China s Problems Of Dystopian Society - 1426 Words

China s Problems Andrew Bond Ms. Underhill HELA November 21 2016 China has been the biggest economic structure for quite along time, but there are horrible reasons for these, and these decisions are made by the people s republic of china. The people s republic is China s government, and they make all the decisions.A dystopian society is an unbalance in a nation about the people and the government; such as china, the people s republic of china, or their government, makes many decisions that have affected their country. The three points one can analyze through researching the topic of dystopian societies are the influence of the government, the impacts and change the people s republic made on china, and the how literature can be used to educate people about the problems in a dystopian society and the progression toward inequality. Outline Introductory Paragraph with thesis First Body Paragraph: Point One changes the leader made Has built up the economy dangerously close to a crash The people s republic , or the Chinese government, has made many statements about Tibet being a lop sided region. They are trying to use Tibet as another factory to help China s economy get better.According to the people s republic they are creating a policy of rapid economic growth. Horrible human rights Has made people created people s life work on specific things Second Body Paragraph: Point two The way the changes affected the country May create a breakShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Catch 22 s ( 1961 ) Depiction Of War And Mr. Robot s Essay1503 Words   |  7 PagesCatch 22’s (1961) depiction of war and Mr. Robot’s (2015) dystopian hacking reality are both satirical pieces which expose human weaknesses within their main characters and the societal ideologies around them to educate us and entertain us in different mediums. In Catch 22, Heller exposes the psychological state of war through Yossarian’s anxiety-stricken attempts to deconstruct the concept of war, in order to explain to the reader, the bureaucratic and logical madness of the military. Sam Esmail’sRead MoreThe Monster s Body Is A Culture Body Essay1234 Words   |  5 PagesGodzilla is the favorite monster in Japan and which is embodiment of the culture desire of the powerful and strong country. The monster presents as the most famous pop culture icon of Japan whose role is to solve politico-social conflict. The early 50â€℠¢s were extremely difficult time in the World history. At this time, after WOW II, in the world occurs worsening of the politico-social conflict between the major world powers. 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This novel tells a story about a dystopian future where technology is used to control people - from the way they ar e born or decanted to the way they live their lives as consumers to establish stability in the society. Just like the society in the novel Brave New World, our society is indoctrinated to become consumer. To make matters worse, we are forced to believe that we need to buy goods that we do notRead More`` This Changes Everything : Capitalism Vs. The Climate ``1799 Words   |  8 Pageshostages of this mantra. Naomi Klein attempts with her book â€Å"This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate†, attempts to reboot contemporary thinking around this notion. The author is an award-winning activist journalist and author of the world s best bestsellers No logo, no space, no choice, no work and Shock Doctrine. How Modern Capitalism Uses Natural Disasters and Social Crises. 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Technology And Its Detrimental Effect On Children

Luke Stafford En 102 Essay 4 6/22/2015 Technology is a large part of everyday life in the 21st century, and the effects of its power over our culture are clearly visible in multiple ways. For example, social media is the most popular form of communication and using the internet and computers seems second nature to us, especially in the form of entertainment. Many children today have never known a time when they didn’t have access to the internet, a television, or a cell phone. Everything is accessible at anytime and anywhere. While there are many benefits to technological advancements such as easier teaching, instant feedback, and simpler communication, there are also many shortcomings and negative effects, especially on young children. In this essay I will explore ideas such as technology and its detrimental effect on children, and the importance of how children learn and are impressionable in the categories of learning and focus. Most people can say that they have seen a young child playing on their mother’s cell phone or tablet. Many can say that they have seen young boys and girls playing video games and computer games. Parents these days have given their children access to technology on a large scale in order to keep them entertained. Technology can be helpful for children’s learning, but it can also be very detrimental. There are too many distractions for children and when they have unlimited access to a game or show, it can be a problem. It limits theirShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Overuse Of Technology On Human Health1253 Words   |  6 PagesEffects of overuse of Technology on Human Health Technology has become a major part of human activities today. People engage in different activities through the use of technology for communication, traveling, and different devices used in every career. 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Leadership Essential to The Development of Ethical Decision

