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Develop Your Career Potential
SPARK YOUR OWN CREATIVITY
Purpose
To help students reconnect with their innate level of creativity and help it flourish.
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Setting It Up
This exercise can be used successfully in or out of class. The additional exercise “Ideation” builds on the
text portion in a way that is also suited to in-class work as well as an assignment. The “Ideation” exercise
takes a decent amount of time, but students will not only enjoy it, they will gain valuable insights into
sources of innovation and the challenges of inventing something new. (See below for teaching tips.)
Another – simpler – way to communicate that same challenge is to assign students to create an
The activity in the text encourages students to do three things:
1. Investigate the Web site for Eureka Ranch and find out how this brain tank thinks of creativity.
Prior designs for the Eureka Ranch Web site included links from the splash page directly to
information about the three dimensions of creativity. At the time I wrote this, students needed to
go to the Eureka 7.0 white paper. In essence, the three dimensions are brain writing, dialog, and
brainstorming.
2. Research Brain Brew radio and tune in to a program. Brain Brew is a radio program invented by
Optional Assignment
As an extension to the actual exercise, you could have them peruse the catalog and write a list of the 5
most interesting items they see, why they are attracted by those items, and how they think the items
would expand a person’s creativity or innovative thinking skills.
Reel to Real – Biz Flix
Because they are so short, the Biz Flix videos are best used to supplement your lesson plans. They are
designed to illustrate the content rather than convey all of the chapter concepts.
Video: Field of Dreams
Segment Summary:
In the classic 1989 film Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) hears a voice while working in
his Iowa cornfield that says, “If you build it, he will come.” Ray concludes that “he” is legendary
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Discussion Questions from Text:
1. When someone suggests an idea to you that you don’t completely understand, how open are you to
considering it?
Individuals vary in their level of resistance to change. Some are more open-minded to new ideas,
while others are more stubborn about maintaining the status quo. Students should explain how they
2. Which character is the most resistant to the idea of changing the farm into a ball field? Why?
Resistance to change is caused by self-interest, misunderstanding and distrust, and a general
3. Which characters demonstrate the most creativity and vision?
According to chapter seven, innovation begins with creativity. Lacking a vision for change is a
Additional Discussion Questions:
1. To promote innovation in his new venture, what can Ray do to establish a creative work environment
at the farm?
Innovation begins with creativity. Managers can jump-start innovation by building creative work
2. Explain how Ray should move forward on the new plans for his farm by implementing a results-
driven change program.
Results-driven change focuses on the measurement and improvement of results. Ray could
implement this in any of the following ways: (1) Create measurable, short-term goals, such as revenue
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Reel to Real – Management Workplace
Management Workplace videos can support several in-class uses. In most cases you can build an entire
50-minute class around them. Alternatively, they can provide a springboard into a group lesson plan.
The Management Workplace video for Chapter 7 would be a nice companion to your introduction to the
course on the first day of classes.
Video: Holden Outerwear
Managing Change and Innovation
Summary:
Founded in 2002 by professional snowboarder Mikey LeBlanc, Holden Outerwear has given traditional
baggy outerwear a complete style make-over. Unlike ski-apparel brands that focus on utility at the
Discussion Questions from Text:
1. Identify the type of change that Holden’s leaders are managing on a daily basis.
Holden is engaged in managing product change, not organizational change or technology change.
2. What resistance has Holden encountered while introducing innovative garment designs? How
was it able to overcome that resistance?
Holden is a small company that does not own its own factories or fabric mills. To produce any
Workplace Video Quiz
Video Segment 1
Video segment title
Managing Change and Innovation
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Start time (in sec)
0:00
Stop time (in sec)
1:43
Quiz Question 1
Holden Outerwear is engaged in the following type of change:
Option a
Organizational change
Option b
Incremental change
Option c
Discontinuous change
Option d
Reactive change
Quiz Question 2
Based on the video, Holden Outerwear promotes creative innovation at the
individual employee level by:
Option a
Hosting creativity seminars
Option b
Hiring open-minded employees who thrive on innovation, change, and
experimentation
Option c
Using team-based brainstorming and devil’s advocate techniques
Option d
Copying ideas from top competitors
Correct option
b: Hiring open-minded employees who thrive on innovation, change, and
experimentation
Feedback for option a
Incorrect. A key source of innovation at Holden is the creativity of the
Feedback for option b
Correct. A key source of innovation at Holden is the creativity of the
Feedback for option c
Incorrect. A key source of innovation at Holden is the creativity of the
Quiz Question 3
The primary source of innovation and change at Holden is:
Option a
External economic forces
Option b
Government regulation
Option c
Radical product innovation by top competitors
Option d
Creative drive and interests of Holden’s founder and employees
Correct option
d: Creative drive and interests of Holden’s founder and employees
Feedback for option a
Incorrect. A key source of innovation at Holden is the creativity of the
Feedback for option c
Incorrect. A key source of innovation at Holden is the creativity of the
people that work in the company.
