Developing Management Skills - Chapter 3 Exam Questions Answered Correctly Latest 2025
1) A good problem definition includes differentiating factual information from speculative information. -
Answers True. A problem definition must differentiate factual information from speculation because
only factual information is sufficient upon which to define a problem. Perceptions and suppositions, if
mistaken for fact, can lead to inaccurate and unhelpful problem definitions.
When defining the problem, top priority should be placed on identifying all the underlying symptoms of
the problem. - Answers FALSE Explanation: Focus should be on the real problem, not just its symptoms.
Focus should be on the root causes, not just the signs or consequences.
When evaluating alternatives, one should be concerned solely about meeting organizational goals. -
Answers Answer: FALSE Explanation: There is more to consider when evaluating alternatives than
whether or not the alternatives meet organizational goals. For example, it is important to consider
individual preferences and whether alternatives are evaluated relative to an optimal standard rather
than a satisfactory standard and relative to their probable effects.
A common problem in managerial decision making is that alternative solutions to problems are
evaluated as they are proposed. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: This is a problem because
evaluation can hinder effective alternative generation and lead to self-censorship and mind-guarding.
Your team at work has been specifying solutions that are consistent with the goals of the organization
and has been building on each other's ideas. This means your team is effectively generating alternatives.
- Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: Alternative generation involves proposing several alternative
solutions in the hope that one or more of them will lead to superior performance and problem solving.
Because bad ideas may become good ones if they are combined with or modified by other ideas, it is
best to have a collaborative approach to alternative generation and build on each other's ideas.
Additionally, solutions that are inconsistent with the mission or goals of the organization are not likely to
lead to acceptable outcomes.
Susan states, "Well, I think this solution will work for now." Susan violated an important guideline for
effectively evaluating alternative solutions to problems. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: It appears
that Susan has evaluated the alternative using a satisfactory standard rather than an optimal standard. A
problem solver should determine what is best, not just what will work.
Involving others in implementing the solution to a problem will increase support of and decrease
resistance to the solution. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: Almost any change engenders some
resistance, and involving others in implementation decreases this resistance.
Implementation of a solution to a problem should include opportunities for feedback. - Answers Answer:
TRUE Explanation: Feedback in the implementation process can ensure effective implementation, as
well as improve future problem solving.
The analytical problem-solving model would be the most appropriate approach in determining why
employee morale has declined in an organization. - Answers Answer: FALSE Explanation: Determining
,why employee morale has declined is difficult and complicated. Accurate information may not be
available, outcomes may not be predictable, or means-ends connections may not be evident. Thus,
something more than analytical problem solving is necessary. In short, creative problem solving must be
used.
10) The analytical problem-solving model works best when the problem faced is complex and
ambiguous. - Answers Answer: FALSE Explanation: Analytical problem solving is best when the problems
faced are straightforward and when alternatives are readily definable.
According to the authors of the text, one reason why most people have difficulty solving problems
creatively is because they think of creativity simply as generating new ideas. - Answers Answer: TRUE
Explanation: This is a limited, one-dimensional view of creativity. The text discusses several strategies for
being creative that can help even the most analytical people attack complex problems effectively.
Conceptual blocks are mental obstacles that constrain the way problems are defined and that limit the
number of alternative solutions thought to be relevant. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: Also,
conceptual blocks are largely unrecognized or unconscious, so the only way individuals can be made
aware of them is to be confronted by problems that are unsolvable because of them.
Breakthroughs, out-of-the-box thinking, and radical thinking would be a type of creative problem solving
that can be called "Imagination." - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: Imagination refers to the
creation of new ideas and is the primary creative method used by entrepreneurs, experimenters, etc.
"Incubation," according to the DeGraff model cited in the text, would be the pursuit of rapid goal
achievement and achieving results faster than others. - Answers Answer: FALSE Explanation: Incubation
refers to an approach to creative activity through teamwork, involvement, and coordination among
individuals. Creativity occurs by unlocking the potential that exists in interactions among people and
networks of people. Individuals who approach creativity through incubation encourage people to work
together, foster trust and cohesion, and empower others. Creativity arises from a collective mindset and
shared values.
Examples of the conceptual block of constancy include lateral thinking and only one thinking language. -
Answers Answer: FALSE Explanation: Examples of the conceptual block of constancy include vertical
thinking (the opposite of lateral thinking) and using only one thinking language.
Finding commonalities among two things is a good way to overcome a conceptual block in problem
solving. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: One of the manifestations of the commitment block is
called ignoring commonalities. It occurs when individuals fail to identify similarities between disparate
pieces of data. The inability to do this can overload a problem solver by requiring him or her to solve
each problem individually, instead of dealing with common elements only once.
Making inappropriate assumptions that inhibit problem solutions is an example of the conceptual block
of compression. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: Compression refers to the compression of ideas.
Looking too narrowly at a problem, screening out too much relevant data, and making inappropriate
, assumptions are common examples of this conceptual block. Sometimes people assume that their range
of solutions is limited, or fail to see a full range of problem definitions.