Question: Discuss about the Leadership essential to the Development of Ethical Decision making in Modern Organisations? Answer: Is leadership essential to the development of ethical decision making in modern organisations? Leadership is not something that you acquire by heredity or is followed by the family legacy. One cannot guarantee that if you graduate from a well to do business school you would be imbibing all the qualities that a leader ideally possesses. Although there can be a possibility that the experience gained might prove to be helpful in the future. Leadership is something that comes to a person naturally and is pretty much intentional that helps the person in his process of growth and development as an individual. A person can only be a leader or show his leadership skills when he has a mass following him. A leader can show off his abilities to plan, lead, organise and control only if he has a group that follows and listens to him religiously. Having understood the meaning of leadership we now go on to describe as to what going by the general term is ethical. If we strictly go by the modern definition of the Oxford Dictionary, it defines ethical as the term that relates to moral principles. (Sandis and Taleb, 2015). It could also be the branch of knowledge dealing with these principles. However the question that tends to arise here is what exactly is termed as a moral act or principle. The concept of a moral act or the principle of morality is something that is very subjective in nature and differs from person to person. However some virtues that are universally recognised and accepted are honesty, loyalty, generosity, kindness, and respect for one another and so on. Once we have a clear idea regarding the important terms that are used in the topic, we would now go on to debate upon whether leadership plays an important role in development of ethical decision making, and I would be writing for the motion. Leadership definitely plays a very important role in an organization in context to the decisions taken, keeping in mind the ethical actions that are to be considered. Leadership helps in the development of ethical decisions that will have a direct impact of the efficiency, productivity and growth of the organization. For the sole purpose of improved efficiency and increased profitability many modern business centres have tried to restructure their strategic business acumen under the influence of leaders. The leaders or in case of the organizations, help in taking such decisions that not only lead them to profitable situation but also those decisions are morally right. Here morally right implies those decisions that would help in the betterment o f others along with the growth of the institution. (Selart and Johansen, 2011) The crux of organizational behavior lies in the principles of virtue and values of what is right and wrong. This lays down the foundation for the leaders, which they can utilize to the fullest to positively influence the decisions that are undertaken in an organization. The essential element for taking decisions which in all probability are morally correct or at least be virtuous is the presence of an effective leader. A leader is responsible for bringing about change in any organization with his effective leadership. (Jones and Millar, 2010). Without a proper leader who does not have the requisite leadership qualities in him, however is not fit for leading a business organization. There are some basic qualities that a leader ought to possess which would enable him to take ethical decisions in an organization. However it should be kept in mind that a leader himself should be following the principles of ethics or should be for that matter a good human being who follows a code of condu ct in his life. (Griffin and Moorhead, 2011). He should be a man of principles who improvises the correct and just decisions in an organization. The key for successful leadership are: Sense of mission The leaders a very well aware of the reason as to why the organization exists and what is expected out of the people and the organization. His thoughts should be well articulated, knowing exactly regarding the steps that are to be taken or the kind of strategic planning that should be adopted for the organization. This should however be planned in such a way that it does not jeopardize his moral principles or the code of conduct that is set forth in the organization. Vision An effective leader clearly knows where he wants to see his business few years down the line. A vision that should be so enigmatic that the people in the organization themselves are encouraged to work towards the vision. (Collins, 2014). Goal- A practical leader will know how to measure the specific progress is made in terms of the goals the organization achieves in a span of time. What is the mission for and what will the vision lead to? All this can be measured with the help of goals or the measurable productive work that has been done by the organization. Competency-A leader is like the role model for everyone in the organization. The employees, the stake holders and the public in general believe him to be an expertise in his respective field. Thus he should be capable enough to manage things the people and the organization smoothly and effectively. Leaders mostly acquire competency in the process of learning and experiences they gain from the organization. Communication skills- A leader has the potential to get his work done through the people. This is only possible when he can get his thoughts across the people. Even if nothing works out well for him, the head of any organization should ensure that he is in constant touch with his employees. (Ford and Richardson, 2013). Here, I would avoid using the term subordinates as an ethical rather good leader would never view his employees to be under him, instead he would perceive them to be working along with him. Inspiration One of the most important characteristic of a leader is that he should be like the ideal role model in front of the people. He should be like the mitochondria or the power house of the organization, constantly encouraging, guiding and directing the employees. This is the most important point while we consider the development of ethical decision. The leader himself should try and idealistic setting an example for the people. If the leader has qualities like he is just, is kind, is honest, is loyal to the organization , is helpful , is righteous etc., then it is very likely that other members in the organization would try to follow his foot step and try to be like him. This would therefore help him making ethical decisions with the support of the people in the organization. (Craft, 2013). Having done so, we would now highlight the six golden pillars of character that every leader possesses in a business setting in order to ensure that the decisions that are taken are ethical. This can be only done as stated above only if the leader has the capability of differentiating between the right and wrong and is determined to only work on those principles that will result in the benefit for all. Fairness ability to be just and fair without any prejudices or favouritism, Keeping everyone informed about all the decisions, going by the rules of the game. Trustworthiness- not being deceptive, loyal, reliable, honest and not going against your words. Respect one of the most important mantra that needs to follow is treat others how you wish to be treated by them, being polite, respecting the differences of opinions amongst the people and being patient enough to listen. Responsibility being accountable for your own actions, having self-control, always aiming for excellence and thinking before acting. Caring being helpful, kind, compassionate towards others, being altruistic whenever possible. Citizenship trying to bring an improvement in ones own community and environment around us, trying to operationalize democratic institutions and always works within the boundaries of law. (Donlevy and Walker, 2011). Going by these virtues, if a leader, the executives or the managers adhere to these principles while carrying out their daily activities, it would lead to a creation of a healthy yet ethical environment which would also motivate the employees to work in the same manner. An organization without proper leadership is like a herd of cattle, with no direction, no goal or mission. They would go all haywire if their herder does not come and lead the way. Ethical decisions can be developed in an organization only when there is a leader supervising the whole system. The leader is the backbone of the organization on the basis which it stands upright. This goes without saying that every organization has a leader of some sort or the other. However history is witness to the fact that those leaders who got involved in unethical practices brought catastrophe on themselves as well as the organization. For instance, the Lehman brothers in the U.S, Enron and his fraudulent schemes of accounting, Salomon Brothers and their false auction scandal of the treasury and many others. (Ciulla, 2014). This brings up two points vividly before us; first, any organization without a leader without ethics and principles is bound to face a downfall. Second, no organization can survive for long if the leader does not have the capability to take ethical decisions. This clearly states our motion that without a proper leadership there can be no development of any ethical decision in the modern organization. Even if there are decisions taken without a leader or a coordinator it cannot be trusted with as the company would be able to sustain for long. As given in the examples, if the leader himself is unethical, then again the outcome is the same. Not only leadership is a basic necessity for ethical decision but also ethical leadership. This is the key for sustenance of any successful modern organization. (Ferrell and Fraedrich, 2015). To the arguments put forth, there are counter questions that are likely to arise. There could be a question where someone can bring up that In todays contemporary business organization, something that plays a very important role in taking ethical decisions is the opinion of the masses. How does leadership play a role there? To this the response could be that, undoubtedly opinion plays a very important role in decision taking mechanism. Nothing can go unnoticed from the public eye or the opinion of the majority. However, as already described that there is a need for someone who would channelize these opinions in a proper direction and articulate in such a way that the just demands are accepted and in turn executed. Thus even if opinion holds more important in the ethical decision making, there is least possibility of it being properly vented out or implemented if not for the presence of a leader who would act like guiding light leading the path. Another question that could be raised is In a world where nobody is even near to perfect, how can one expect a leader to be idealistic, unmoved by a biases always taking ethical decision? To this, the response could be what we are try to put across this piece is that leaders should try and be idealistic in the sense that they should try not set any wrong examples in from of the employees. It is human nature to make mistakes but it is also human nature to learn from mistakes. Thus the leader should make an extra effort to be careful in his moves, not to behave in a hasty manner that can prove to be a bad influence in front of people. The people are guided by their leaders whether good or bad, so the leader should make an attempt to be a good example. The argument above clearly brings out the need for a proper leadership for the development of decision making in an organization. The leaders need to keep a positive approach towards the organization in order to execute the ethical decisions that are made. (By and Burnes, 2013) The ethical behavior should be practised on a regular basis by the leaders and the others around him. Ethical decisions should be respected and also rewarded. Ethics and leadership are like the two sides of the same coin. Leadership has no meaning without ethics. We must try to instil this philosophy and make ethics a way of life. References: By, R.T. and Burnes, B. eds., 2013.Organizational change, leadership and ethics: Leading organizations towards sustainability. Routledge. Ciulla, J.B. ed., 2014.Ethics, the heart of leadership. ABC-CLIO. Collins, D., 2011.Business ethics: How to design and manage ethical organizations. John Wiley Sons. Craft, J.L., 2013. A review of the empirical ethical decision-making literature: 20042011.Journal of Business Ethics,117(2), pp.221-259. Donlevy, J.K. and Walker, K.D., 2011. Leadership and ethics. InWorking through ethics in education and leadership(pp. 9-20). SensePublishers. Ferrell, O.C. and Fraedrich, J., 2015.Business ethics: Ethical decision making cases. Nelson Education. Ford, R.C. and Richardson, W.D., 2013. Ethical decision making: A review of the empirical literature. InCitation classics from the Journal of Business Ethics(pp. 19-44). Springer Netherlands. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014.Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Griffin, R. and Moorhead, G., 2011.Organizational behavior. Nelson Education. Jones, M.T. and Millar, C.C., 2010. About global leadership and global ethics, and a possible moral compass: An introduction to the special issue.Journal of business ethics,93, pp.1-8. Sandis, C. and Taleb, N.N., 2015. Leadership Ethics and Asymmetry.Leadership and Ethics, p.233. Selart, M. and Johansen, S.T., 2011. Ethical decision making in organizations: The role of leadership stress.Journal of Business Ethics,99(2), pp.129-143.

Many Authors Have Made Great Contributions To The World Of Literature.

Many authors have made great contributions to the world of literature. Mark Twain introduced Americans to life on the Mississippi. Thomas Hardy wrote on his pessimistic views of the Victorian Age. Another author that influenced literature is Edgar Allan Poe. Poe is known as the father of the American short story and father of the detective story. To understand the literary contributions of Edgar Allan Poe, one must look at his early life, his literary life, and a summary of two of his famous works. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston'' (Inglis 505) on January 19, 1809'' (Asselineau409). He was born to a southern family that were in a traveling company of actors (Inglis 505). His father, David Poe, was from a Baltimore family. He was an actor by profession and a heavy drinker. Soon after Edgar Allan Poe was born, he left his family. Poe's mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe, was a widow at the age of eighteen. Two years after his birth, she died of tuberculosis (Asselineau 409). When his moth er died, Poe was adopted by John Allan (Perry XI) at the urging of Mr. Allan's wife. In 1815, John Allan moved his family to England. While there, Poe was sent to private schools (Asselineau 410). In the spring of 1826, Poe entered the University of Virginia. There he studied Spanish, French, Italian, and Latin. He had an excellent scholastic record. He got into difficulties almost at once. Mr. Allan did not provide him with the money to pay for his fees and other necessities. Poe was confused and homesick. He learned to play cards and started drinking. Soon he was in debt in excess of two thousand dollars. Poe discovered that he could not depend upon Allan for financial support. His foster father refused to pay his debts, and Poe had to withdraw from the University (Asselineau 410). In May of 1827, Poe enlisted in the army as a common soldier. He did this under the name of Edgar A. Perry. He was stationed on Sullivan's Island in Charleston Harbor for over a year. Poe adapted very w ell to military discipline and quickly rose to the rank of regimental sergeant major. After a while, he got tired of the same daily routine involved in military life. Poe wrote regularly to Mr. Allan. He met with Mr. Allan after the death of Mrs. Allan in February of1829. With Allan's support, he received his discharge and enlisted in West Point on July 1, l830 (Asselineau 410). While at West Point, Mr. Allan, who had remarried, continued in not providing Poe with enough money. Poe decided to have himself kicked out of school. Cutting classes and disregarding orders were his solutions. He was court-martialed for neglect of duties in January, 1831, and left West Point the following month (Asselineau 411). Poe was great in three different fields , and in each one he made a reputation that would give any man a high place in literary history. Poe wrote great short stories, famous not only in his own country, but all over the world (Robinson V). Hawthorne, Irving, Balzac, Bierce, Crane, Hemingway and other writers have given us memorable short stories; but none has produced so great a number of famous and unforgettable examples, so many tales that continue, despite changing standards to be read and reprinted again and again throughout the world (Targ VII). Poe was the father of the modern short story, and the modern detective story (Targ VII). With the possible exception of Guy de Maupassant, no other writer is so universally known and esteemed for so large of a corpus of excellent tales as in Edgar Allan Poe (Targ VII). In 1831, Poe succeeded in publishing a new edition of his poems entitled, Poems. Poe was now in great difficulty. He went to New York, but could not find a job there. Eventually he took refuge with his aunt, Mrs. Clemm, in Baltimore. There he decided to seek employment and make his living by writing. Failing to get attention with his poems, he decided to start writing short stories. Poe competed in a contest for the best short story in 1831. The pr ize was offered by Phil-Saturday

