Deck 20: Encouraging Creativity and Innovation

Question 1

Employees who are more likely to think creatively under low time-pressure show creative thinking that is more oriented toward identifying problems than generating or exploring ideas.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

According to W. Edwards Deming, top management must be dedicated to having customers receive products as promised.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

An individual can be driven to be creative either intrinsically through organizational rewards and punishments, or extrinsically through personal interest and passion related to a situation.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The establishment, development, and growth of the total quality management (TQM) movement throughout the world are largely credited to the United States.

Question 5

Expertise is the component of creativity that refers to an individual's need or passion to be creative.

Question 6

Identifying job candidates who are creative and hiring them is one of the more easily implemented steps for increasing organizational creativity.

Question 7

Expertise and creative thinking are the individual's raw materials for being creative, but motivation determines whether an individual will actually be creative.

Question 8

Creativity can be sufficiently analyzed from an organization perspective in terms of originality or newness.

Question 9

Managers should surround non-creative employees with creative employees so that creativity can rub off on the non-creative employees.

Question 10

In the reengineering improvements process, those who use the output of a process are required to perform the process.

Question 11

The first step in the incremental improvement process involves organizing a quality improvement team.

Question 12

According to Deming, employees have the primary responsibility for achieving product quality.

Question 13

Developing is defined as that step of the innovation process that makes a new idea practical.

Question 14

The reengineering improvements process emphasizes integrating the results of parallel activities instead of linking them.

Question 15

According to the reengineering improvements process, work should be organized around outcomes rather than tasks.

Question 16

An organization that is innovative but not creative is characterized by a fertile source of good ideas, but lacking in the ability to make the ideas tangible.

Question 17

In the past, many managers believed that organization members normally generated their best creative ideas when operating under tight time constraints.

Question 18

Managers can ensure the generation of creativity by making work groups more diverse.

Question 19

If organization members have jobs that stretch their abilities too little, they can easily become bored on the job and distracted from being creative.

Question 20

Creative thinking pertains to work-related techniques and procedures as well as a thorough understanding of overall work circumstances.

Question 21

Creative thinking under extreme time pressure is more likely when people feel as if they are on ________.

A) a shoestring
B) a tight leash
C) a mission
D) an expedition
E) a treadmill

Question 22

Which of the following components of creativity is the capacity to put existing ideas together in new combinations?

A) expertise
B) motivation
C) confidence
D) creative thinking
E) knowledge

Question 23

Which of the following is characteristic of a person who is more likely to think creatively under low time pressure?

A) He or she experiences a highly fragmented workday, with many different activities.
B) He or she does not get the sense that the work he or she is doing is important.
C) He or she feels more pressed for time than when "on a mission" even though the work was for the same number of hours.
D) He or she tends to collaborate with one person rather than with a group.
E) He or she experiences lots of last-minute changes in plans and schedules.

Question 24

________ is a component of creativity that refers to everything an individual knows and can do in the broad domain of his or her work.

A) Creative thinking
B) Reasoning
C) Expertise
D) Perception
E) Motivation

Question 25

According to the time-pressure/creativity matrix, employees who receive little encouragement from senior management to be creative and engage in less collaborative work overall are likely to feel as if they are on ________.

A) autopilot
B) a treadmill
C) a tight leash
D) an expedition
E) a mission

Question 26

Which of the following is an intrinsic source of motivation for a creative individual?

A) organizational rewards
B) incentives
C) promotions
D) punishments
E) personal interest

Question 27

From a management viewpoint, ________ is the process of applying a new idea to the improvement of organizational processes, products, or services.

A) creativity
B) innovation
C) brainstorming
D) groupthink
E) configuration

Question 28

Which of the following is an extrinsic source of motivation for a creative individual?

A) passion related to a situation
B) personal interest
C) desire to succeed
D) organizational rewards
E) challenge of the work

Question 29

Which of the following metaphors best describes the feeling of people who are more likely to think creatively under low time pressure?

A) on a tight leash
B) on a mission
C) on a treadmill
D) on an expedition
E) on autopilot

Question 30

According to the time-pressure/creativity matrix, if employees feel like they are on a treadmill, they are most likely to ________.