Feedback for option d
Correct. A key source of innovation at Holden is the creativity of the
people that work in the company.
Correct option
c: discontinuous change
Feedback for option a
Incorrect. Discontinuous change occurs when companies use a new
technology to replace older technology.
Feedback for option b
Incorrect. Discontinuous change occurs when companies use a new
Feedback for option c
Correct. Discontinuous change occurs when companies use a new
Feedback for option d
Incorrect. Discontinuous change occurs when companies use a new
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Video Segment 2
Video segment title
Managing Change and Innovation
Start time (in sec)
1:44
Stop time (in sec)
4:13
Quiz Question 1
Which one of the following facts results in a distinctive competence and
competitive advantage for Holden?
Option a
Holden draws its design inspiration from the world of high fashion, not the
world of ski sports apparel
Feedback for option a
Correct. A distinctive competence allows companies to make, do, or
perform something better than their competitors.
Feedback for option b
Incorrect. A distinctive competence allows companies to make, do, or
perform something better than their competitors.
Feedback for option c
Incorrect. A distinctive competence allows companies to make, do, or
perform something better than their competitors.
Feedback for option d
Incorrect. A distinctive competence allows companies to make, do, or
perform something better than their competitors.
Quiz Question 2
When Holden garment designer Nikki Brush says she likes “taking
something everyone does everyday and doing it slightly different,” she is
describing:
Option a
Radical innovation
Option b
Incremental change
Option c
Reengineering
Option d
Reactive change
Correct option
b: Incremental change
dominant design.
Feedback for option b
Correct. Incremental change occurs when companies innovate by lowering
the cost and improving the function and performance of a dominant design.
lowering the cost and improving the function and performance of a
dominant design.
Feedback for option d
Incorrect. Incremental change occurs when companies innovate by
lowering the cost and improving the function and performance of a
dominant design.
Quiz Question 3
As part of its dedication to eco-friendly business practices, Holden in 2005
invented the world’s first natural-fiber waterproof breathable fabric for use
in snowboarding outerwear garments. This breakthrough reflects a:
Option a
Design competition
Option b
Incremental change
Option c
Technological discontinuity
Option b
Holden creates snowboarding garments
Option c
Holden offers a line of apparel for women
Option d
Holden outsources the manufacture of its garments to mills and
Correct option
a: Holden draws its design inspiration from the world of high fashion, not
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Option d
Design iteration
Correct option
c: technological substitution
Feedback for option a
Incorrect. Technological discontinuity occurs when an advance or unique
Instructions
Video Segment 3
Video segment title
Managing Change and Innovation
Start time (in sec)
4:13
Stop time (in sec)
7:00
Quiz Question 1
According to owner Mikey LeBlanc and designer Nikki Brush, Holden
Outerwear faces increasing resistance from outside vendors that help
Holden manufacture its highly innovative performance outerwear. Sources
of this resistance include all the following except:
Option a
Fear of economic loss
Option b
Fear of the unknown
Option c
High consumer demand for new fashions
Option d
The inertia and comfort of using standard status quo factory processes
Correct option
Feedback for option a
Incorrect. The primary reason that change efforts at Holden are resisted is
because of the fears of suppliers and contractors.
Feedback for option b
Incorrect. The primary reason that change efforts at Holden are resisted is
Feedback for option c
Correct. The primary reason that change efforts at Holden are resisted is
because of the fears of suppliers and contractors.
Feedback for option d
Incorrect. The primary reason that change efforts at Holden are resisted is
because of the fears of suppliers and contractors.
Quiz Question 2
Acting as change agents, Holden’s managers can overcome their
manufacturing partners’ resistance to change by:
Option a
Educating partners on how innovative new products can be made using
standard factory technologies and processes
Option b
Giving partners a share of profits on sales of innovative garments
Option c
Giving vendors prominent public recognition for successful product
innovations
Option d
All of these
Correct option
d: All of these
Feedback for option a
Incorrect. All of the above reflect actions that change agents take in
helping to direct change efforts.