Chapterhouse Dune Essays - Dune Novels, Chapterhouse Dune

Chapterhouse Dune At first, Chapterhouse: Dune (a sequel of Dune) by Frank Herbert is confusing. It is almost necessary to read Dune, or watch the movie. I hadn't read Dune before I had started this book, and I was totally confused. I thought about putting the book down, but then I rented Dune. Everything suddenly cleared up. Suddenly, Chapterhouse: Dune became the greatest book I have ever read. The Dune universe is much more complex than most science fiction universes; such as Star Trek. It is filled with alien (human) races, technology that might someday be invented, and a story line that encompasses some 50,000 years. That is one huge feature about Chapterhouse: Dune, there is a history that you can learn about from other Dune books. Unlike in other science fiction books, where the back story is the back cover. Another thing that makes Chapterhouse: Dune more complex and more intriguing than other titles are the characters. Frank Herbert writes in a way that you can't truly get a grasp on their persona. Such as Scytale, who is a Mentat. A Mentat is a human computer, able to calculate immense problems, and have the ability to have a thing called Other Memory. Other Memory is where memories of other people before them are implanted into their brain. It is very hard to explain; you would have to read more about it. Scytale since he is a Mentat, strives to attain information. But it is hard for him to achieve this goal. Scytale is a prisoner on Chapterhouse for being of aid to the Jews. He was ordered to be held there by Ordade, the Mother Superior. Mother Superior is the leader of the Bene Gesserit; the last remnants of the Old Empire. She is tough to understand. She is compassionate in her own little way, yet totally feared by all. She too, has Other Memory, but of past Mother Superiors. A thing that I really liked about Chapterhouse: Dune is the realistic conflicts. The most obvious one is the battle between the Bene Gesserit and the Honored Matres. The Honored Matres are lead by a bloodthirsty, extremely violent man known only as the Great Honored Matre. The Honored Matres were formed 1,500 years ago after The Scattering. The Scattering occurred when the emperor Leto II died after his 3,500-year-old rule. There is one thing that I found a bit lacking in Chapterhouse: Dune, the setting. There is only one, and that is the problem. The whole story is based on one massive complex known as Chapterhouse. Chapterhouse is the primary headquarters of the Bene Gesserit. It is located on the planet of Arrakis, also known as Dune. In my humble opinion, Chapterhouse: Dune is very accurate in the depiction of the human mind and in the actuality of technology. Another thing that I found very intriguing is the fact that humans have actually evolved; while in other universes, we remain in the same form for all time. I strongly recommend Chapterhouse: Dune for anyone who actually has the time to read it. Chapterhouse: Dune is an extremely long book. I figure that if it were in normal paperback book size, it would be some eight hundred pages long. Chapterhouse: Dune was defiantly not aimed towards children. There are some very difficult words, some of which I could not even understand. I would not even recommend this book to most teenagers. I feel that this book was meant to be read by adults, and some enlightened teenagers (the likes of which are far ahead of their time).

Rothaermel Exercise 1 Essay Essay Example

Rothaermel Exercise 1 Essay Essay Example Rothaermel Exercise 1 Essay Essay Rothaermel Exercise 1 Essay Essay GROUP CASE STUDY 1 INSTRUCTIONS Complete a instance survey of ABC Corporation ( your teacher will delegate the specific company for the instance survey at the beginning of Module/Week 3 ) in the instance subdivision of the text ( e. g. Case Number 1 ) . A formal. in-depth instance survey analysis requires you to use the full strategic direction procedure. Assume your group is a confer withing squad asked by the ABC Corporation to analyse its external/internal environment and do strategic recommendations. You must include exhibits to back up your analysis and recommendations. The instance survey must include these constituents: 10–12 pages of text plus the exhibitsCover page ( must include the company name. your group name. a list of the active squad members and the day of the month of entry. and a mentions page ; the papers must follow current APA guidelines )Matrixs. which must be exhibits/attachments in the appendix and non portion of the organic structure of the analysis ( The Strategy Club has first-class templates/examples for exhibits and matrices: hypertext transfer protocol: //strategyclub. com/free-student-template/ ) Case survey deliverables ( text must follow this order with APA degree headers for each constituent ) : Executive SummaryExisting mission. aims. and schemesA new mission statement ( include the figure of the constituent in parenthesis before turn toing that constituent ) Great mission statements address these nine constituents:Customers: Who are the firm’s clients?Merchandises or services: What are the firm’s major merchandises or services?Markets: Geographically. where does the house compete?Technology: Is the house technologically current?Concern for endurance. growing. and profitableness: Is the house committed to growing and fiscal soundness?Doctrine: What are the basic beliefs. values. aspirations. and ethical precedences of the house?Self-concept: What is the firm’s typical competency or major competitory advantage?Concern for public image: Is the steadfast responsive to societal. community. and environmental concerns?Concern for employees: Are employees a valuable plus of the house?Analysis of the firm’s bing concern theoretical account SWOT Analysis ( comes from researching the house. industry. and rivals ) It is of import to cognize the difference between causes and effects in the SWOT analysis. Causes are of import. non effects. Once the SWOT Analysis is created. each group needs to build the SWOT Bivariate Strategy Matrix. Deliverables for this subdivision include: SWOT AnalysisInternal Factor Evaluation ( IFE ) MatrixExternal Factor Evaluation ( EFE ) MatrixSWOT Bivariate Strategy MatrixBCG Matrix ( follow the Strategy Club’s templet. non the textbook’s format )Competitive forces. Competitive Profile Matrix ( CPM ) . and competitor’s ratios Deliverables for this subdivision include:Competitive forces analysisCPM and analysisCompetitor’s ratios and analyisCurrent and historical Financial Statements ( Income Statement ( I/S ) . Balance Sheet ( B/S ) and Statement of Cash Flows ) from the three most current old ages for the house The fiscal statements must include alterations ( deltas ) between old ages. Ratios from the most current and available three old ages with deltas and analysisAlternate schemes ( giving advantages and options for each )Pro-Forma Financial Statements ( I/S. B/S and Statement of Cash Flows ) with deltas out three old ages and analysis Each twelvemonth must hold two columns: one with your scheme and one without your scheme. Include Pro-Forma ratios for the first twelvemonth out with deltas contrasting from the most current year’s ratios.Net Present Value analysis of proposed strategy’s new hard currency flow and EPS/EBIT analysis Note: To build the first hard currency flow ( cf1 ) at the really minimal. the new gross from your scheme ( s ) must be discounted back to the present value by ciphering EBIT and that figure will be your cfn for each twelvemonth. cf0 ( initial cost of your scheme ) . cf1 ( discounted hard currency flow foremost twelvemonth ) . R ( chance cost of capital. the rate of the following best alternate usage of cash/debt/equity resources ) . NPV=-?cf?_0+ ?cf?_1/ ( 1+r ) ^1 +?cf?_2/ ( 1+r ) ^2 +?cf?_3/ ( 1+r ) ^3 †¦?cf?_n/ ( 1+r ) ^nSpecific recommended scheme and long term aimsExplain why you chose the scheme. and discourse how much the scheme will be to implement and how much new gross your scheme will make. Include your action timetable docket for carry throughing your scheme. Proposed new concern theoretical accountHave your group leader topographic point the consequences of the instance survey analysis in a individual papers and station it to the Group Case Study 1 forum on your Group Discussion Board. Late assignments will non be accepted. Submit this assignment by 11:59 autopsy ( ET ) on Sunday of Module/Week 4.

