acceptable to concentrate on a particular element of the organisation's technology.

If an organisation has no dynamic capability, an analysis of why this might be and whether it matters is sought. If dynamic capability is more relevant to one specific area of the business or to one meaning of technology as per Block 1, then students are advised to account for this and to focus the answer on that topic, rather than on the business as a whole.

Students should look beyond the blocks indicated in the question. Specifically, Noon's description (Block 1) of how cognition, power and culture affected newspapers' technology strategy might generate ideas; so too might the diagnostic symptoms of strategies influenced by powerand culture in the questionnaire of (Bailey et al, 2000) in the Collected Readings. Marks will then be given for the quality of use made of these sources, though not for simply referring to them. Analyses should use course concepts.

Cruising the Lofoten Islands with Google Earth

I am returning to the Lofoten Islands for a two week cycling holiday, and I can't stop thinking about the trip. Perviously (twice recently) it has been me alone on my bike, but this time all three of us are going, again with bicycles. We fly from Heathrow next Saturday, and in my spare time I am going back through the packing list removing any items from the pile which we can do without, so that we travel as light as possible.

The photo above comes from Ernst Christen's website, which has some lovely pictures on it but is rather difficult to navigate around. I've found that a better tool for navigation is the fabulous earth.google.com, which reopened a week or two ago and gives me a stunning view of many of the places I've cycled (especially good for Australia and New Zealand). If you haven't tried it, you have to give it a go! I've decided I'll be taking our smallest lightest GPS with me, because I can see that in a few years' time the GIS database behind the site will be packed with information.

TMA 03

Cut off date 26 August, word limit 2500.

Block 4 emphasises the importance of developing dynamic capability with respect to technology. Dynamic capability, however, emerges from the interplay of many processes, practises, attitudes and relationships. For an organisation with which you are familiar, assess to what extent it possesses a dynamic capability with respect to technology

Your answer should be written as if you were an impartial consultant to the organisation and should address the following points:

(a) Assess the evidence as to whether or not key innovation activities are currently operating within the organisation (20 marks).

(b) Analyse whether power and politics may be assisting or hindering dynamic technology capability in the organisation (20 marks).

(c) Analyse whether cultural influences may be assisting or hindering dynamic technology capability in the organisation (20 marks).

(d) Discuss what impact external environmental forces have on the organisation's application of technology, and to what extent a dynamic capability in technology might produce an effective response to those forces (40 marks).

You are free to include supporting diagrams in your answer. Feel free to re-use material from TMA01 or TMA02 in the Appendices.

© Open University 2004