Your boss stares out the window with his feet up for at least an hour every day. Most people think he is
not working. People that criticize him may be falling prey to the conceptual block of bias against
thinking. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: This bias is partially a cultural bias and partially a
personal one. In western cultures, there is a bias against thinking that uses the right hemisphere of the
brain (intuition, synthesis, qualitative judgment) in favor of logical, left-brained thinking. However,
numerous researchers have found that creative problem solvers employ ambidextrous thinking.
One major difference between effective, creative problem solvers and other people is that creative
problem solvers are less constrained in both defining the problem and developing solutions. - Answers
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Creative problem solving involves four steps: preparation, incubation,
illumination, and verification. The primary difference between creative and noncreative problem solvers
is how they approach this first step, which includes problem definition and alternative generation, in
addition to data gathering and information analysis.
The stage of creative problem solving that is defined by mostly unconscious mental activity in which the
mind combines unrelated thoughts in pursuit of a solution is the illumination stage. - Answers Answer:
FALSE Explanation: The stage of creative problem solving that is defined by mostly unconscious mental
activity in which the mind combines unrelated thoughts in pursuit of a solution is the incubation stage.
Brainstorming is only effective when it occurs in a face-to-face group setting. - Answers Answer: FALSE
Explanation: Recent research has found that brainstorming in a group may be less efficient than
alternative forms of brainstorming, such as having individual group members generate ideas on their
own then submit them to the group for exploration and evaluation.
You are asked to list all the possible uses for a Ping-Pong ball. After making the list, by using the
technique of subdivision, you should be able to determine many more alternative uses for the Ping-Pong
ball. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: Subdivision involves dividing a problem into smaller parts and
helps to break through conceptual blocks. For example, using subdivision, you might consider all the
possible uses for a Ping-Pong ball in the kitchen, in the yard, and at the office.
Particularistic cultures have more of a tendency toward creative solution finding. - Answers Answer:
TRUE Explanation: This is true because they are inclined to search for unique aberrations from the norm
rather than focusing on generalized outcomes or procedures.
The outcome is predictable, you have sufficient information, and the means-ends connections are clear.
You should utilize a creative problem-solving approach. - Answers Answer: False Explanation: Rather
than a creative approach, an analytical problem-solving approach would be most effective.
The principle of compression is a key technique to unlocking an individual's creative potential. - Answers
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Compression is a conceptual block that inhibits people from creatively
solving problems.
1) A good problem definition includes differentiating factual information from speculative information. -
Answers True. A problem definition must differentiate factual information from speculation because
only factual information is sufficient upon which to define a problem. Perceptions and suppositions, if
mistaken for fact, can lead to inaccurate and unhelpful problem definitions.
When defining the problem, top priority should be placed on identifying all the underlying symptoms of
the problem. - Answers FALSE Explanation: Focus should be on the real problem, not just its symptoms.
Focus should be on the root causes, not just the signs or consequences.
When evaluating alternatives, one should be concerned solely about meeting organizational goals. -
Answers Answer: FALSE Explanation: There is more to consider when evaluating alternatives than
whether or not the alternatives meet organizational goals. For example, it is important to consider
individual preferences and whether alternatives are evaluated relative to an optimal standard rather
than a satisfactory standard and relative to their probable effects.
A common problem in managerial decision making is that alternative solutions to problems are
evaluated as they are proposed. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: This is a problem because
evaluation can hinder effective alternative generation and lead to self-censorship and mind-guarding.
Your team at work has been specifying solutions that are consistent with the goals of the organization
and has been building on each other's ideas. This means your team is effectively generating alternatives.
- Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: Alternative generation involves proposing several alternative
solutions in the hope that one or more of them will lead to superior performance and problem solving.
Because bad ideas may become good ones if they are combined with or modified by other ideas, it is
best to have a collaborative approach to alternative generation and build on each other's ideas.
Additionally, solutions that are inconsistent with the mission or goals of the organization are not likely to
lead to acceptable outcomes.
Susan states, "Well, I think this solution will work for now." Susan violated an important guideline for
effectively evaluating alternative solutions to problems. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: It appears
that Susan has evaluated the alternative using a satisfactory standard rather than an optimal standard. A
problem solver should determine what is best, not just what will work.
Involving others in implementing the solution to a problem will increase support of and decrease
resistance to the solution. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: Almost any change engenders some
resistance, and involving others in implementation decreases this resistance.
Implementation of a solution to a problem should include opportunities for feedback. - Answers Answer:
TRUE Explanation: Feedback in the implementation process can ensure effective implementation, as
well as improve future problem solving.
The analytical problem-solving model would be the most appropriate approach in determining why
employee morale has declined in an organization. - Answers Answer: FALSE Explanation: Determining
,why employee morale has declined is difficult and complicated. Accurate information may not be
available, outcomes may not be predictable, or means-ends connections may not be evident. Thus,
something more than analytical problem solving is necessary. In short, creative problem solving must be
used.
