Deck 3: Fostering Creativity

Question 1

The word "synetics" means:

A) Exploring synergy across cross functional teams in a public organization
B) Providing synergistic co-dependent support structure
C) Joining together different and apparently unconnected or irrelevant elements
D) Joining together similar ideas and connecting the dots to find a useful solution

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In the creative process, "verification" is:

A) The final step involving testing
B) The penultimate testing step before actual "implementation" stage
C) The step following "implementation" to measure results
D) The process of verifying that everybody understand the problem

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is true in terms of social and structural connections, under some circumstances?

A) Weak ties can actually facilitate creativity more than strong ties
B) Strong ties promote creativity more than weak ties
C) Strong ties discourage creativity more than weak ties
D) Weak ties discourage creativity due to lack of social strength and support structure

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The motivation to be creative within people is influenced by:

A) Social environment
B) Cultural environment
C) Structural environment
D) All of the above

Question 5

Creativity allows public organizations to be:

A) Adequately funded for future operations
B) Responsive and to develop new and better ways of serving citizens
C) More process oriented
D) Efficient at reducing overheads

Question 6

The biggest challenge facing public and private enterprises in the future will be:

A) The neutral pace and the separation of global society into individual systems
B) The accelerating pace and complexity of global society operating as a massively interconnected system
C) The decline of global society to operate as an interconnected system
D) The decline of global society to operate as an individual system

Question 7

Which of the following is not a step to generate an idea box?

A) Specify the purpose
B) List variations
C) Try combinations
D) Implement solutions

Question 8

Which of the following are not considered impediments to creativity?

A) Language barrier
B) Social barrier
C) Adherence to status quo
D) Exploring multiple options

Question 9

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the creative process?

A) Long, rather than short in duration
B) Ambiguous, rather than certain and concrete
C) Involving simple mental models to solve bigger problems
D) Oriented towards defining problems rather than finding short-term fixes

Question 10

In terms of roles people can play, the four types of creativity types are:

A) Innovation, Sublimation, Extension and Duplication
B) Innovation, Synthesis, Extension and Duplication
C) Invention, Sublimation, Synthesis and Implementation
D) Incubation, Idealization, Synthesis and Verfication

Question 11

The five steps of the creative process are:

A) Preparation, Incubation, Illumination, Verification and Implementation
B) Verification, Incubation, Concentration, Idealization, Preparation
C) Incubation, Discussion, Illumination, Verification and Implementation
D) Preparation, Concentration, Incubation, Illumination and Verification

Question 12

Which of the following does not contribute to or influence a person's intrinsic motivation?

A) Values
B) Culture
C) Interests
D) Attributes

Question 13

The effect of workload pressure on creativity is:

A) Positively correlated
B) Negatively correlated
C) Difficult to gauge
D) Minimal; these are two different concepts

Question 14

Ideational fluency means:

A) The ability to speak fluently in more than one language
B) The ability to generate one good idea immediately upon need
C) The ability to generate several alternatives
D) The ability to interpret instructions through ideas

Question 15

Which of the following sets forms a part of the key elements of a creative organizational climate?

A) Communication, competition and change
B) Change, reward, orientation
C) Trust, diversity and rewards
D) Competition, riversity and rewards

Question 16

"Judging ideas too quickly" and "Defining the problem incorrectly" are examples of:

A) Poor leadership
B) Impediments to creativity
C) Language barrier
D) Lack of support

Question 17

The trait perspective on creativity assumes that personal characteristics:

A) Are equally as important as the organizational environment in which the person works
B) Are more important than the organizational environment in which the person works
C) Improve the nature of the organizational environment in which the person works
D) Are not affected by the nature of the organizational environment in which the person works

Question 18

In the creative process, "preparation" is:

A) About conscious mental activity, but it is a matter of choice
B) Identification of issues to be dealt with at the concentration stage
C) The largely unconscious phase
D) About gathering ideas for addressing the problem

Question 19

In order to create a culture of innovation, organizations often have to:

A) Hire consultants
B) Modify or create new myths, stories, language and metaphors
C) Establish success parameters
D) Modify employee expectations

Question 20

Pick the best set of adjectives that may be negatively associated with creativity.

A) Eccentric, commonplace, resourceful
B) Overconfident, judgmental, humorous
C) Conventional, submissive, affected
D) Reflective, commonplace, persistent

Question 21

True or False. "Any form of action that leads to results that are novel, useful and predictable" is one of many definitions of creativity.

Question 22

True or False. Weak relationships may foster creativity up to a point, beyond which the number of ties may even constrain creativity at work.

Question 23

True or False. When creativity is defined as a process, it is a highly complex phenomenon involving multiple phases and stages.

Question 24

True or False. Creative people probably will be creative wherever they are situated.

Question 25

Enumerate and explain key impediments to creativity in an organizational setting, using examples where appropriate.

Question 26

Name and explain four different viewpoints on creativity.

Question 27

True or False. In matrix analysis, a three-dimensional "idea box" is used to explore new ideas of alternatives.

Question 28

True or False. Anyone can be creative.

Question 29

True or False. Taken together, job design, supervision, organizational climate, and the allocation of adequate time and resources can have a potent and synergistic effect on individual and organizational creativity.

Question 30

Illustrate with examples how an individual with advanced cognitive skills and abilities can be as creative as an individual with creative traits.

Question 31

True or False. People are not likely to be creative when they love what they do as it removes the motivation to do anything else.

Question 32

Describe the fives steps or stages of the creativity process.

Question 33

"Anyone can be creative." Discuss in detail whether you agree or disagree with this statement, using support from the book, class notes or relevant examples, where appropriate.

Question 34

True or False. According to the behavioral view of creativity, creativity is what the person is rather than something a person does.

Question 35

True or False. When people have opportunities to exercise creative problem solving, and have success in doing so, they can experience positive emotions, which can lead to more creativity.