A) receive little encouragement from senior management to be creative
B) focus on one activity for a significant part of the day because they are undisturbed or protected
C) collaborate with one person rather than with a group
D) experience a highly fragmented workday, with many different activities
E) believe that they are doing important work and report feeling positively challenged by the work

Question 31

Which of the following characteristics is attributed to employees who, according to the time-pressure/creativity matrix, feel as if they are on an expedition?

A) showing creative thinking that is more oriented toward generating or exploring ideas than identifying problems
B) tending to have more meetings and discussions with groups rather than with individuals
C) receiving little encouragement from senior management to be creative
D) experiencing highly fragmented workdays, with many different activities
E) feeling more pressed for time than when they are "on a mission" even though they work the same number of hours

Question 32

________ is the component of creativity that refers to an individual's need or passion to be creative.

A) Motivation
B) Creative thinking
C) Expertise
D) Experience
E) Confidence

Question 33

Which of the following steps taken by managers to stimulate creativity is considered the most effective?

A) giving employees complete freedom to influence the process used to perform their jobs
B) providing an appropriate level of job-related challenge
C) affording appropriate time to perform a job optimally
D) establishing work groups to achieve greater diversity
E) promoting information sharing and collaboration as related to solving organizational problems

Question 34

Which of the following is characteristic of a person who is more likely to think creatively under high time pressure?

A) He or she receives little encouragement from senior management to be creative.
B) He or she tends to have more meetings and discussions with groups rather than with individuals.
C) He or she is less likely to engage in less collaborative work overall.
D) He or she can focus on one activity for a significant part of the day as he or she is undisturbed or protected.
E) He or she does not get the sense that the work he or she is doing is important.

Question 35

Which of the following characteristics is typically attributed to a creative person?

A) unemotional
B) orthodox
C) moderately concerned with failure
D) extroverted
E) intolerant of ambiguity

Question 36

________ is the ability to generate original ideas or new perspectives on existing ideas.

A) Logical thinking
B) Interpretation
C) Creativity
D) Perception
E) Comprehension

Question 37

Which of the following components is considered to be a raw material for creativity?

A) passion
B) expertise
C) motivation
D) interest
E) drive

Question 38

Which of the following components of creativity determines if an individual will actually be creative?

A) experience
B) motivation
C) expertise
D) logic
E) reasoning

Question 39

According to the time-pressure/creativity matrix, people who feel as if they are on autopilot ________.

A) focus on one activity for a significant part of the day because they are undisturbed or protected
B) believe that they are doing important work and report feeling positively challenged by and involved in the work
C) show creative thinking that is equally oriented toward identifying problems and generating or exploring ideas
D) receive little encouragement from senior management to be creative
E) tend to collaborate with one person rather than with a group

Question 40

Creative thinking under extreme time pressure is unlikely when people feel as if they are on ________.

A) a stroll in the park
B) a mission
C) autopilot
D) an expedition
E) a treadmill

Question 41

________ is defined as the steps managers take to implement creative ideas.

A) Brainstorming
B) Ideation
C) Innovation process
D) Mentation
E) Intellection

Question 42

Faced with increasing competition from Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites, Google decided that it needed its own presence in the social networking site scene. Following brainstorming sessions, Google came up with the idea of Buzz. The Google team released application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow third-party developers to create applications on the Buzz platform and also homed in on features such as sharing links, photos, videos, status messages, and comments for Buzz. A beta-version of Buzz that would come integrated with the company's Web-based e-mail program, Gmail, was announced in February, 2010. After testing user reaction to the new message tool, Google rolls out the code complete Buzz release. It continues to offer newer features that are integrated with Buzz ever so often and is always on the lookout to address any user concerns about privacy that dogged the application in the early days of its inception.
Which of the following statements best corresponds to the inventing step of the innovation process?

A) Google decides to create Buzz in response to competition from Facebook and other social networking sites.
B) Google's team creates APIs for third-party applications.
C) Google releases the beta-version of Buzz for usability testing.
D) Google rolls out final code complete version of Buzz for users, rid of bugs and defects.
E) Google continues to add newer features and widgets to the Buzz platform and addresses user concerns.

