MGT Quiz 3

Cultural Sensitivity

**** An awareness of and a willingness to investigate the reasons why people of another culture act as they do. Leaders, as well as others, who are attempting to influence a person from a foreign country must be alert to possible cultural differences. Thus, the leader must be willing to acquire knowledge about local customs and learn to speak the native language at least passably (unless the company has an English-only policy on the job). A cross-cultural leader must be patient, adaptable, flexible, and willing to listen and learn. All of these characteristics are part of cultural sensitivity, an awareness of and a willingness to investigate the reasons why people of another culture act as they do. Five aspects of cultural sensitivity are described next. 1. Recognition of nuances in customs. A person with cultural sensitivity will recognize certain nuances in customs that will help build better relationships with work associates from another culture. Another aspect of cultural sensitivity is being tolerant of the subtle differences between and among cultures. 2. Being a multicultural worker Cultural sensitivity is also important because it helps a person become a multicultural worker. Such an individual is convinced that all cultures are equally good and enjoys learning about other cultures. Multicultural workers and leaders are usually people who have been exposed to more than one culture in childhood. Being multicultural helps one be accepted by a person from another culture. The concept of a multicultural worker also refers to an employee who identifies with two more cultures, such as a graphics designer born in Japan, who speaks Japanese at home and works in the United States. Because multicultural workers can readily relate to people from other cultures, they are well-suited to the global workplace. Sensitivity is the most important characteristic for leading people from other cultures because cultural stereotypes rarely provide entirely reliable guides for dealing with others. An American manager, for example, might expect Asian group members to accept his or her directives immediately because Asians are known to defer to authority. Nevertheless, an individual Asian might need considerable convincing before accepting authority. 3. Recognizing potential problems of cultural misunderstanding Problems of cultural misunderstanding leaders should be aware of cluster in five areas. Language differences create problems because U.S. workers (most of whom are monolingual) can become frustrated by coworkers' accents and limited English skills. Non-English speakers may feel that they do not fit well into the team. Differences in religion are the source of many misunderstandings. In many cultures, religion dominates life in ways that Americans find difficult to comprehend. Work habits vary enough across cultures to create friction and frustration. Employees in some cultures are unwilling to spend personal time on work. Problems can also stem from office rituals, such as having coffee or tea together during work breaks, or singing songs together at the start of the workday. What constitutes acceptable personal appearance and behavior varies considerably across cultures. Grooming, office attire, eating habits, and nonverbal communication may deviate significantly from the U.S. standards. Many workers around the world may perceive American workers as over-friendly, aggressive, or rude. A key item in personal appearance is choosing appropriate attire when working in another culture. Cultural sensitivity helps you detect what type of clothing is appropriate. In some countries wearing flip-flops to the office would be considered unacceptable. Many faux pas are possible, including that many Hindus in India may be offended by a finely tooled leather belt and briefcase because steers have religious significance. In some parts of Asia, white is the color of mourning. A cross-cultural guideline for professionals is that a dark, well-made business suit and conservative accessories such as ties and simple jewelry are acceptable for business around the world. A frequently occurring area of cultural misunderstanding is the importance of punctuality in terms of arriving to work and to meetings at a specified time, and submitting work at an agreed upon dates. "On time" has different meanings in different cultures, so it is important for the leader to be very specific about starting times and due dates. In a culture with lax attitudes toward completing projects on time, it is helpful to ask for needed work early than really needed. It is also important to explain why Western-style punctuality is important. Generational differences are another manifestation of cultural differences, quite often within a leader's national culture. For example, young people typically want more frequent recognition and rewards as well as flexible scheduling. Older people might want more deference to their knowledge and experience. 4.Transgender Employees The reality of greater number of transgender employees in the workplace requires considerable cultural sensitivity on the part of the leader or manager. (A transgender person goes beyond cross-dressing, and converts to the opposite sex through a combination of surgery and hormone treatments.) A recent development is that some companies are offering sex reassignment benefits as a method of attracting LGBT employees. 5. Flexibility in dealing with others Cultural sensitivity is enhanced by cultural training, and also by simply listening carefully and observing. A key principle is to be flexible when dealing with people from other cultures. Cultural sensitivity is also enhanced by asking questions, such as whether it is reasonable to expect people to work on Saturday and Sunday. When cross-cultural issues about performance arise, the leader/manager is advised to ask: "My job requires that I manage your performance. Your job is to meet or exceed our performance standards. How can I help you do that?" 6. Eliciting ideas and giving critical feedback Two more areas in which cross-cultural communication can break down are in eliciting ideas from subordinates and providing them feedback. Cultural norms about expressing ideas vary across cultures. Team members from relatively egalitarian cultures, such as the United States, may be accustomed to voicing their candid opinions and ideas. In contrast, team members from more hierarchical cultures such as Japan and China, tend to speak up only after more senior colleagues have provided their input. Furthermore, in some cultures, such as Scandinavian countries, workers tend to wait until they have carefully developed an idea for fear of seeming foolish. In a culture that that accepts half-processed (or Tweet-like) ideas, such as the United States, many workers will express ideas that they have carefully reasoned. Giving critical feedback presents transcultural challenges because feedback is perceived differently depending somewhat on the culture. Executives from more individualistic and task-oriented cultures such as the United States and Canada, usually perceive critical feedback as an opportunity for personal development, and therefore as advantageous. People from more collectivistic and relationship-oriented cultures might feel uncomfortable in receiving critical feedback, particularly in a group setting.Footnote (Despite cultural differences, the leader is advised to apply in any culture, one of the most basic human relations principles: Praise in public, and criticize in private.)

