Paradox of Structure

1. One of the primary distinctions between Adaption and Innovation lies in the different ways individuals prefer to manage structure.

a. First, give some examples of different kinds of structure.

b. Explain how adaptors and innovators (strictly speaking, those who are more adaptive or more innovative) differ in their preferences for managing structure.

c. Is it possible to function without structure?

d. Does an individual’s preferred problem solving style change over time?

2. How do adaptors and innovators differ with respect to their approaches for generating ideas when problem solving?

3. Describe the essential roles that both adaptors and innovators play in organizations. Why is it essential that organizations support problem solving diversity?

4. What key element of cognition do creativity and problem solving share?

5. Concept formation represents the basic building block of cognition. What is a ‘concept’, and how are concepts defined?

6. What is the difference between normal science and science in crisis?

7. How do adaptors and innovators vary in their problem solving approaches when dealing with unresolved novelty?