Innovation Culture & Organizational Design Flashcards
7 cards from real CPI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Innovation Culture & Organizational Design flashcards as text
What is 'psychological safety' as described by Amy Edmondson, and why is it critical for innovation culture?
Answer: A shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking and speaking up without fear of punishment
Psychological safety, coined by Amy Edmondson, is the shared belief that team members can take interpersonal risks—sharing ideas or admitting mistakes—without fear of punishment, which is foundational to creative risk-taking.
Which organizational structure is most associated with enabling innovation by reducing bureaucracy and increasing employee autonomy?
Answer: Flat or network-based structure that minimizes hierarchical layers
Flat or network-based organizational structures minimize hierarchical layers and approval chains, giving employees greater autonomy to experiment and collaborate, which fosters innovation.
The concept of an 'ambidextrous organization' refers to a company's ability to:
Answer: Balance both exploratory innovation and the exploitation of existing operational capabilities
An ambidextrous organization simultaneously pursues exploration (discovering new opportunities) and exploitation (optimizing existing operations), balancing short-term performance with long-term innovation.
What is the primary purpose of a 'skunkworks' project in organizational design?
Answer: To create a small, autonomous team working outside normal organizational constraints on advanced projects
A skunkworks project is a small, loosely structured group working with relative autonomy on advanced or secret projects, free from the bureaucracy that can stifle innovation in larger organizations.
Which of the following best describes a 'culture of experimentation' in innovative organizations?
Answer: An environment where small, fast tests are encouraged and failures are treated as learning opportunities
A culture of experimentation encourages frequent, low-cost tests with rapid feedback loops, treating failures as valuable data that improves future decisions rather than as punishable events.
How does 'innovation theater' harm organizational culture?
Answer: By creating the appearance of innovation activity without producing meaningful outcomes, which fosters employee cynicism
Innovation theater refers to performative activities that signal innovation without producing real outcomes, ultimately leading to employee cynicism and disengagement from genuine innovation efforts.
What does 'T-shaped' talent refer to in the context of building innovation-oriented teams?
Answer: Team members with deep expertise in one area combined with broad knowledge across multiple disciplines
T-shaped professionals have deep vertical expertise in one specialty combined with broad horizontal knowledge across multiple domains, enabling effective cross-functional collaboration essential for innovation.