Question 43

Faced with increasing competition from Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites, Google decided that it needed its own presence in the social networking site scene. Following brainstorming sessions, Google came up with the idea of Buzz. The Google team released application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow third-party developers to create applications on the Buzz platform and also homed in on features such as sharing links, photos, videos, status messages, and comments for Buzz. A beta-version of Buzz that would come integrated with the company's Web-based e-mail program, Gmail, was announced in February, 2010. After testing user reaction to the new message tool, Google rolls out the code complete Buzz release. It continues to offer newer features that are integrated with Buzz ever so often and is always on the lookout to address any user concerns about privacy that dogged the application in the early days of its inception.
Which of the following statements best corresponds to the diffusing step of the innovation process?

A) Google decides to create Buzz in response to competition from Facebook and other social networking sites.
B) Google's team creates APIs for third-party applications.
C) Google releases the beta-version of Buzz for usability testing.
D) Google rolls out final code complete version of Buzz for users, rid of bugs and defects.
E) Google continues to add newer features and widgets to the Buzz platform and addresses user concerns.

Question 44

Which of the following is an example of a topic process ideas encompass in the invention stage of the innovation process?

A) redesigning work stations to make workers more productive
B) improving human resource management
C) changing organizational leadership
D) promoting products in the marketplace
E) distributing, packaging, and advertising products

Question 45

________ is defined as that step of the innovation process that puts a new idea to use by end users or customers.

A) Diffusing
B) Inventing
C) Developing
D) Monitoring
E) Integrating

Question 46

________ ideas are ideas that focus on inventions for improving a manufacturing practice or procedure.

A) Product
B) Technology
C) Process
D) Service
E) Management

Question 47

Which of the following is an example of a topic management ideas encompass in the invention stage of the innovation process?

A) promoting products in the marketplace
B) redesigning organizational structure
C) restyling work stations to make employees more productive
D) adopting robotics to make a manufacturing process more efficient
E) employing barcoding to better manage inventory

Question 48

Which of the following steps of the innovation process establishes a new idea that could help the organization be more successful?

A) developing
B) diffusing
C) inventing
D) integrating
E) monitoring

Question 49

Faced with increasing competition from Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites, Google decided that it needed its own presence in the social networking site scene. Following brainstorming sessions, Google came up with the idea of Buzz. The Google team released application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow third-party developers to create applications on the Buzz platform and also homed in on features such as sharing links, photos, videos, status messages, and comments for Buzz. A beta-version of Buzz that would come integrated with the company's Web-based e-mail program, Gmail, was announced in February, 2010. After testing user reaction to the new message tool, Google rolls out the code complete Buzz release. It continues to offer newer features that are integrated with Buzz ever so often and is always on the lookout to address any user concerns about privacy that dogged the application in the early days of its inception.
Which of the following statements best corresponds to the developing step of the innovation process?

A) Google decides to create Buzz in response to competition from Facebook and other social networking sites.
B) Google's team creates APIs for third-party applications.
C) Google releases the beta-version of Buzz for usability testing.
D) Google rolls out final code complete version of Buzz for users, rid of bugs and defects.
E) Google continues to add newer features and widgets to the Buzz platform and addresses user concerns.

Question 50

________ ideas are ideas that focus on invention that develops new offerings, or enhances existing offerings by the organization.

A) Technology
B) Process
C) Management
D) Product
E) Infrastructure

Question 51

________ is that step of the innovation process in which a newly implemented idea is tracked to determine if and when the idea should be improved or terminated.

A) Integrating
B) Monitoring
C) Diffusing
D) Inventing
E) Developing

Question 52

Which of the following is an example of a topic technology ideas encompass in the invention stage of the innovation process?

A) promoting products in the market
B) redesigning organizational structure
C) employing barcoding to better manage inventory
D) redesigning workstations to make employees more productive
E) improving human resource management

Question 53

Using videoconferencing to help organization members across the globe communicate more effectively is an example of a ________ idea.

A) management
B) infrastructure
C) technology
D) process
E) product

Question 54

Which of the following firms is considered as the most innovative company?

A) General Electric
B) LG Electronics
C) Apple
D) Sony
E) Amazon

Question 55

________ ideas are ideas that focus on invention relating to the way in which the organization is supervised.

A) Management
B) Process
C) Technology
D) Service
E) Product

Question 56

Which of the following steps in the innovation process involves making a new idea practical?

A) inventing
B) developing
C) diffusing
D) integrating
E) monitoring

Question 57

Which of the following statements is true of the link between innovation and creativity?