10) The analytical problem-solving model works best when the problem faced is complex and
ambiguous. - Answers Answer: FALSE Explanation: Analytical problem solving is best when the problems
faced are straightforward and when alternatives are readily definable.
According to the authors of the text, one reason why most people have difficulty solving problems
creatively is because they think of creativity simply as generating new ideas. - Answers Answer: TRUE
Explanation: This is a limited, one-dimensional view of creativity. The text discusses several strategies for
being creative that can help even the most analytical people attack complex problems effectively.
Conceptual blocks are mental obstacles that constrain the way problems are defined and that limit the
number of alternative solutions thought to be relevant. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: Also,
conceptual blocks are largely unrecognized or unconscious, so the only way individuals can be made
aware of them is to be confronted by problems that are unsolvable because of them.
Breakthroughs, out-of-the-box thinking, and radical thinking would be a type of creative problem solving
that can be called "Imagination." - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: Imagination refers to the
creation of new ideas and is the primary creative method used by entrepreneurs, experimenters, etc.
"Incubation," according to the DeGraff model cited in the text, would be the pursuit of rapid goal
achievement and achieving results faster than others. - Answers Answer: FALSE Explanation: Incubation
refers to an approach to creative activity through teamwork, involvement, and coordination among
individuals. Creativity occurs by unlocking the potential that exists in interactions among people and
networks of people. Individuals who approach creativity through incubation encourage people to work
together, foster trust and cohesion, and empower others. Creativity arises from a collective mindset and
shared values.
Examples of the conceptual block of constancy include lateral thinking and only one thinking language. -
Answers Answer: FALSE Explanation: Examples of the conceptual block of constancy include vertical
thinking (the opposite of lateral thinking) and using only one thinking language.
Finding commonalities among two things is a good way to overcome a conceptual block in problem
solving. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: One of the manifestations of the commitment block is
called ignoring commonalities. It occurs when individuals fail to identify similarities between disparate
pieces of data. The inability to do this can overload a problem solver by requiring him or her to solve
each problem individually, instead of dealing with common elements only once.
Making inappropriate assumptions that inhibit problem solutions is an example of the conceptual block
of compression. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: Compression refers to the compression of ideas.
Looking too narrowly at a problem, screening out too much relevant data, and making inappropriate
, assumptions are common examples of this conceptual block. Sometimes people assume that their range
of solutions is limited, or fail to see a full range of problem definitions.
Your boss stares out the window with his feet up for at least an hour every day. Most people think he is
not working. People that criticize him may be falling prey to the conceptual block of bias against
thinking. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: This bias is partially a cultural bias and partially a
personal one. In western cultures, there is a bias against thinking that uses the right hemisphere of the
brain (intuition, synthesis, qualitative judgment) in favor of logical, left-brained thinking. However,
numerous researchers have found that creative problem solvers employ ambidextrous thinking.
One major difference between effective, creative problem solvers and other people is that creative
problem solvers are less constrained in both defining the problem and developing solutions. - Answers
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Creative problem solving involves four steps: preparation, incubation,
illumination, and verification. The primary difference between creative and noncreative problem solvers
is how they approach this first step, which includes problem definition and alternative generation, in
addition to data gathering and information analysis.
The stage of creative problem solving that is defined by mostly unconscious mental activity in which the
mind combines unrelated thoughts in pursuit of a solution is the illumination stage. - Answers Answer:
FALSE Explanation: The stage of creative problem solving that is defined by mostly unconscious mental
activity in which the mind combines unrelated thoughts in pursuit of a solution is the incubation stage.
Brainstorming is only effective when it occurs in a face-to-face group setting. - Answers Answer: FALSE
Explanation: Recent research has found that brainstorming in a group may be less efficient than
alternative forms of brainstorming, such as having individual group members generate ideas on their
own then submit them to the group for exploration and evaluation.
You are asked to list all the possible uses for a Ping-Pong ball. After making the list, by using the
technique of subdivision, you should be able to determine many more alternative uses for the Ping-Pong
ball. - Answers Answer: TRUE Explanation: Subdivision involves dividing a problem into smaller parts and
helps to break through conceptual blocks. For example, using subdivision, you might consider all the
possible uses for a Ping-Pong ball in the kitchen, in the yard, and at the office.
Particularistic cultures have more of a tendency toward creative solution finding. - Answers Answer:
TRUE Explanation: This is true because they are inclined to search for unique aberrations from the norm
rather than focusing on generalized outcomes or procedures.
The outcome is predictable, you have sufficient information, and the means-ends connections are clear.
You should utilize a creative problem-solving approach. - Answers Answer: False Explanation: Rather
than a creative approach, an analytical problem-solving approach would be most effective.
The principle of compression is a key technique to unlocking an individual's creative potential. - Answers
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Compression is a conceptual block that inhibits people from creatively
solving problems.