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Marketing - Essay Example 8).† The engagement This engagement relates to the period during the second half of the last year, when a distant relation of mine wanted me to help him in designing the marketing department and developing the marketing aspects of his start-up family restaurant. This relation of mine took retirement from the Royal Navy as a Chief Petty Officer. He approached me to help him in designing and developing the marketing aspects of his business. I being a student of business studies, he thought I would be in a better position to help him in guiding on the marketing aspects. According to him, the navy taught him everything about cooking and gave him enough exposure on the culinary skills, managing the production facilities and managing men, but he lacked seriously on marketing knowledge. Although he believed if he starts a restaurant, with his culinary skills and personnel management as the chief cook in a frigate, he would be able to do good business. On the flipside, he was sceptical that the different and highly competitive environment may make it very difficult for him in the formative days. He felt that some help in marketing would make him more confident. He was undecided about to how to go about the whole thing about marketing. For me this was an opportunity to make application of my lessons in marketing. Defining Marketing To gauge his understanding on marketing, I asked him to tell me what he knows about marketing. According to him, marketing includes such activities as selling, advertising, marketing research and so on. I explained him that marketing is a way of doing business which starts with a focus on customer needs and expectations. I quoted the definition of UK Chartered Institute of Marketing which states: Marketing is the management process which identifies, anticipates, and supplies customer requirements efficiently and profitably. (Blythe, 2001, p. 11; cited by Schaefer, 2010, p.8) I explained him that to begin with we have to understand what he visualises about his would be customers, their likings and dislikes in respect to their food habits and decor and ambience. I continued that in addition to these factors, we need to know about their level of income to gauge about their affordability, so that we can plan to meet their requirements both efficiently and profitability. With this information, we would have to apply the marketing concepts. Setting the orientation I discussed with him about the four types of orientations a business can have, namely the (1) product orientation, (2) the production orientation, (3) selling orientation and (4) the marketing orientation. I advised that we develop a marketing orientation of the business, which in reality is an ‘outside-in’ approach in contrast to the other three approaches of inside-out approaches. Here, we had to start with a thorough assessment of the needs and expectations of buyers and then trying to fulfil those needs and expectations in order to attract cus tomers. I explained that in this perspective, he not only have to assume what its potential customers may want, but also he has to find out what his customers would actually want. Accordingly, the business offering have to be

The Concepts of Case Laws and Statutes Research Paper

The Concepts of Case Laws and Statutes - Research Paper Example The supplementary foundation's law consists of case law by the Court of Justice, the general doctrines of the European Union law and international law. The supplementary bases of the European law are unrecorded bases consisting of the Court of Justice of the European Union case law, general principles and international laws. The supplementary foundations are normally of judicial derivation and are applied by the Court of Justice of the EU in cases where the secondary and/or primary legislation may or cannot resolve the matter amicably. From during the 1970s, fundamental rights which are acknowledged as the general principles of the European Union law have been incorporated into the principal legislation in the EU. The EU and its member countries are compelled to abide by the international law, as well as its customary law and treaties, and this fact by itself has particularly made it manipulate the growth of the universal principles of the EU. Nevertheless, the Court of Justice of th e EU may reject some particular principles of the international law that it regards as contrary with the composition of the EU, for instance, the principle of reciprocity in the achievement of state requirements. The Court of Justice of the EU is founded through Article 19 of the Maastricht Treaty and comprises of specialized courts, General Court and Court of Justice. The duty of the court is to ensure that in the application and interpretation of the Treaties the law is strictly observed.

Discourse Analysis of the movie Dumb and Dumber Essay

Discourse Analysis of the movie Dumb and Dumber - Essay Example   Although there are two apparent speakers in this dialogue (i.e. Mary and Lloyd), the utterances are all, in fact, constructed by one speaker which is the scriptwriter making it a synthetically constructed conversation. However, the speech act of the conversation is well planned and rehearsed, which has a positive impact on the overall appeal of the dialogue. The original script of the conversation, however, incorporates the various aspects of conversational interactions such as adjacency pairs, turn-taking, topic initiation and development, feedback and conversational openings and closings. To analyze the context of the discourse, Lloyd, a limo driver, is taking Mary to the airport and this is when the conversation takes place. It is one of the most essential ways in which people come together, exchange information and maintain social relations. Therefore, the setting of the discourse is very much natural in the normal contexts of dialogue and social relations. It is important to realize that the movie is categorized under the group of â€Å"humor† films, featuring slapstick comedy and nauseate humor. In fact, the hilarity or amusement of the comedy is expressed linguistically, in the choice of words of the funny man, Jim Carrey, who is playing the role of Lloyd. Throughout this whole exchange of words, Lloyd doesn’t say anything that has no linguistic value, so he is clearly able to produce a grammatically correct sentence. Significantly, the only flaw that occurs in the conversation is that Lloyd is not able to select from all the correct expressions available to him to reflect the â€Å"illocutionary† force that is suitable most to this particular  encounter.  