A) Creativity involves turning a new idea into new or improved processes, products, or services that promote the attainment of organizational goals.
B) Organizations can be either innovative or creative, but can never be both at the same time.
C) An organization that is innovative but not creative is characterized by a fertile source of good ideas, but lacking in the ability to make the ideas tangible.
D) An organization that is creative but not innovative is characterized by the ability to turn ideas into tangible benefit, but lacking good ideas to make tangible.
E) The ideas on which innovation is based come from creativity in the organization, whereby those ideas are turned into something tangible that benefits the organization.

Question 58

Which of the following is an example of a topic product ideas encompass in the invention stage of the innovation process?

A) redesigning work stations to make workers more productive
B) pricing, packaging, and distribution
C) changing organizational leadership
D) refining competitive strategy
E) improving human resource management

Question 59

Faced with increasing competition from Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites, Google decided that it needed its own presence in the social networking site scene. Following brainstorming sessions, Google came up with the idea of Buzz. The Google team released application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow third-party developers to create applications on the Buzz platform and also homed in on features such as sharing links, photos, videos, status messages, and comments for Buzz. A beta-version of Buzz that would come integrated with the company's Web-based e-mail program, Gmail, was announced in February, 2010. After testing user reaction to the new message tool, Google rolls out the code complete Buzz release. It continues to offer newer features that are integrated with Buzz ever so often and is always on the lookout to address any user concerns about privacy that dogged the application in the early days of its inception.
Which of the following statements best corresponds to the integrating step of the innovation process?

A) Google decides to create Buzz in response to competition from Facebook and other social networking sites.
B) Google's team creates APIs for third-party applications.
C) Google releases the beta-version of Buzz for usability testing.
D) Google rolls out final code complete version of Buzz for users, rid of bugs and defects.
E) Google continues to add newer features and widgets to the Buzz platform and addresses user concerns.

Question 60

________ is defined as that step of the innovation process that establishes an invention as a permanent part of the organization.

A) Inventing
B) Developing
C) Integrating
D) Diffusing
E) Monitoring

Question 61

What are the three components of creativity in an individual?

Question 62

Which of the following is one of the possible creative ideas for enhancing organizational success based on Deming's thoughts on total quality management?

A) Create relevant policies on quality management that are clear and unambiguous.
B) Develop communications systems that allow managers to respond immediately to quality issues.
C) Encourage self-development of workers as more useful players in maintaining quality.
D) Begin each management meeting with a factual and financial review of quality.
E) Dedicate the quality management function to measuring conformance to requirements.

Question 63

Faced with increasing competition from Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites, Google decided that it needed its own presence in the social networking site scene. Following brainstorming sessions, Google came up with the idea of Buzz. The Google team released application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow third-party developers to create applications on the Buzz platform and also homed in on features such as sharing links, photos, videos, status messages, and comments for Buzz. A beta-version of Buzz that would come integrated with the company's Web-based e-mail program, Gmail, was announced in February, 2010. After testing user reaction to the new message tool, Google rolls out the code complete Buzz release. It continues to offer newer features that are integrated with Buzz ever so often and is always on the lookout to address any user concerns about privacy that dogged the application in the early days of its inception.
Which of the following statements best corresponds to the monitoring step of the innovation process?

A) Google decides to create Buzz in response to competition from Facebook and other social networking sites.
B) Google's team creates APIs for third-party applications.
C) Google releases the beta-version of Buzz for usability testing.
D) Google rolls out final code complete version of Buzz for users, rid of bugs and defects.
E) Google continues to add newer features and widgets to the Buzz platform and addresses user concerns.

Question 64

The most prestigious award instituted to recognize those organizations that produce exceptionally high-quality products and services is the ________.

A) Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
B) Larry Goill Awards for Quality Management Ideas
C) Deming Award
D) Shingo Prize
E) European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Award

Question 65

Describe the importance of creativity in organizations.

Question 66

Wayne Thomas has recently taken over as head of quality assurance at Talladega Motors with the aim to overhaul the quality improvement procedures in place. After extensive studies conducted on the operations of the organization, Wayne decides that the company will have to proceed with a reengineering approach for quality improvement. Which of the following actions is Wayne most likely to initiate in keeping with the decision to reengineer the quality management system?

