Exam 5: Creative Problem Solving

Tom's of Maine developed a new deodorant that only worked half the time and the plastic dial was breaking. He decided to recall the product. What did Tom decide to do after getting feedback from the decision outcome?

When developing alternatives for a solution, what is the first step?

The innovator style likes to challenge basic assumptions to discover new alternatives.

Why is it important to build consensus in the early stage of the problem-solving process?

___ can be defined simply as generating new and potentially useful ideas.

When executing a solution, ____ is often routine because the expertise and knowledge rest with the lower-level managers.

Jim has an ambiguous, difficult problem. What is the best way for him to pick the better alternative?

To get a grasp on the true nature of a problem, you have to take on the role of a detective.

Mark was appointed the role of devil's advocate for a group discussion about which color is best for the magazine cover the group is working on. Based on his position, he purposely comes up with reasons why someone else's chosen color is not good.

Where do a lot of people typically get their best ideas?

____ leads to a manager making flawed decisions because he is overly sure of himself.

___ is a systematic approach to finding out what the true cause of a problem is instead of addressing symptoms.

What is the first step in the five why's technique?

What is the final stage in the problem-solving process?

What term means to see the synergy of the whole rather than just the separate elements of a system?

What is a set of interacting elements that continually affect one another over time and work toward a common purpose?

____ is constructive conflict based on divergent points of view.

____ bring people together either in person or in an interactive group over a computer network.

What is one down side to root cause analysis?

Describe in detail the techniques for improving problem definition. Give an example of each one.