School Shootings: Causes and Warning Signs

School Shootings: Causes and Warning Signs The Virginia Tech Massacre, the Sandy Hook shooting, and the Columbine High School Massacre are events that people will never forget. School shootings are a rare occurrence but for the people experiencing these events time stands still, and they will never forget. This paper will look at the reasons why these events take place, and the warning signs displayed by the shooters before the event happens. This paper will also explore what the media’s role in covering the shooting events, and the preventive measures that have been made over time to combat this issue that faces schools around the world. The number one issue that faces children today is bullying in school. It is not just the face to face type of bullying that is thought of when a person thinks of bullying. Today’s youth have to face cyber bullying along with the face to face bullying at school. Roland defines bullying as â€Å"continuing, negative behavior directed toward a victim by an individual or group† (2002). Another study calls the act of bullying marginalization. They define this as the act of pushing individuals outside the realm of social significance (Mongan, Hatcher and Maschi 2009). Yet another word associated with bullying that came from Mongan, Hatcher, and Maschi’s study is what is called masculinity attacks (2009). There study was conducted on the Columbine shooting. This is a statement from a survivor of that shooting describing what was said to the two young men that committed the shooting. â€Å"Sure we teased them. But what do you expect with kids who come to school with weird hairdos and horns on their hats? It’s not just jocks; the whole school’s disgusted with them. They’re a bunch of homos†¦..If you want to get rid of someone; usually you tease ‘em. So the whole school would call them homos† (Gibbs Roche, 1996, p.48). Bullying would be a form of peer rejection. When a person is rejected by one group that they see as a positive, they may be pushed to another group that will have a negative influence or even resort to social isolation. Studies show that if a person has a strong attachment to family, peers, and school they are less likely to be an offender of delinquent acts (Curran and Renzetti 2001). They will see themselves as outcasts from the mainstream groups, and he or she will grow a large amount of animosity toward the group that bullied them. There has been some research conducted on the effects of bullying on school shooters, but bulling may be just a catalyst and not the main reason. Hann and Mays conducted a study and found that two thirds of all the offenders were bullied prior to the shooting incident (2013). Hann’s and Mays’s study does show a connection between bullying and school shooting, but also shows that the bully or bullies may not be the specific targets. They s uggest that the stats show that bullies are the targets, but then go on to say that the shooters randomly target students in the school forgetting about the bullies (Hanns and Mays 2013). They may give more weight to the theory that bullying is more of a catalyst to the shooting than a main reason. Being bullied at school can lead to indicators or warning signs that a child may be going in the wrong direction. If the child becomes very isolated from social interactions this may be a warning sign that he or she may be having problems. Mongan, Hatcher, and Maschi show the stages that a person goes through before the final act of violence. They have come up with a model called the Stages of Change Model. This informative model shows people what to look for in regards to a child’s behavior. The table on the next page shows the different stages that a child may go through before committing the school shooting. This chart is to show school administrators and parents the warning sig ns to look for. TABLE 1 Applying the Stages-of-Change Model to Youth At Risk of Committing a School Shooting Stages of change        Ã‚  Identifying signs: Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of at-risk youth Stage 1         Precontemplation _ Has thoughts about planning or engaging in a school shooting Stage 2        Ã‚  Contemplation _ Feels unfairly treated Has ‘‘grandiose’’ ideas of getting back at the school or others Stage 3        Ã‚  Preparation _ Weighs the pros and cons of attempting a school shooting Has morbid fantasies of death Develops a plan of attack Stage 4        Ã‚  Action _ Commits to follow through on plan_ Withdraws from others_ Obtains weapons for attack Stage 5        Ã‚  Maintenance _ Establishes a plan and sets a date for the attack_ Spends time rehearsing plans (i.e., thinking about it or practicing) Stage 6        Ã‚  Termination _ Feels attack is justified_ Completes the attack (murder and/or suicide) (p.639) These warning signs are used to help prevent a possible shooting. Other issues that may also push a child to delinquency or other crimes may include abuse in the home. If a child is already having a tough time at school, and then he or she goes to an abusive home life this will have a negative effect on the child. He or she may also have a personality disorders that have an effect on the delinquency, and this can often lead to suicide (Hann and Mays 2013). Violent movies and music have also been linked to violent behavior along with interest in firearms and bombs. Other psychological problems including depression, impulse control, or sadistic tendencies have been linked to school shooters (Hann and Mays 2013). Another argument that is being made is the accessibility of guns in the United States. Hann and Mays study points out that this is a major factor in the person’s ability to commit the act of a school shooting (2013). However, Mongan, Hatcher, and Maschi (2009) point out about the availability of guns in America that, â€Å"school shoo tings have also occurred in countries that employ strict gun control laws, and school shootings did not begin in America until 1966 even though there was a pro gun culture† (p637). When these types of events take place people want to place the blame on someone or something to achieve closure. This is when the blame game starts and blame is pushed from one person or thing to another. According to Hann and Mays parents are often at least partially to blame for the shooting then followed by teachers and school administrators (2013). However, there is another source that many people place at least some blame too and that is the media. The media coverage of school shooting is very highly scrutinized among the victims and researchers alike. Some researchers put a lot of blame on the media for their coverage of these events. The people who make these claims seem to believe that the media’s coverage of these events cause â€Å"copy cat† school shooters. Hann and Mays point out that school shootings did not attract the media attention before 1997 as they do now (2013). The first major event that got the media coverage that Hann and Mays are speaking of is the Columbine shooting in 2001. It was the worst high school shooting of the time killing 12 students and one teacher and is believed by some to inspire others to commit similar crimes in different parts of the United States (Hann Mays 2013). A study was conducted by Haravuori, Suomalainen, Berg, Kivirousu, and Marttunen to see what impact the media coverage had on adolescents traumatized in a school shooting. This study was conducted on 231 students aged 13-19 years in Finland. A similar study was conducted on students at Virginia Tech after that shooting. There were three types of journalistic behavior experienced during the media coverage of both events. These behaviors included behaving badly, media mod, and displaying compassion. Both studies concluded that that being approached by the media and being interviewed had a negative effect on posttraumatic distress (2011). Most media outlets would say that they were doing what the people want them to do and that is to report the news, and something as big as a school shooting would need to have extended coverage to get all that needs to be reported. They would also argue that they show great sympathy for the victims and their families. Where the issue lies for the researchers is when the extended coverage becomes too extended. Hann and Mays suggest that the media coverage prolongs the grief found in the communities that experience these tragedies (2013). What is meant by that statement is that the media prolongs the grieving process in that the people have to relive the event every time they step out their door or turn on the television. The researchers say that media needs to stick to just the facts of the situation and not over do the coverage with needless information. The entire how, why, and the target selected may spark another school shooting at another location according to the researchers. The prevention of these types of crimes has to be combated early before the crime even happens. Parents, teachers, and school administrators need to see the warning signs early to prevent these types of crimes in their communities. The majority of the effort should be placed on prevention. According to Hann and Mays (2013), â€Å"In almost all shootings there were signs that the shooter or shooters might be preparing for this violent act. Over 90% of the shootings studied were planned at least 2 days ahead, and most of these shootings were discussed by the perpetrators via social media shortly before they occurred† (p.52). They also say that the media needs to tone back on the coverage of school shootings to help prevent other possible shootings (2013). Another possible prevention is schools suspension practices. If a child is suspended from school then that child may not have the proper supervision at home. If a child is already displaying warning signs of a possible delinque nt then this type of punishment will only aggravate his or her already fragile condition (Hann Mays 2013). Hann and Mann state that some school districts have created crisis management teams to deal with possible school shootings. Mongan, Hatcher, and Maschi conducted a nationwide survey in 2007 that concluded that, â€Å"6% of students had carried a weapon on school property† (p. 635). They suggest that the policies that schools have in place that deal with carrying weapon on their campus is not enough and that better measure need to be in place to help prevent and combat the issue of school violence. Schools need to provide workshops to educate on the stages of change model (Table 1) and how it applies to school violence, and instituting and formal referral process in the schools (Mongan, Hatcher, Maschi 2009). Almost all of the authors of articles that deal with school shooting do say that more steps need to be taken to prevent these acts of violence from happening. These authors contend that due to the violent nature of these crimes and the negative effect that it has on our society that stronger measures need to be implemented in our schools. School administrators and parents need to look for the warning signs that the child displays, and they need to have a reporting system in place that will handle the problem before it escalates. They also say that the media needs to scale its coverage back to limit the amount of time it takes for the community to heal. Media outlets need to be aware that they may inadvertently spark a copycat school shooting at another location with the extended coverage that is given to these types of events. A group that has studied school shootings has produced a chart that shows the different stages of progression that a possible school shooter may go through bef ore committing the act. They suggest that schools have workshops for parents and teachers to help with seeing the warning signs before they get out of hand. References Curran, D.J., Renzetti, C.M. (2001) Theories of Crime (2nd ed). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn Bacon. Center for the Prevention of School Violence (2002, May). Just what is school violence: New brief. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from http://www.ncdjjdp.org/ cpsv/index.html Center for Disease Control. (2008). Understanding school violence. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from http://cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/YVP/SV_FactSheet.pdf Gibbs, N., Roche, T. (1999, December 20). The Columbine tapes: In five secret videos they recorded before the massacre, the killers reveal their hatreds-and their lust for fame. Time, 154(25), 40- 51. Haan, P., Mays, L. (2013). Children Killing Children: School Shootings in the United States. Social Work Review / Revista De Asistenta Sociala, (4), 49-55. Mongan, P., Hatcher, S., Maschi, T. (2009). Etiology of School Shootings: Utilizing a Purposive, Non-Impulsive Model for Social Work Practice. Journal Of Human Behavior In The Social Environment, 19(5), 635-645. doi:10.1080/10911350902910583 Reddy, M., Borum, R., Berglund, J., Vossekuil, B., Fein, R., Modzeleski, W. (2011) Evaluating risk for targeted violence in schools: Comparing risk assessment, threat assessment, and other approaches. Psychology in the Schools, 38, 2, 157‑172. Roland, E. (2002) Bullying, depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. Educational Research, 44, 55‑67.

Behavior Therapy Essay

Hence due to the diversity of views and strategies, is more accurate to think of behavioral therapies rather than a unified approach. Population Served: The approach has wide applicability to a range of clients design specific behavioral changes. If you problem areas for which behavior therapy appears to be effective are phobic disorders, social affairs, depression, anxiety disorders, sexual disorders, substance abuse, eating disorder, trauma, hypertension, children’s disorder, and many more. Goals of Counseling The hallmark of behavioral therapy is identification of specific goals of the outset of the therapeutic process. The general goals are to increase personal choice and to create new conditions are learning. And aim is to eliminate maladaptive behaviors nd learn more effective behavioral patterns. Pacific achievement goals should be concrete, measurable, and objective term. Techniques and Approaches Behavioral treatment interventions are individually tailored to specific problem experienced by different clients. Any technique that can be demonstrated to change behavior may be incorporated in achievement plan. Techniques such as role-playing, behavioral arsenal, coaching, guided practice, and homework assignments can be included in the therapist repertoire. Considerations (include strengths and weaknesses) Some of the strengths of behavioral therapy is that it is a short-term approach that as wide applicability. It emphasizes research into the assessment of techniques used, thus providing accountability. Behavioral approaches are in line with the movement towards evidence-based practice and manualized treatments, which fit well with managed care mental health programs. The concepts and procedures are easily grasped. Some ot the limitations ot behavioral therapy is that the success ot the approach is in proportion to the ability to control environmental variables. In institutional settings such as schools and mental hospitals the danger exists Imposing conforming behavior. Therapist to manipulate clients toward and they have not chosen. A basic criticism leveled at this approach is that it is not adjust broader human problems, such as meaning, the search for values, and identify issues, but focuses instead on very specific and narrow behavioral problems.

