Deck 11: Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership

Question 1

A common thread to creativity-enhancing exercises is that they require

A)the person to solve a puzzle.
B)numerical as well as verbal reasoning.
C)variations of brainstorming.
D)flexible thinking.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Middle manager Bob establishes idea quotas for his organizational unit, meaning that workers will be asked to

A)bring fresh ideas to meetings.
B)steal ideas from other organizational units.
C)invest a certain percent of their time to creative thinking.
D)brainstorm for ten minutes at the start of each staff meeting.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A dominant characteristic of creative workers is a passion for

A)their work.
B)the rewards associated with creative work.
C)working in teams.
D)working in a large bureaucracy.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In relation to creativity, the formula B = f (P x E) implies that

A)heredity is the biggest contributor to creativity.
B)environment is the biggest contributor to creativity.
C)groups are more creative than individuals.
D)the right environment is necessary to trigger creative behavior.

Question 5

A business example of thinking outside the box is

A)people of all ages might respond to advertising.
B)sidewalks can be made out of rubber rather than cement.
C)the same story might increase the number of flavors offered.
D)car-wash customers might also want the car to be waxed.

Question 6

According to the componential theory of individual creativity, the three components of creativity that must join together are

A)innovation, inspiration, and perspiration.
B)expertise, creative-thinking skills, and task motivation.
C)expertise, talent, and hard work.
D)external motivation, emotional intelligence, and persistence.

Question 7

To become more creative, it is important to

A)overcome traditional thinking.
B)develop more traditional thinking.
C)redefine traditional thinking..
D)postpone traditional thinking until the final stages of problem solving.

Question 8

The lawyer role in "Be an explorer, artist, judge, and lawyer" is to

A)find a client to pay for your idea.
B)quickly copyright or patent your idea.
C)critically evaluate your ideas.
D)find ways to implement your ideas.

Question 9

An intellectual characteristic of creative people is that they

A)are extraordinarily brilliant.
B)tightly focus their interests.
C)tune out the feelings of other people.
D)maintain a youthful curiosity throughout their lives.

Question 10

With respect to creativity, the maverick is thought to be

A)too arrogant to be creative.
B)the center of creativity.
C)the first to reject the creative ideas of others.
D)a person with a strong need to get credit for his or her ideas.

Question 11

The purpose of extreme thinking in brainstorming is to come up with ideas so outrageous that they

A)could lead to criminal charges against the company.
B)could get the group fired.
C)modify a favorite product
D)are subject to misinterpretation.

Question 12

Research suggests workers are more likely to have a breakthrough idea when they are

A)happy the day before.
B)day dreaming about the future.
C)multitasking with several electronic devices.
D)depressed about an event in personal life.

Question 13

A finding about the insight step of creative thinking is that the flash of insight

A)occurs when the person is mentally exhausted.
B)occurs when the person has almost given up on the problem.
C)is usually an almost totally new idea.
D)is usually based on previous ideas.

Question 14

With respect to innovation, Proctor & Gamble is noted for

A)obtaining widespread participation in gathering new ideas.
B)centralizing idea generation in a corporate laboratory.
C)relying on focus groups for new product ideas.
D)hiring CEOs capable of dreaming up new product ideas.

Question 15

You and the other members of your business unit are participating in the pet-peeve technique, so you

A)list all the complaints you have about your leader.
B)think up complaints that others might have about your unit.
C)think up all the things you do not like about your unit.
D)develop new ideas for products that consumers might want.

Question 16

With respect to coming up with a creative idea,

A)it is best to apply the first idea that comes to mind.
B)the best idea usually arrives at the end of the work day.
C)it is better to borrow an idea than attempt an original one.
D)you need to try a large number of ideas.

Question 17

A creative idea is considered to be innovative when the idea

A)receives a patent.
B)is put into action.
C)is novel.
D)earns a profit.

Question 18

A worker has the experience of flow when he or she

A)has a rapid succession of ideas.
B)rapidly corrects personal mistakes.
C)piggybacks on the ideas of others.
D)is totally absorbed in the task at hand.

Question 19

The purpose of a kitchen for the mind is to

A)stimulate workers to think of new food products.
B)restrict new product development to one organizational unit.
C)establish a space designed to nurture creativity.
D)feed creative ideas to less creative people.

Question 20

During the insight step of creative thinking, the person

A)gathers supporting evidence for the problem solution.
B)suddenly experiences the problem-conquering solution.
C)dreams up a problem to work on.
D)becomes totally absorbed in the problem.

Question 21

A major purpose of innovation is to take organizations geared toward creativity and growth and rewire them towards efficiency.

Question 22

For an idea to be classified as innovative, it must win an award or be awarded a patent.

Question 23

A study of leader-member exchanges and creativity among research and development specialists indicated that leader-member exchanges were

A)positively associated with creativity only for inexperienced specialists.
B)negatively associated with creativity.
C)positively associated with creativity.
D)unrelated to ratings of creativity.

Question 24

The equation B = f (P x E) implies that almost any worker of average intelligence can be creative, given the right environment.