Cultural Intelligence (CQ)

****An outsider's ability to interpret someone's unfamiliar and ambiguous gestures the way that person's compatriots would. Refinement and expansion of cultural sensitivity is cultural intelligence (CQ) : an outsider's ability to interpret someone's unfamiliar and ambiguous gestures the way that person's compatriots would. For example, an American might be attending a business meeting in Europe. He or she might pick up the clue that the Europeans present prefer to discuss U.S. politics and trade agreements (or current events) for twenty minutes before discussing the business purpose of the meeting. So the cross-border visitor engages in a lively but nonpartisan discussion of politics and trade agreements. Cultural intelligence has three facets or components: Cognitive CQ (head). The first facet of cultural intelligence is the ability to pick up some factual clues about relevant behavior such as the importance of deadlines. Physical CQ (body). Your actions and demeanor must prove to your foreign hosts that you have entered their world by adopting people's habits and mannerisms. You might gently kiss each cheek of a French compatriot (or be kissed), and not shake hands with a Japanese work associate in Tokyo. With the latter, you might bow slightly or smile as a form of greeting. Emotional/motivational CQ (heart). Adapting to a new culture involves overcoming obstacles and setbacks. You need the self-confidence and courage to keep trying even though your first few attempts at adapting your behavior to a group of foreign workers went poorly. You might say to yourself, "OK, when I stood very close to the Mexican workers, they didn't like it even though they stand close to each other. Maybe I looked a little stiff. I'll practice some more." To attain the highest level of cultural intelligence, you would need competence in all three facets, and the head, body, and heart would have to work together smoothly. You would need to gather the facts, adapt your mannerism and appearance to fit the culture, and stay motivated to make refinements. Cultural intelligence is similar to emotional intelligence, yet it goes one step further by enabling a person to distinguish among behaviors that are (1)produced by the culture in question; (2)peculiar to particular individuals; and (3)found in all human beings. Suppose you are making a PowerPoint presentation in Germany and suddenly your presentation is verbally attacked. You ask yourself, "Is this a German trait? Are these people just being hostile? Or are my slides so bad anyone would attack them?" Picking up on the cues, you decide that German corporate professionals find it normal to challenge ideas and that they are not being personal. People with a divergent learning style tend to have broad cultural interests and show a strong interest in obtaining international experiences. (The latter is part of motivational CQ.) Divergent learners are interested in people from other cultures and are likely to develop relationships with them. A person with a divergent learning style might think after several days of visiting a customer in another country, "People over here tend to smile and nod when I talk about the competition with respect. But when I talk tough, like referring to eliminating competitors, they look disappointed."