Stand by Me Cmm Theory

1. Describe the development of Self Concept of Gordie’s character in the film. How is it different from Chris’? The film showcased Gordie’s thoughts and growth with his friends. From his exterior of a young lad, wimpy and afraid, he had managed to mature in to an independent and confident individual. In the beginning of the film, he had been described, by himself, as a weird guy, since he wasn’t like his late brother, who was the favorite. He loved writing and was good at it, but the unfortunate reality he was in was comparison from his parents, who would rather have a popular kid with ‘normal’ friends later, made him diss his own passion.And this practice developed and later on gave him enough fright to accept his invisibility. His coward-ness of going against his father permanently shuts his mouth and just listen with what his parents had to say. However, Chris, a kid from a bad family, is a hopeful lawyer. But since everyone sees him as a j uvenile, he never bothered to live his dream. His tough spirit and leadership skills lead the gang gave them courage. I think he’s influential like that, though he knows for himself he wouldn’t turn out good; he has good intention for his friends.Like how Gordie described him as a peacemaker of the gang. Chris is like the gang’s guardian. He always makes sure they’re okay and take care of them unlike how his alcoholic father. Nevertheless, the self-fulfilling prophecy of the two later on changed when Chris and Gordie changed after they found the body. Chris became a lawyer, though hard to get in with his status and Gordie became a writer, much to his joy that he took it. When they changed their views of themselves and how they acted, people had changed also with how they viewed them. 2.Choose any one of the characters and by citing specific scenes and dialogues from the film discuss how this character exhibited the Self-fulfilling Prophecy. Chris’ side: Gordie: Maybe you could go into the College-courses with me. Chris: That'll be the day. Gordie: Why not you're smart enough. Chris: They won't let me. Gordie: What d'you mean? Chris: It's the way people think of my family in this town. It's the way they think of me. Just one of those lowlife Chambers-kids. Gordie: That's not true. Chris: Oh it is. No one even asked me if I took the milkmoney that time.I just got a three-day vacation. Gordie: Did you take it? Chris: Yeah I took it. You knew I took it. Teddy knew I took it. Everyone knew I took it. Even Vern knew it I think. Maybe I was sorry and I tried to give it back. Gordie: Tried to give it back? Chris: Maybe, just maybe. And maybe I took it to Old Lady Simons and told her. And the money was all there. But I still got a three-day vacation because it never showed up. And maybe the next week Old lady Simons had that brand new skirt on when she came to school. Gordie: Yeah, yeah. It was brown and had dots on it!Chris: Yeah. So let's just say that I stole the milk money but Old Lady Simons stole it back from me. Just suppose that I told the story. Me, Chris Chambers, kid brother of the Eyeball Chambers. You think that anybody would have believed it? Gordie: No. Chris: And d'you think that that bitch would have dared try something like that if it would have been one of those dootch bags from up on The View if they had taken the money? Gordie: No way! Chris: Oh no! But with me! I'm sure she had her eyes on that skirt for a long time. Anyway she saw her chance and she took it. I was the tupid one for even trying to give it back. I never thought – I never thought that a teacher– Oh who gives a fuck anyway? I just wish I could go to some place where nobody knows me. I guess I'm just a pussy, Gordie. Gordie: No way, no way. I think it was pretty brave of him to say what he has to say, but share his dream with his best friend and giving him his trust, is very admirable. This dialogue further define d his thoughts and how he had accepted his fate as a delinquent. Everyone saw him as a low life and never bothered to hear his side because he was Chris Chambers, a son of an alcoholic drug addict, so he ever bothered to argue no more. But on the last line, he said â€Å"I just wish I could go to some place where nobody knows me† this simple phrase is also another way of saying â€Å"I wish nobody would judge me with my family. They don’t know the real me† 3. Choose any two(2) of the IC Theories we covered in class and discuss how each was made evident in the film. Social Penetration Theory: Gordie: Why did he have to die, Chris? Why did Denny have to die? Why? Chris: I don't know. Gordie: It should have been me. Chris: Don't say that. Gordie: It should have been me.Chris: Don't say that, man. Gordie: I'm no good. My dad said it, I'm no good. Chris: He doesn't know you. Gordie: He hates me. Chris: He doesn't hate you. Gordie: He hates me. Chris: No, he just does n't know you. Gordie: He hates me. My dad hates me. He hates me oh oh God. Chris: You gonna be a great writer someday, Gordie. You might even write about us guys if you ever get hard up for material. Gordie: Guess I'd have to be really hard up, huh? Chris: Yeah. The moment when they had reached their goal, everything had hit Gordie like a cake thrown on the face.He mumbles his inner thoughts, agreeing to his uselessness to the family, completely in tragic horror about his brother’s death should have been his. This kind of talks only happens in intimate relationships shared, like Chris and Gordie’s relationship, which was built through the whole adventure or quest to find the missing body. Constructivism: As time went on we saw less and less of Teddy and Vern until eventually they became just two more faces in the halls. That happens sometimes. Friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant.I heard that Vern got married out of High-school, had four ki ds and is now the forklift operator at the Arsenal Lumberyard. Teddy tried several times to get into the Army but his eyes and his ear kept him out. The last I heard, he'd spent some time in jail. He was now doing odd jobs around Castle Rock. Chris did get out. He enrolled in the College-courses with me. And although it was hard he gutted it out like he always did. He went on to College and eventually became a lawyer. Last week he entered a fast food restaurant. Just ahead of him, two men got into an argument. One of them pulled a knife.Chris who would always make the best peace tried to break it up. He was stabbed in the throat. He died almost instantly. The writer or Gordie, now a father and a writer, reflects over what happened to them when they were twelve. His perspective of what happened was unforgettable and had imprinted on his life. Like what Chris said â€Å"You might even write about us guys if you ever hard up for material† and he did, he wrote their experience an d described how each one of them had grown and how he could never forget their friendship. Because only through experience you learn how things are made and how you mature.

CLASS PERCEPTION AND COGNITION

CLASS: PERCEPTION AND COGNITION Herman Ebbinghaus (1885) wrote about memory and addressed issues such as how do we remember some things and apparently not others. He distinguishes a group of mental states which once present in consciousness return to it with apparent spontaneity and without any act of the will; that is, they are reproduced involuntarily....as more exact observation teaches us, the occurrence of these involuntary reproductions is not an entirely random and accidental one. On the contrary they are brought about through the instrumentality of other, immediately present mental images. Any memory is liable to distortion and is a result of many different processes such as age, decay in the brain, displacement and interference. To distort something is to misrepresent something when retrieving it from memory. A good example is shown in eye - witness testimonies where facts and statements can become distorted and put out of context. Patients who have suffered head trauma tend to have distortions of m! emory depending on the part of the brain that has been injured. They sometimes fabbricate or confabulate when trying to recall past events or experiences. Eyewitness testimony is a much debated subject in psychology. In court, juries have believed the eye witness and sent innocent people to jail on account of hearing one testimony. In one case there were eight other witnesses testifying that the accused were with them. The jury then went away and found the two men guilty even after the victim of the attack admitted that he saw his assailants only briefly. One may suppose that an eyewitness, on observation of an event that would not be part of everyday life, like a crime, would notice much more and be able to remember it much better when asked to r

