Question 1

The environment for creativity involves:&#10;A)Avoiding all conflict and competition to build cooperation among group members.&#10;B)Letting people do whatever they want as long as they explain their choices.&#10;C)Creating competition that will allow creative ideas to prevail over mediocre ideas.&#10;D)Examining nine specific factors that can encourage or inhibit creativity.

Accepted Answer

Examining nine specific factors that can encourage or inhibit creativity is the best choice. These factors are:
1. Challenge
2. Freedom
3. Resources
4. Work-group features
5. Supervisory Encouragement
6. Organizational Support
7. Goal Clarity
8. Task Orientation
9. Interpersonal Relationships

Question 2

How does history affect the Context when Appraising Tasks?&#10;A)Adds to the time required to complete the task because some individuals focus too much on past history or old events.&#10;B)Helps you to be aware of potentially important background interpretations, attitudes, and concerns.&#10;C)Guides you in not repeating recommendations that have been made before or not &#34;reinventing the wheel.&#34;&#10;D)Provides valuable information about people to avoid placing in the CPS group.

Accepted Answer

History can provide important background information that affects the appraisal of tasks. It helps individuals become aware of interpretations, attitudes, and concerns that may be relevant to the task at hand.

Question 3

Playfulness and humor, risk taking, and idea support are:&#10;A)Factors that are commonly found in unsuccessful organizations.&#10;B)Personal characteristics of effective middle-managers.&#10;C)Elements contributing to organizational climate for creativity.&#10;D)Widely held myths about traits of creative organizations.

Accepted Answer

Playfulness and humor, risk taking, and idea support contribute to a positive and supportive organizational climate that encourages creativity and innovation. These factors are not commonly found in unsuccessful organizations and are not necessarily personal characteristics of effective middle-managers. While some may consider them to be myths about creative organizations, research has shown that they are important contributors to a climate that fosters creativity.

Question 4

Debate and conflict are:&#10;A)Terms that are essentially synonymous.&#10;B)Both conducive to creativity in organizations.&#10;C)Both destructive to creativity in organizations.&#10;D)Climate factors that influence organizational creativity in different ways.

Accepted Answer

Debate and conflict both have the potential to influence organizational creativity, but in different ways. Debate, when conducted in a constructive manner, can lead to the exchange of ideas and perspectives, ultimately contributing to creativity. On the other hand, conflict, if not managed effectively, can stifle creativity and lead to negative outcomes. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

Question 5

What is the role of people who actively take initiative to to provide support and encouragement for people in the organization to change?&#10;A)They are usually union leaders or organizers.&#10;B)They provide essential change leadership in innovative organizations.&#10;C)They are often disregarded as &#34;malcontents&#34; or &#34;trouble-makers.&#34;&#10;D)They are usually ineffective unless they are in senior management roles.

Accepted Answer

People who actively take initiative to provide support and encouragement for people in the organization to change provide essential change leadership in innovative organizations. They are often referred to as change agents and play a crucial role in promoting and facilitating organizational change. They are not necessarily union leaders or organizers and may not be in senior management roles. While they may sometimes face resistance or be labeled as trouble-makers, their active involvement in the change process can greatly contribute to its success.

Question 6

Which are important aspects in assessing ability to move forward:&#10;A)Detailed measurable performance outcomes, effective press releases.&#10;B)Protection from &#34;leaks&#34; that may jeopardize your plan.&#10;C)Time, space or facilities, equipment or material, budget, specific goals.&#10;D)Group members who are opposed to the plan but proceed reluctantly.

Accepted Answer

Time, space or facilities, equipment or material, budget, and specific goals are all important practical aspects to consider when assessing the ability to move forward with a plan. Measurable performance outcomes and effective press releases are important for success but are not necessarily the most important aspects to assess. Protection from leaks may be important but is not a key aspect in assessing ability to move forward. Group members who are opposed to the plan but proceed reluctantly may hinder progress, so it is not a desirable factor to consider.

Question 7

Which statement is true about organizational culture and climate?&#10;A)Climate involves the feelings and attitudes of people in local offices, and culture describes the country in which an organization's headquarters are located.&#10;B)Culture involves organizational values, and climate describes what an organization's members experience.&#10;C)Both organizational climate and culture are very difficult to change.&#10;D)Culture changes more easily and quickly than climate in today's conditions.

Accepted Answer

Organizational culture refers to shared values, beliefs, and attitudes within an organization while climate is the perception and experiences of members within that organization. Option B correctly distinguishes between the two concepts.

Answer: B 
 While both organizational culture and climate can be challenging to change, it is generally easier to influence organizational culture as it involves underlying values and beliefs. Organizational climate, on the other hand, is more subject to the immediate experiences of members and can be impacted by changes in leadership, policies, and procedures.

Question 8

Factors that affect organizational climate:&#10;A)Include all levels (individual, team, organizational) and many structural, psychological, and social variables.&#10;B)Are primarily sociological or macro-organizational in nature.&#10;C)Are primarily personal and psychological in nature.&#10;D)Are primarily matters of teamwork and collaborative skills.

Accepted Answer

Factors that affect organizational climate are diverse and include variables at different levels- individual, team, and organizational level. These factors can be structural, psychological, and social in nature, ranging from leadership styles and communication patterns to work relationships and culture. Therefore, option A is the best choice as it accounts for the multi-dimensional and multi-level nature of organizational climate. Option B is incomplete as it overlooks individual and team factors that affect climate, whereas option C and D are too narrow and do not capture the full scope of climate-related factors.

Question 9

Blocks and barriers to creativity are:&#10;A)Internal and external factors that effective problem solvers learn to reduce or manage.&#10;B)Inevitable factors that crush creative efforts in most groups.&#10;C)Usually the result of lack of creative ability among group members.&#10;D)Social pressures that result from rigid values.

Accepted Answer

Blocks and barriers to creativity can come from both internal and external factors, such as fear of failure or lack of resources. Effective problem solvers work to reduce or manage these factors in order to enhance their creativity and innovation.

Question 10

When examining the context for CPS, which of these are three essential factors to consider?&#10;A)Climate, strategic priority, resources.&#10;B)People, power, and principles.&#10;C)Readiness, support, absence of conflict.&#10;D)Task, Personality, Willingness.

Accepted Answer

When examining the context for CPS (Collaborative Problem Solving), it is essential to consider the climate or culture of the organization or community, the strategic priority or goal that CPS aims to achieve, and the availability of resources to implement CPS effectively. The other options listed are not directly relevant to the context of CPS.

Deck 8: The Context for CPS