Actions leaders take to build teamwork - from their own resources

-Defining the Team's Mission Being committed to a mission improves teamwork, as does the process of formulating a mission. The dialogue necessary for developing a clearly articulated mission establishes a climate in which team members can express feelings, ideas, and opinions. -Establishing a Climate of Trust Trust is at the heart of collaboration. Unless team members trust each other, they will not be dependent on each other and therefore will not work well as a team. Encouraging open communication about problems and sharing information are two specific ways the leader can help promote a climate of trust. Being open about problems facing the group and being candid in expressing opinions is often referred to as the leader being transparent. -Developing a Norm of Teamwork Based on Cooperation Theory A norm of teamwork is based on cooperation theory, a belief in cooperation and collaboration rather than competitiveness as a strategy for building teamwork. Individuals who are accustomed to competing with one another for recognition, salary increases, and resources must now collaborate. Despite the challenge of making a culture shift, the leader can make progress toward establishing a teamwork norm by doing the following: Encourage team members to treat one another as if they were customers, thus fostering cooperative behavior and politeness. Explicitly state the desirability of teamwork on a regular basis both orally and in writing. Communicate the norm of teamwork by frequently using words and phrases that support teamwork. Emphasizing the words team members or teammate and deemphasizing the words subordinates and employees helps communicate the norm of teamwork. Work with the group to establish a code of conduct that everyone agrees to follow. Aspects of the code might include "never abandon a teammate," "never humiliate anyone," and "keep all agreements." Also helpful is to facilitate productive conversation by prohibiting unfair interruptions, and encouraging participation by all team members during physical or virtual meetings. Normative statements about teamwork by influential team members are also useful in reinforcing the norm of teamwork. -Develop Group Emotional Intelligence The leader contributes to the group's emotional intelligence by creating norms that establish mutual trust among members. It is also important for members to have a sense of group identity as defined in their mission statement. Group efficacy, or feeling competent to complete the group task, also contributes to emotional intelligence. Ensuring that the group has the right skills can enhance such efficacy. These three conditions—mutual trust, group identity, and group efficacy—are the foundation of cooperation and collaboration. The leader can also promote group emotional intelligence by bringing emotions to the surface in both group and one-on-one meetings -Emphasizing Pride in Being Outstanding A standard way to build team spirit, if not teamwork, is to help the group realize why it should be proud of its accomplishments. -Serving as a Model of Teamwork Including Power Sharing and Collective Leadership one way to exemplify teamwork is to reveal important information about ideas and attitudes relevant to the group's work. As a result of this behavior, team members may follow suit. A leader's self-disclosure fosters teamwork because it leads to shared perceptions and concerns. Another way of being a model of teamwork is to share power with group members because a good team player avoids hogging power and making all of the decisions. -Using a Consensus Leadership Style Contributing to important decisions helps group members feel that they are valuable to the team. Also leads to an exchange of ideas within the group, with group members supporting and refining each other's suggestions. As a result, the feeling of working jointly on problems is enhanced. -Establishing Urgency, Demanding Performance standards, and Providing Direction The more urgent and relevant the rationale is, the more likely it is that the team will achieve its potential. To help establish urgency, it is helpful for the leader to challenge the group regularly. Teamwork is enhanced when the leader provides the team valid facts and information that motivate them to work together to modify the status quo. New information prompts the team to redefine and enrich its understanding of the challenge it is facing. As a result, the team is likely to focus on a common purpose, set clearer goals, and work together more smoothly. -Encouraging Competition with Another Group While encouraging competition with another group, the leader should encourage rivalry, not intense competition that might lead to unethical business practices, such as making false charges against them. An example of ethical competition against another group would be a product development group at Dodge Ram competing to produce a pickup truck that outperformed the Ford 150 series of pickups. -Engaging in Ample Interaction with the Team and Provide Positive Feedback A helpful tactic for building teamwork is to build positive relationships with team members, and relationships are built on conversations. A motivational form of interacting with the team is to provide positive feedback about recent activities. Giving team members regular updates on personal performance as well as company performance helps workers feel valued. -Minimizing Micromanagement A strategic perspective on encouraging teamwork is for the leader to minimize micromanagement, the close monitoring of most aspects of group member activities. Avoiding micromanagement is a core ingredient of employee empowerment because empowered workers are given considerable latitude to manage their own activities. Not stepping in to make suggestions or corrections helps team members develop, and the feeling of growing professionally will often translate into workers developing a stronger team spirit. A micromanager is also referred to as a control freak, because he or she wants to maintain so much control. When a micromanager is particularly talented, and also well liked, micromanagement is less of a detriment to teamwork, as implied by the accompanying Leader-In-Action insert. The contingency leader recognizes the fine line between avoiding micromanagement and not providing the guidance and accountability that team members may need to function well as a unit. -Practicing E-leadership for Virtual Teams E-leadership is a form of leadership practiced in a context where work is mediated by information technology. The leadership focus shifts from individuals to networks of relationships because the Internet facilitates connecting so many people. When team members are geographically dispersed, a leader's communication with team members takes place using information technology, including the dissemination of information needed for task accomplishment. Videoconferencing is ideal for virtual teams because it allows members to see and interact with other from remote locations at the same time. Another driving force for the use of virtual teams has been the gig economy—workers who are involved in some form of freelancing or contracting, often based on outsourcing. A person accepting a gig works on demand, often through a digital marketplace.

