INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, ROHTAK

PGP 10
Mid Term Exam (Term VI)

Strategic Thinking, Creativity, and Problem Solving

(STCPS)
2.1.2021
MM -

Name: Kanupriya Gathoria

Roll No: PGP10023

Marks Secured:
(In figures & words)

Question No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Maximum Marks
Marks Scored

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1. Identify 10 practices of highly creative people and 5 of highly not creative types?

Ans.

10 Practices of highly creative people can be

• Good Listening Skills: RASA (Receive, Appreciate, Summaries, Ask)
• Imaginative Play
• Experimentation Mind Set and Divergent Thinking: Think of bizzare application of
things
• Observation Skills: Japanese Language Symbols
• Turning Adversity into Advantage (Thick Skin)
• Intuition as it’s a part of fast brain system and plays role in generating creative ideas
• Passion
• Opposable Mind - holding contrasting ideas
• Networking Skills - Personal Network - Should be limited
• Take hobbies seriously: self-confidence, new perspective, new connections
• Creative people don’t filter information coming to them. have high working memory

5 Practices of highly not creative people

• Giving in to Self-doubt
• High latent inhibitions
• Fear of failure
• Convergent thinking
• Rushing the decision-making process

2. What's the distinction b/w Invention, Innovation, Ideas, Creativity, Patents, and
R&D. Define each and clarify the distinction.

Ans

• Invention- Invention is the physical creation of a new concept or idea. The creation
of an idea to do or make something without verification that it works, or is
commercially valuable. Invention cannot occur without creativity.
• Innovation- Innovation is the successful exploitation of new ideas. It involves turning
an invention into a commercial success and encouraging its widespread use.
• Ideas - any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding,
awareness, or activity. Refer to a product of mental activity.
• Creativity- Creativity is the act of channelling imagination into something concrete.
It is the very first stage of design, where ideas start to actually take form, and a plan
can be developed.
• R&D- R&D represents the activities companies undertake to innovate and introduce
new products and services or to improve their existing offerings.
• Patent- A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a
process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new
technical solution to a problem. Patent comes after all the above sets have taken place.

Creativity Idea R&D Invention Innovation Patent

3. Identify HR/ People practices of ten most innovative companies. Name the companies
and specific practices

Ans -

• Google - Google’s philosophy is that with the right tools, you can attract the best
talent, and develop happier and more productive employees
• Cadbury - The company is built on an altruistic belief system that makes people a
priority. The Cadbury culture combines positivity and balance work and life.
• SAS - The HR department is recognized as a pioneer in addressing day-to-day
stresses and concerns that are common in a workplace environment.
• Nissan - Nissan include transparent salary scales and full autonomy for leaders to
recruit and build their own teams.
• Bain and Company - HR at Bain focuses on the complete-employee; combining
training, mentoring, and flexibility among work schedules.

4. List down any five Design Thinking methods and tools for problem, exploration, and
solving. Take the example of COVID-19 vaccine distribution to illustrate.

Ans.

• Journey Mapping - is an ethnographical research method that focuses on outlining

the customer’s journey as its interacts with an organization while in the process of
receiving a service, with special attention to emotional highs and lows. In reference
with COVID vaccine distribution journey map will be including all the gains and
issues in its reachability, its effectiveness as well as its side effects.
• Mind Mapping - is used to characterize how ideas or other items are linked to a
central idea and to each other. In reference with COVID vaccine, mind mapping will
include how its effecting various stakeholders like manufacturing firm, distributors
and users and also what are the issues faced by each of them.
• Value Chain Analysis - Examines how an organization interacts with value chain
partners to produce, market, and distribute new offerings. In reference with COVID
vaccine distributing, this will include the competitor analysis as well as channels used
by them as well as the organisation itself.
• Customer Co-creation - integrates techniques that allow managers to engage a
customer while in the process of developing new business ideas of mutual interest. In
reference with COVID vaccine, this can include taking inputs from previously
effected COVID patients and underlining hospitals as well as doctors.
• Assumption Testing - focuses on identifying conventions underlying the
attractiveness of a new corporate idea and using available data to assess the possibility
that these assumptions will turn out to be true. In reference with COVID, this is
intended to make assumptions about the best channels and its pros and cons related to
the same
5. Identify five Indian companies wrt their innovation practices which stand out.

Ans

• Hindustan Unilever's approach of partner engagement - work with the community,

albeit around specifically identified problems
• TATA - Apart from the pioneering innovations on employee wellbeing, society and
culture at large, the group has also very systematically nurtured a culture of
innovation. Tata Innovista has been the key rewards and acknowledgement
mechanism at the group companies, and one of the award classes in particular - 'Dare
to Try Award'- is instrumental is helping shape a failure tolerant culture.
• Marico's approach to scaling innovation - connect entrepreneurs and ideators to make
sizable social and economic impact, through the program of 'Innovate 2
• Mahindra - Mahindra's way of tapping into the imagination of the youth i.e., Shadow
Board (creating independent high profile projects) and Mahindra War Room (business
plan cum case study competition)
• Dr. Reddy- The way Dr. Reddy's bringing Design Thinking into the way of working -
has its own design thinking studio by the name Studio 5B. The company is a big
proponent of design principles, right from the customer engagement to designing of
corporate policies and employee behaviours.