Feedback for option b
Incorrect. All of the above reflect actions that change agents take in
helping to direct change efforts.
helping to direct change efforts.
Feedback for option b
Incorrect. Technological discontinuity occurs when an advance or unique
combination of technologies creates a significant breakthrough.
Feedback for option d
Incorrect. Technological discontinuity occurs when an advance or unique
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Feedback for option d
Correct. All of the above reflect actions that change agents take in helping
to direct change efforts.
Quiz Question 3
Companies that rely on innovation, like Holden, can create a creative work
environment by encouraging all of the following except:
Option a
Challenging work
Option b
Organizational impediments
Option c
Freedom
Option d
Work group encouragement
Correct option
b: organizational impediments
Feedback for option b
Correct. A lack of organizational impediments is critical to creative a
Feedback for option d
Incorrect. A lack of organizational impediments is critical to creative a
creative work environment.
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Review Questions
1. What is the relationship between technology cycles and the S-curve pattern of innovation?
Technology cycles typically follow an S-curve pattern of innovation. Early in the cycle, technological
2. Explain why innovation matters to companies?
It is obvious that technology is rapidly changing our lives. Products that we used yesterday are
3. Describe innovation streams.
Innovation streams are patterns of innovation over time that can create a sustainable competitive
advantage. The four stages of an innovation stream are:
• Technological discontinuity: scientific advance or unique combination of existing
4. How can companies create creative work environments?
Companies can use a variety of tools to fashion a creative work environment. First, companies can
5. What is the difference between incremental change and discontinuous change?
Technological discontinuities are followed by a discontinuous change, which is characterized by
technological substitution and design competition. Technological substitution occurs when customers
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6. Compare the experiential approach to managing innovation with the compression approach.
The experiential approach to innovation assumes a highly uncertain environment and uses intuition,
flexible options, and hands-on experience to reduce uncertainty and accelerate learning and
understanding.
The steps to the experiential approach are:
7. How do change forces work to bring about change? How do resistance forces work against change
forces?
According to social psychologist Kurt Lewin, change is a function of the forces that promote change
and the opposing forces that slow or resist change. Change forces lead to differences in the form,
8. How can companies manage resistance to change?
Employees might resist change because of self-interest, misunderstanding and distrust, and a general
intolerance for change. The five ways to manage resistance to change are:
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9. What mistakes do managers commonly make when leading change?
The following are common errors made by managers when managing change: 1) not establishing a
10. List and describe the four main change tools and techniques.
Managers can use a number of change techniques. Results-driven change and the GE workout reduce
Additional Activities and Assignments
In–Class Activity: “Creative Learning Environments.” Divide the class into small groups (4-5
students). Using the “creative work environment” model in Exhibit 7.3, have each group come up with
ideas for each component of how innovation can occur in higher education. Students should list ideas for:
allows teens to brainstorm on ideas of how to prevent school violence. Click to see the survey (take it, if
you want), and click to see other aspects of the Web site. How does this brainstorming organization
work? What kind of technology does it use? How can the business world learn from such techniques?
does Ms. Hathaway do to accomplish this? What are her qualifications? What are some of the products
and services she offers? Can an outside consultant such as Patty really incite and implement change in an
organization? Why or why not?
“High Tech Innovation.” Use the Internet to find high tech companies that are known for innovation and
change. What are the characteristics of these companies? What kinds of products do they sell? What is
their mission statement?
Out-of-Class Project: “Ideation.” Divide the class into small groups of 3 to 4 students and give each
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Pipe cleaners
Magnets
Thumbtacks
Milk-jug lids
Pom-poms
Paper clips
Empty cans
Plastic chopsticks
String
Floral wire
Styrofoam balls/cubes
Wooden blocks
Fabric scraps
Old stapler
Keys
Rubber bands, all sizes
Binder clips
Cardboard scraps
Paper tubes
Steel wool
Old kitchen utensils
Qtips
Tweezers
Balloons
Unused/old CDs
Plastic cups
Dental floss
Egg cartons
Screws/nuts/bolts/washers
Old hand tools
Paint sticks
Marbles
Funnels
Plumbing supplies
Happy Meal toys
Any small, metal item