Key roles of a team-based leader

1. Building trust and inspiring teamwork 2. Coaching team members and group members toward higher levels of performance, even to the point of being a high-performing transformational team (one that brings about major constructive changes) 3. Facilitating and supporting the team's decisions 4. Expanding the team's capabilities 5. Creating a team identity 6. Anticipating and influencing change 7. Inspiring the team toward higher levels of performance 8. Enabling and empowering group members to accomplish their work 9. Encouraging team members to eliminate low-value work

Systematically Collecting Fresh Ideas

Creativity is often referred to as a numbers game, because the more ideas you try, the greater the probability of finding one that works. Several approaches to systematically collecting fresh ideas are listed next. Straightforward collection of ideas. A basic way of collecting fresh ideas is for employees to furnish them to a company database so that when somebody needs a fresh idea it can be accessed through a company search engine. Posting ideas on an intranet is similar to the database. Another straightforward approach to collecting ideas is for company leadership to engage more of its own staff in the search for innovation. Establishing idea quotas. To facilitate having fresh ideas, the leader or manager can establish idea quotas, such as by asking staff members to bring one new idea to each physical or virtual meeting. Although the vast majority of these ideas may not lead to innovation, a few good ones will emerge. One reason idea quotas work is that they are a goal. Another is that an environmental need (in this case, the idea quota) is an excellent creativity stimulant. Advocates of doodling say it can facilitate idea generation, boost collaboration, and simplify communication. Granting tinkering time. A formal policy approach for collecting fresh ideas is to allocate an amount or percentage of time for employees to think and experiment. Several innovative companies, including 3M, W. L. Gore & Associates, and Google, attribute some of their most successful new products to employees who were granted thinking time.

Actions leaders take to build teamwork - requiring organizational structure or policy