Question 25

Multiunit organizations sometimes enhance creativity by

A)sharing ideas across divisions.
B)preventing ideas from moving from one unit to another.
C)centralizing all new-product development.
D)imposing penalties for idea leaks from one unit to another.

Question 26

The last step in the creative process is verification and application.

Question 27

The ideas that emerge during the insight step in creativity are frequently based on previous useful ideas.

Question 28

A person who has the experience of flow becomes preoccupied with the external consequences of performing a task.

Question 29

A recommended starting point in establishing a climate for creative thinking is to

A)build a kitchen for the mind.
B)establish a vision and mission that include creativity.
C)determine which workers will be asked for creative output.
D)place suggestion boxes at appropriate places in the organization.

Question 30

Of the following leadership practices, the least likely to enhance innovation is

A)the pursuit of constant innovation.
B)to take risks and encourage risk taking.
C)to acquire innovative companies.
D)to encourage innovation for its own sake.

Question 31

Which of the following practices is least likely to be helpful in managing creative people?

A)Giving creative people considerable structure
B)Having creative people manage and evaluate creative workers
C)Providing ongoing recognition and appreciation to creative workers
D)Being liberal in giving workers the resources they need

Question 32

Financial vice president Josie needs a creative idea.She might try jogging because

A)many financial specialists are likely to be found on the jogging path.
B)physical exercise is known to block out traditional thinking.
C)physical exercise pumps more blood and oxygen into the brain.
D)fatigue is good for creative thinking.

Question 33

A leader who accumulates considerable knowledge will have difficulty being creative because such knowledge usually blocks original thinking.

Question 34

A creative businessperson is often skilled at seeing opportunities that others have overlooked.

Question 35

A maverick within an organization is typically a conformist.

Question 36

Loose-tight leadership in relation to creativity refers to

A)alternating between encouragement and punishment.
B)granting space for exploring creative ideas, yet finally choosing one idea.
C)alternating between laissez-faire leadership and autocratic leadership.
D)spending freely on some projects and cutting costs on others.

Question 37

Which one of the following would not be considered a managerial practice that enhances creativity?

A)Prescribing the best method for arriving at a creative solution
B)Giving workers assignments that stretch their intellectual capability
C)Supplying groups with the time and money they need to accomplish the task
D)Designing work groups with a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives

Question 38

Distaste for the task is associated with high creativity because the worker works rapidly to find a solution to the distasteful problem.

Question 39

A particularly robust strategy for enhancing creativity is to

A)construct a kitchen for the mind.
B)award gift certificates for creative ideas.
C)encourage computer game playing during working hours.
D)hire people who are already creative.

Question 40

Canon Inc.has found that a key to creating new products is for

A)the distinction between production and development to be eliminated.
B)production groups to report to the product development group.
C)the production team to work physically close to product developers.
D)the production team to be physically far removed from product developers.

Question 41

The chief innovator at Ford has said that if you change the way you think about things, suddenly new ideas will come to mind.

Question 42

Leadership at Canon Inc.has found that to create new products quickly, it is best for the production team to work physically distant from product developers.

Question 43

Work groups tend to be more creative when group members support each other, and the group is diverse in a number of ways.

Question 44

Research with LMX theory indicates that favorable exchanges between managers and creative workers are associated with low creativity ratings.

Question 45

The founder of brainstorming noted that making sound business judgments and being imaginative usually work in harmony.

Question 46

An effective way of creating the right atmosphere for creativity is to provide workers with an overwhelming intellectual challenge.

Question 47

Part of the artist role in becoming more creative is to ask what-if questions.

Question 48

Seeing opportunities is an important part of entrepreneurial leadership.

Question 49

The major purpose of the intranet called Sparrow, as used by Google, is to find out which employees are stealing ideas from each other.

Question 50

As part of the 6-3-5 method of brainstorming, six people take five minutes to write down three ideas on paper or cards, then pass these ideas clockwise to others in the group.

Question 51

Observations with college students have shown that complete rest is best for triggering creative thinking because less blood flows to the brain.

Question 52

An important contribution of a kitchen for the mind is that it gives organizational members a gathering place to generate creative ideas.

Question 53

Business leaders rarely use brainstorming because the technique is mostly geared toward relatively minor ideas like choosing a slogan for a safety campaign.

Question 54

To enhance creativity, it is best to carefully specify the best method for workers to accomplish a work goal.

Question 55

Fernando, the president of a consumer products division, wants staff members to enhance their creativity.It would therefore be a good idea for Fernando to place creative ideas through a complicated, time-consuming review process.

Question 56

A recommended strategy for finding a creative idea is to try a large number of ideas.

Question 57

"Be happy" if you want to enhance your creative thinking ability on the job.

Question 58

A recommendation for managing creative workers is to provide them with a minimum amount of structure.

Question 59

A potential negative side effect of placing a heavy emphasis on innovation is that the company collects many ideas of limited value.

Question 60

According to one formulation: Creativity = expertise x creative thinking skills x task motivation.