William Started His Company, StoryMaps, in 2005 with a Lofty

question 62

Multiple Choice

William started his company, StoryMaps, in 2005 with a lofty goal. He wanted to "bring people together by revolutionizing the way they understand and communicate about their neighborhoods." StoryMaps allowed users to hover over a map location and zoom in to post stories, reminiscences, thoughts, photos, and reviews of locations and read those left by others. William envisioned StoryMaps as "a mashup of Yelp, Google Maps, and an online literary magazine" and the company's stated mission was that it would "foster meaningful conversations in the Internet age." He enlisted several well-known writers to contribute stories about map locations meaningful to them. Initially, StoryMaps approached schools and universities about incorporating StoryMaps into their curriculum. But when a startup expressed interest in partnering with StoryMaps to develop a mobile app that would reach a larger market, William was reticent. He did not think StoryMaps needed an app-at that time, apps were still fairly new, costly, and many of them failed. StoryMaps managed for a couple of years before finally going under in 2007. Why did William's vision fail?

• A)It did not reflect his personal needs as the leader of the company.
• B)It failed to adapt to environmental changes in the market.
• C)There was a lack of acceptance by those responsible for implementing it.
• D)It was too narrowly focused on short-term goals for the company.
• E)The vision failed to articulate clear, concrete, and attainable goals.

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Definitions:

Tuckman's Stage Model

A theory that outlines five stages of group development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

Bale's Equilibrium Model

A conceptual framework in group dynamics focusing on the balance between task-oriented and socio-emotional needs within groups.

Group Development

The process through which a group progresses over time, typically involving stages of forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

Tuckman's Five-Stage Model

A psychological theory that describes five phases of group development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.