Designing Physical Structures That Facilitate Communication Group cohesiveness, and therefore teamwork, is fostered when team members are located close together and can interact frequently and easily. In contrast, people who spend most of their time in their private offices or cubicles are less likely to interact. Frequent interaction often leads to camaraderie and a feeling of belongingness. A useful tactic for achieving physical proximity is to establish a shared physical facility, such as a conference room, research library, or beverage lounge. This area should be decorated differently from other areas in the building, and a few amenities should be added, such as a coffeepot, microwave oven, and refrigerator. Team members can then use this area for refreshments and group interaction. Recognizing the contribution of a shared physical facility to promoting teamwork, many organizations have incorporated more open working space into the workplace, often eliminating private offices and cubicles. The use of open office space to enhance collaboration and creativity is frequently accepted uncritically by CEOs and company owners. The noisy, open-floor plans that have become a staple of office life have received many employee complaints. A major problem is the assault on privacy and quiet reflection of open offices. To counter the potential negative effect on employees and productivity, some companies are taking the following measures: adding soundproof rooms; creating quiet zones; and rearranging floor plans to aid employees eager to escape disruptions at their desk or table. Emphasizing Group Recognition and Rewards Giving rewards for group accomplishment reinforces teamwork because people receive rewards for what they have achieved collaboratively. Also, much of work that is accomplished in organizations requires collaboration, so group rewards are justifiable and sensible. A warning, however, is that many employees may view switching to a team-based pay plan that places much of their pay at risk as an unnerving proposition. Quite often a mix of individual rewards and team rewards is the most effective in terms of morale. The recognition accompanying the reward should emphasize the team's value to the organization rather than that of the individual. Recognition promotes team identity by enabling the team to take pride in its contributions and progress. The following are examples of team recognition: A display wall for team activities such as certificates of accomplishment, schedules, and miscellaneous announcements Celebrations to mark milestones such as first-time activities, cost savings, and safety records Team-of-the-Month award, with gifts from the organization to team members or to the entire team Another aspect of rewarding team performance is to avoid disincentives for teamwork. An example would be a stack-ranking system in which a fixed percentage of workers must be classified as bottom or poor performers, regardless of the team's overall performance. Initiating Ritual and Ceremony Another way to enhance teamwork is to initiate ritual and ceremony. Ritual and ceremony afford opportunities for reinforcing values, revitalizing spirit, and bonding workers to one another and to the team. An example is holding a team dinner whenever the group achieves a major milestone, such as making a winning bid on a major contract. Another formal ritual is to send a team on a retreat to develop its mission and goals and to build camaraderie. When the team is working and socializing closely together during the retreat—even one long day—teamwork is reinforced. Practicing Open-Book Management A method of getting the company working together as a team is to share information about company finances and strategy with large numbers of employees. In open-book management, every employee is trained, empowered, and motivated to understand and pursue the company's business goals. In this way, employees become business partners and perceive themselves to be members of the same team. In a full form of open-book management, workers share strategic and financial information as well as responsibility. The company also shares risks and rewards based on results, so workers are likely to pull together as a team so that the company can succeed. The idea is to have a well-informed, partner-oriented, high-performance company. Part of keeping workers well informed is for company leaders to host roundtable discussions about company financial information. Another approach is to regularly disseminate, by e-mail, information about the company's financial progress. Selecting Team-Oriented Members A foundation strategy for achieving good teamwork is to select members for the team with aptitude, skill, and interest in teamwork. (Selecting team-oriented members is often a company policy, but it is also an action managers can take operating on their own.) A starting point is self-selection. It is best for the team leader to choose workers who ask to be members of a team. A person's record of past team activity can also help one determine whether that person is an effective team player (as suggested in the opening case to this chapter). Many managers believe that those who participate in team sports now or in the past are likely to be good team players on the job. At times, workers will be assigned to the team rather than selected by the team leader or team members, so selecting team-oriented members is not possible. Among the key criteria for selecting teamwork-oriented members would be teamwork experience, prior success as a team player, and favorable personality traits such as agreeableness and extraversion. Using Technology That Enhances Teamwork Workers can collaborate better when they use information technology that fosters collaboration, often referred to as collaborative software. For example, the straightforward act of exchanging frequent e-mail messages and instant messages can facilitate cooperation. Electronic brainstorming is another example of groupware. Virtual teams by their nature rely on information technology to enhance teamwork. Videoconferencing as mentioned in relation to virtual teams facilitates teamwork. Geographically separated workers can participate in a virtual conference and exchange ideas almost as effectively as in a face-to-face meeting. An example is TelePresence, an advanced conferencing system installed in its own offices, customer offices, and in the homes of company executives. Meetings can be called spontaneously and group decisions made rapidly without traveling. Social networking might be regarded as the most far-reaching technology for enhancing teamwork because so many workers can exchange information with each other and thereby collaborate more extensively. Also, when groups of people can readily see what information others are exchanging, a spirit of cooperation might develop. Even the exchange of jokes and interesting YouTube and Hulu videos might improve team spirit. Blending Representatives from the Domestic Company and Foreign Nationals on the Team Cross-cultural considerations enter into enhancing teamwork as well as in most aspects of leadership. The fact of working with people from your own country as well as a representative from the country of company headquarters often enhances teamwork. Perhaps having a representative from the parent company, yet still respecting local talent, creates a spirit of cooperation. Also, blending cultural differences is appealing to some workers and might make them more interested in performing as a team.

Define and differentiate ethics, morals, and values

Ethics is the study of moral obligations, or of separating right from wrong. Ethics can also be a plural noun meaning the accepted guidelines of behavior for groups or institutions. In this sense, it means much the same as morals, which are an individual's determination of what is right or wrong; morals are influenced by a person's values. Values are tied closely to ethics because ethics become the vehicle for converting values into action. A leader who values fairness will evaluate group members on the basis of their performance, not personal friendships. And a moral leader will practice good ethics.

Deontological

Focus on duties, obligations, and principles "duty" Rather than focusing on consequences, a deontological approach would ask "what is pat's ethical duty now that she knows about the layoff?". Deontologists base their decisions about what's right on broad, abstract universal ethical principles or values such as honesty, promise keeping, fairness, loyalty, rights (to safety, privacy, etc.), justice, responsibility, compassion, and respect for human beings and property. A deontologist focuses on doing what is "right" (based on moral principles or values such as honesty), whereas a consequentialist focuses on doing what will maximize societal welfare. Knowing what values are important to you and how you prioritize them is an important first step toward understanding and applying this approach in your own life. Follows the Golden Rule, a basic moral rule found in every major religion. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

Consequentialist

Logos, reason When you're attempting to decide what's right or wrong, consequentialist theories focus attention on the results or consequences of the decision or action. According to the principle of utility, an ethical decision should maximize benefits to society and minimize harms. The consequentialist approach requires you to do a mental calculation of all the harms and benefits of these consequences. This perspective requires you to think broadly about the consequences for society not just for yourself and those close to you, as we are often inclined to do. A challenge involved in using a strictly consequentialist approach is that it is often difficult to obtain the information required to evaluate all of the consequences for all stakeholders who may be directly or indirectly affected by an action or decision.