A) Work is reorganized around different tasks, such as procurement, assembly, and testing.
B) The purchasing and accounting functions of the production department are outsourced in order to streamline the production process.
C) Each of the company's five manufacturing plants across the country is provided with an autonomous purchasing department to improve responsiveness to local manufacturing needs.
D) Control is built into the process by vesting greater decision-making authority with divisional supervisors at the manufacturing plants.
E) The production processes for engines, chassis, and other spares are segregated and the final product is assembled only at the final stage.

Question 67

The establishment, development, and growth of the TQM movement throughout the world are largely credited to ________.

A) the USA
B) Britain
C) Germany
D) Japan
E) China

Question 68

In the incremental improvement process, after the improvement "theme" has been identified the next step is to ________.

A) identify benchmarks
B) organize a quality improvement team
C) perform an analysis of current performance
D) undertake a pilot study
E) identify how improvement is required

Question 69

The first step in the incremental improvement process is ________.

A) choosing an improvement area
B) organizing a quality improvement team
C) identifying amount of improvement required to match best performance
D) performing an analysis of the current performance
E) performing a pilot study to selected remedies to the problem

Question 70

Provide a brief note on the time-pressure/creativity matrix.

Question 71

________ involves taking a concept or a product created for a very specific use and extending it to a new, often larger, audience.

A) Inventing
B) Developing
C) Reverse innovation
D) Diffusing
E) Integrating

Question 72

Which of the following is one of the possible creative ideas for enhancing organizational success based on Deming's thoughts on total quality management?

A) Establish an organizational bias toward handling quality issues immediately.
B) Dedicate all managers to getting the jobs done correctly the first time.
C) Begin each management meeting with a factual and financial review of quality.
D) Dedicate top management to having customers receive products as promised.
E) Eliminate production processes based simply on producing a quota.

Question 73

Which of the following is one of the possible creative ideas for enhancing organizational success based on Crosby's thoughts on total quality management?

A) Publish quality goals for all workers so they know exactly what they are expected to do.
B) Drive out fear of reporting mistakes.
C) Encourage self-development of workers as more useful players in maintaining quality.
D) Dedicate the quality management function to measuring conformance to requirements and reporting and differences accurately
E) Build teams (not just individuals) that focus on quality.

Question 74

Which of the following statements is true of the reengineering improvements process?

A) The reengineering approach prescribes that those who use the output of a process should perform the process themselves.
B) Reengineering improvements involves making several sequential improvements in quality one thing at a time.
C) Reengineering improvements dictates that organizations separate decision authority from the actual work.
D) In contrast to incremental improvements, reengineering does away with the concept of teams representing the functional units in the process to be reengineered.
E) Hammer's model of reengineering improvements recommends that information-processing work must be insulated from the real work involved in producing the information.

Question 75

________ is presented as the degree of excellence on which products or services can be ranked on the basis of selected features.

A) Design
B) Quality
C) Aesthetics
D) Practicality
E) Novelty

Question 76

Which of the following is one of the possible creative ideas for enhancing organizational success based on Crosby's thoughts on total quality management?

A) Use product inspections to improve the manufacturing process and reduce costs.
B) Eliminate production processes based simply on producing a quota.
C) Begin each management meeting with a factual and financial review of quality.
D) Create production processes based upon learning how to improve the processes.
E) Abolish organizational bias toward handling quality issues immediately.

Question 77

Which of the following is one of the principles of reengineering, as outlined by Michael Hammer?

A) Work should be organized around tasks, rather than outcomes.
B) Information-processing work should be carried out separately from the real work that produces the information.
C) Geographically dispersed resources must be treated as though they are decentralized and autonomous.
D) Parallel activities should be linked instead of integrating their results.
E) Control should be built into processes by keeping the decision point apart from where the work is performed.

Question 78

Which of the following is the most widely known award in the United States that recognizes those organizations that produce exceptionally high-quality products and services?

A) the Deming Award
B) the Shingo Prize
C) the President's Quality Award
D) Goethals Medal
E) the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

Question 79

Which of the following is a consequence of organizational activities that contribute to product quality?

A) lower market share
B) lower warranty costs
C) greater rework and scrap costs
D) greater service costs of products after they are sold
E) higher manufacturing costs

Question 80

________ is the continuous process of involving all organization members in ensuring that every activity related to the production of goods or services has an appropriate role in establishing product quality.

A) Customer relationship management
B) Enterprise resource planning
C) Supply chain management
D) Total quality management
E) Warehouse management