The Morality Of Enhancing Creativity

Methods that help generate creative ideas, as well as the leadership and managerial actions to enhance creativity described at various places in this chapter, have ethical and moral consequences. Hundreds of other products and services also have ethical implications. For example, brilliantly developed financial products, such as derivatives, have also created harm for many consumers. Sindell recommends that creative workers should imagine all the possible misuses of an innovative product or service, and then take steps to limit the damage from the misuses.Footnote Warning labels and informative advertising are at least a step in the right direction.

Brainstorming

The best-known method for creativity improvement is brainstorming. Although brainstorming is often condemned as being superficial, it remains a key idea-generation method for even the most advanced technology companies. Furthermore, brainstorming is as much entrenched into business life as are job interviews and problem-solving meetings. Another key aspect of brainstorming is that all ideas can be stepping stones and triggers for new and more useful ideas. Any idea might lead to other associations and connections. Thus, during the idea-generating part of brainstorming, potential solutions are not criticized or evaluated in any way so that spontaneity is encouraged. It is important to make sure that participants are prepared by studying the problem beforehand. Although it is useful to bring in employees from different departments to the brainstorming sessions, in-depth expertise on the subject may be as important as diversity in generating innovative ideas. Follow through in terms of implementing the best ideas is essential. If the good ideas are not implemented, brainstorming participants might become disillusioned and less inclined to share their creative thinking in the future. Brainstorming, much like other creative problem-solving techniques, works best in an organizational culture that fosters innovation.

Using the Pet-Peeve Technique

The pet-peeve technique is a method of brainstorming in which a group identifies all the possible complaints others might have about the group's organizational unit. Group members can prepare for the meeting by soliciting feedback on themselves from the various target groups. In keeping with the informal, breezy style of the pet-peeve group, feedback should be gathered informally. Rather than approach target groups with a survey, members might tell others about the upcoming pet-peeve session and then ask in person or electronically, "What complaints can you contribute?" During the no-holds-barred brainstorming session, group members throw in some imaginary and some humorous complaints. Humorous complaints are especially important, for humor requires creative thinking. The pet-peeve technique is potentially valuable for a leader because it can help the group improve its work processes. Because it has a good-spirited touch, it is not likely to be perceived as threatening.

Virtue Ethics

The virtue ethics approach focuses more on the integrity of the moral actor (the person) than on the moral act itself (the decision or behavior). The goal here is to be a good person because that is the type of person you wish to be. A virtue ethics prospective considers the actor's character, motivations, and intentions. It is important that the individual intends to be a good person and exerts effort to develop him or herself as a moral agent, to associate with others who do the same, and to contribute to creating an organizational context that supports ethical behavior. Motivations and intentions are important to ethical decision making, as the law acknowledges. If a person harms another, society judges that person less harshly if he or she did not intend to commit harm (it was an accident). A virtue ethics approach is particularly useful for individuals who work within a professional community that has developed high standards of ethical conduct for community members.

Organizational Methods to enhance creativity

To enhance creative problem solving, most organizations regularly engage in systematic approaches to develop creative and innovative ideas. We focus here on new developments in brainstorming and other creativity-enhancing methods. Programs of this nature are applied to actual problems, while at the same time they provide an opportunity to improve creative thinking. The leader has a dual role in implementing creative problem-solving techniques: He or she facilitates group interaction and also provides a fair share of creative output. The three creativity-enhancing, problem-solving techniques described here are (1)systematically collecting fresh ideas, including the use of whiteboards and granting time to explore ideas; (2)brainstorming; and (3)the pet-peeve technique. As will be described later, creative problem-solving techniques are more likely to be effective in an organization culture that favors creativity and innovation. A notable point about creativity-enhancing methods is that no one method is likely to be consistently better than any other method. The underlying mechanism is that each creativity-enhancing method helps bring new ideas to the surface.