How to Kill Creativity Essay Example

How to Kill Creativity Essay Example How to Kill Creativity Essay How to Kill Creativity Essay How_to_Kill_Creativity_www. hbrreprints. org How to Kill Creativity by Teresa M. Amabile Included with this full-text Harvard Business Review article: 1 Article Summary The Idea in Brief- the core idea The Idea in Practice- putting the idea to work 2 How to Kill Creativity 12 Further Reading A list of related materials, with annotations to guide further exploration of the article’s ideas and applications Product 98501 How to Kill Creativity The Idea in Brief If the mantra for the current business climate is Innovate or die, why do so many companies seem to be choosing the latter option? Creativity gets killed much more often than it gets supported. The problem is not that managers smother creativity intentionally- the business need for coordination and control can inadvertently undermine employees’ ability to put existing ideas together in new and useful ways. To foster an innovative workplace, you need to pay attention to employees’ expertise, creative-thinking skills, and motivation. Of these three, employees’ motivation- specifically, their intrinsic motivation, or passion for a certain kind of challenge- is the most potent lever a manager can use to boost creativity and his company’s future success. The Idea in Practice In business, it isn’t enough for an idea to be original- the idea must also be useful, appropriate, and actionable. It must somehow influence the way business gets done- for example, by significantly improving a product or service. Within every individual, creativity exists as a function of three components: 1. expertise (technical, procedural, and intellectual knowledge). The broader the expertise, the larger the intellectual space a person has to explore and solve problems. 2. creative-thinking skills. These aptitudes, shaped by an individual’s personality, determine how flexibly and imaginatively someone approaches problems. 3. motivation. Expertise and creativethinking skills provide an individual’s natural resources for creativity; motivation determines what a person will actually do. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the individual- whether it’s the offer of a bonus or the threat of firing. Extrinsic motivation doesn’t prevent people from being creative, but in many situations it doesn’t boost their creativity either. On its own, it can’t prompt people to be passionate about their work; in fact, it can lead them to feel bribed or controlled. Intrinsic motivation, by contrast, comes from inside the individual. It’s a person’s abiding interest in certain activities or deep love of particular challenges. Employees are most creative when they are intrinsically motivated- in other words, when the work itself is motivating. It can be time consuming to try to influence an employee’s expertise or creative-thinking skills. It’s easier to affect someone’s intrinsic motivation- and the results are more immediate. Activities that enhance intrinsic motivation fall into a few general categories: challenge, freedom, resources, work-group features, supage 1 pervisory encouragement, and organizational support. Some specific recommendations: Match the right people with the right assignments, so employees are stretched but not stretched too thin. Work teams that have diverse perspectives will generate more creativity than homogenous groups. Give people freedom within the company’s goals. Tell them which mountain to climb, but let them decide how to climb it. Keep the objectives stable for a meaningful period of time- it’s hard to reach the top of a moving mountain. Allocate appropriate amounts of time and project resources. Organizations routinely kill creativity with fake deadlines- which cause distrust- and impossibly tight ones- which cause burnout. Let employees know that what they do matters. This will help them sustain their passion for the work. COPYRIGHT  © 2000 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Keep doing what you’re doing. Or, if you want to spark innovation, rethink how you motivate, reward, and assign work to people. How to Kill Creativity by Teresa M. Amabile COPYRIGHT  © 1998 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. When I consider all the organizations I have studied and worked with over the past 22 years, there can be no doubt: creativity gets killed much more often than it gets supported. For the most part, this isn’t because managers have a vendetta against creativity. On the contrary, most believe in the value of new and useful ideas. However, creativity is undermined unintentionally every day in work environments that were established- for entirely good reasons- to maximize business imperatives such as coordination, productivity, and control. Managers cannot be expected to ignore business imperatives, of course. But in working toward these imperatives, they may be inadvertently designing organizations that systematically crush creativity. My research shows that it is possible to develop the best of both worlds: organizations in which business imperatives are attended to and creativity ? urishes. Building such organizations, however, requires us to understand precisely what kinds of managerial practices foster creativity- and which kill it. What Is Business Creativity? We tend to associate creativity with the arts and to think of it as the expression of highly original ideas. Think of how Pablo Picasso reinvented the conventions of painting or how William Faulkner rede? ned ? ction. In business, originality isnâ⠂¬â„¢t enough. To be creative, an idea must also be appropriate- useful and actionable. It must somehow in? ence the way business gets done- by improving a product, for instance, or by opening up a new way to approach a process. The associations made between creativity and artistic originality often lead to confusion about the appropriate place of creativity in business organizations. In seminars, I’ve asked managers if there is any place they don’t want creativity in their companies. About 80% of the time, they answer, â€Å"Accounting. † Creativity, they seem to believe, belongs just in marketing and RD. But creativity can bene? t every function of an organization. Think of activity-based accounting. It was an invention- an accounting invention- and its impact on business harvard business review september–october 1998 page 2 How to Kill Creativity Teresa M. Amabile is the M. B. A. Class of 1954 Professor of Business Administration and senior associate dean for research at the Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts. has been positive and profound. Along with fearing creativity in the accounting department- or really, in any unit that involves systematic processes or legal regulations- many managers also hold a rather narrow view of the creative process. To them, creativity refers to the way people think- how inventively they approach problems, for instance. Indeed, thinking imaginatively is one part of creativity, but two others are also essential: expertise and motivation. Expertise encompasses everything that a person knows and can do in the broad domain of his or her work. Take, for example, a scientist at a pharmaceutical company who is charged with developing a blood-clotting drug for hemophiliacs. Her expertise includes her basic talent for thinking scienti? ally as well as all the knowledge and technical abilities that she has in the ? elds of medicine, chemistry, biology, and biochemistry. It doesn’t matter how she acquired this expertise, whether through formal education, practical experience, or interaction with other professionals. Regardless, her expertise constitutes what the Nobel laureate, economist, and psychologist Herb Simon calls her â€Å"network of possible wanderings,† the intellectual space that she uses to explore and solve problems. The larger this space, the better. Creative thinking, as noted above, refers to how people approach problems and solutions- their capacity to put existing ideas together in new combinations. The skill itself depends quite a bit on personality as well as on how a person thinks and works. The pharmaceutical scientist, for example, will be more creative if her personality is such that she feels comfortable disagreeing with others- that is, if she naturally tries out solutions that depart from the status quo. Her creativity will be enhanced further if she habitually turns problems upside down and combines knowledge from seemingly disparate ? lds. For example, she might look to botany to help ? nd solutions to the hemophilia problem, using lessons from the vascular systems of plants to spark insights about bleeding in humans. As for work style, the scientist will be more likely to achieve creative success if she perseveres through a dif? cult problem. Indeed, plodding through long dry spells of tedious experimentation inc reases the probability of truly creative breakthroughs. So, too, does a work style that uses â€Å"incubation,† the ability to set aside dif? ult problems temporarily, work on something else, and then return later with a fresh perspective. Expertise and creative thinking are an individual’s raw materials- his or her natural resources, if you will. But a third factor- motivation- determines what people will actually do. The scientist can have outstanding educational credentials and a great facility in generating new perspectives to old problems. But if she lacks the motivation to do a particular job, she simply won’t do it; her expertise and creative thinking will either go untapped or be applied to something else. My research has repeatedly demonstrated, however, that all forms of motivation do not have the same impact on creativity. In fact, it shows that there are two types of motivation- extrinsic and intrinsic, the latter being far more essential for creativity. But let’s explore extrinsic ? rst, because it is often at the root of creativity problems in business. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside a person- whether the motivation is a carrot or a stick. If the scientist’s boss promises to reward her ? nancially should the blood-clotting project succeed, or if he threatens to ? e her should it fail, she will certainly be motivated to ? nd a solution. But this sort of motivation â€Å"makes† the scientist do her job in order to get something desirable or avoid something painful. Obviously, the most common extrinsic motivator managers use is money, which doesn’t necessarily stop people from being creative. But in many situations, it doesn’t help either , especially when it leads people to feel that they are being bribed or controlled. More important, money by itself doesn’t make employees passionate about their jobs. A cash reward can’t magically prompt people to ? d their work interesting if in their hearts they feel it is dull. But passion and interest- a person’s internal desire to do something- are what intrinsic motivation is all about. For instance, the scientist in our example would be intrinsically motivated if her work on the blood-clotting drug was sparked by an intense interest in hemophilia, a personal sense of challenge, or a drive to crack a problem that no one else has been able to solve. When people are intrinsically motivated, they engage in their work for the challenge and enjoyment of it. The work itself is motivating. In fact, in our creativity research, my students, colleagues, and I have found so harvard business review september–october 1998 page 3 How to Kill Creativity much evidence in favor of intrinsic motivation that we have articulated what we call the Intrinsic Motivation Principle of Creativity: people will be most creative when they feel motivated primarily by the interest, satisfaction, and challenge of the work itself- and not by external pressures. (For more on the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, see the insert â€Å"The Creativity Maze. †) Managing Creativity Managers can in? ence all three components of creativity: expertise, creative-thinking skills, and motivation. But the fact is that the ? rst two are more dif? cult and time consuming to in? uence than motivation. Yes, regular scienti? c seminars and professional conferences will undoubtedly add to the scientist’s expertise in hemophilia and related ? elds. And training in brainsto rming, problem solving, and so-called lateral thinking might give her some new tools to use in tackling the job. But the time and money involved in broadening her knowledge and expanding her creative-thinking skills would be great. By contrast, our research has shown that intrinsic motivation can be increased considerably by even subtle changes in an organization’s environment. That is not to say that managers should give up on improving expertise and creative-thinking skills. But when it comes to pulling levers, they should know that those that affect intrinsic motivation will yield more immediate results. More speci? cally, then, what managerial practices affect creativity? They fall into six general categories: challenge, freedom, resources, work-group features, supervisory encouragement, and organizational support. These categories have emerged from more than two decades of research focused primarily on one question: What are the links between work environment and creativity? We have used three methodologies: experiments, interviews, and surveys. While controlled experiments allowed us to identify causal links, the interviews and surveys gave us insight into the richness and complexity of creativity within business organizations. We have studied dozens of companies and, within those, hundreds of individuals and teams. In each research initiative, our goal has been to identify which managerial practices are de? itively linked to positive creative outcomes and which are not. For instance, in one project, we interviewed dozens of employees from a wide variety of companies and industries and asked them to describe in detail the most and least creative events in their careers. We then closely studied the transcripts of those interviews, noting the managerial practices- or other patterns- that appear ed repeatedly in the successful creativity stories and, conversely, in those that were unsuccessful. Our research has also been bolstered by a quantitative survey instrument The Creativity Maze To understand the differences between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, imagine a business problem as a maze. One person might be motivated to make it through the maze as quickly and safely as possible in order to get a tangible reward, such as money- the same way a mouse would rush through for a piece of cheese. This person would look for the simplest, most straightforward path and then take it. In fact, if he is in a real rush to get that reward, he might just take the most beaten path and solve the problem exactly as it has been solved before. That approach, based on xtrinsic motivation, will indeed get him out of the maze. But the solution that arises from the process is likely to be unimaginative. It won’t provide new insights about the nature of the problem or reveal new ways of looking at it. The rote solution probably won’t move the business forward. Another person might have a different approach to the maze. She might actually ? nd the process of wandering ar ound the different paths- the challenge and exploration itself- fun and intriguing. No doubt, this journey will take longer and include mistakes, because any maze- any truly complex problem- has many more dead ends than exits. But when the intrinsically motivated person ? nally does ? nd a way out of the maze- a solution- it very likely will be more interesting than the rote algorithm. It will be more creative. There is abundant evidence of strong intrinsic motivation in the stories of widely recognized creative people. When asked what makes the difference between creative scientists and those who are less creative, the Nobel prize–winning physicist Arthur Schawlow said, â€Å"The labor-oflove aspect is important. The most successful scientists often are not the most talented, but the ones who are just impelled by curiosity. They’ve got to know what the answer is. † Albert Einstein talked about intrinsic motivation as â€Å"the enjoyment of seeing and searching. † The novelist John Irving, in discussing the very long hours he put into his writing, said, â€Å"The unspoken factor is love. The reason I can work so hard at my writing is that it’s not work for me. † And Michael Jordan, perhaps the most creative basketball player ever, had a â€Å"love of the game† clause inserted into his contract; he insisted that he be free to play pick-up basketball games any time he wished. Creative people are rarely superstars like Michael Jordan. Indeed, most of the creative work done in the business world today gets done by people whose names will never be recorded in history books. They are people with expertise, good creative-thinking skills, and high levels of intrinsic motivation. And just as important, they work in organizations where managers consciously build environments that support these characteristics instead of destroying them. harvard business review september–october 1998 page 4 How to Kill Creativity Deciding how much time and money to give to a team or project is a judgment call that can either support or kill creativity. called KEYS. Taken by employees at any level of an organization, KEYS consists of 78 questions used to assess various work-place conditions, such as the level of support for creativity from top-level managers or the organization’s approach to evaluation. Taking the six categories that have emerged from our research in turn, let’s explore what managers can do to enhance creativity- and what often happens instead. Again, it is important to note that creativity-killing practices are seldom the work of lone managers. Such practices usually are systemic- so widespread that they are rarely questioned. Challenge. Of all the things managers can do to stimulate creativity, perhaps the most ef? cacious is the deceptively simple task of matching people with the right assignments. Managers can match people with jobs that play to their expertise and their skills in creative thinking, and ignite intrinsic motivation. Perfect matches stretch employees’ abilities. The amount of stretch, however, is crucial: not so little that they feel bored but not so much that they feel overwhelmed and threatened by a loss of control. Making a good match requires that managers possess rich and detailed information about their employees and the available assignments. Such information is often dif? cult and time consuming to gather. Perhaps that’s why good matches are so rarely made. In fact, one of the most common ways managers kill creativity is by not trying to obtain the information necessary to make good connections between people and jobs. Instead, something of a shotgun wedding occurs. The most eligible employee is wed to the most eligible- that is, the most urgent and open- assignment. Often, the results are predictably unsatisfactory for all involved. Freedom. When it comes to granting freedom, the key to creativity is giving people autonomy concerning the means- that is, concerning process- but not necessarily the ends. People will be more creative, in other words, if you give them freedom to decide how to climb a particular mountain. You needn’t let them choose which mountain to climb. In fact, clearly speci? ed strategic goals often enhance people’s creativity. I’m not making the case that managers should leave their subordinates entirely out of goal- or agenda-setting discussions. But they should understand that inclusion in those dis- cussions will not necessarily enhance creative output and certainly will not be suf? cient to do so. It is far more important that whoever sets the goals also makes them clear to the organization and that these goals remain stable for a meaningful period of time. It is dif? ult, if not impossible, to work creatively toward a target if it keeps moving. Autonomy around process fosters creativity because giving people freedom in how they approach their work heightens their intrinsic motivation and sense of ownership. Freedom about process also allows people to approach problems in ways that make the most of their expertise and their creative-thinking skills. The task may end up being a stretch for them, but they can use their strengths to meet the challenge. How do executives mismanage freedom? There are two common ways. First, managers tend to change goals frequently or fail to de? ne them clearly. Employees may have freedom around process, but if they don’t know where they are headed, such freedom is pointless. And second, some managers fall short on this dimension by granting autonomy in name only. They claim that employees are â€Å"empowered† to explore the maze as they search for solutions but, in fact, the process is proscribed. Employees diverge at their own risk. Resources. The two main resources that affect creativity are time and money. Managers need to allot these resources carefully. Like matching people with the right assignments, deciding how much time and money to give to a team or project is a sophisticated judgment call that can either support or kill creativity. Consider time. Under some circumstances, time pressure can heighten creativity. Say, for instance, that a competitor is about to launch a great product at a lower price than your offering or that society faces a serious problem and desperately needs a solution- such as an AIDS vaccine. In such situations, both the time crunch and the importance of the work legitimately make people feel that they must rush. Indeed, cases like these would be apt to increase intrinsic motivation by increasing the sense of challenge. Organizations routinely kill creativity with fake deadlines or impossibly tight ones. The former create distrust and the latter cause burnout. In either case, people feel overcontrolled and unful? lled- which invariably damages motivation. Moreover, creativity often harvard business review september–october 1998 page 5 How to Kill Creativity In many companies, new ideas are met not with open minds but with time-consuming layers of evaluation. takes time. It can be slow going to explore new concepts, put together unique solutions, and wander through the maze. Managers who do not allow time for exploration or do not schedule in incubation periods are unwittingly standing in the way of the creative process. When it comes to project resources, again managers must make a ? t. They must determine the funding, people, and other resources that a team legitimately needs to complete an assignment- and they must know how much the organization can legitimately afford to allocate to the assignment. Then they must strike a compromise. Interestingly, adding more resources above a â€Å"threshold of suf? ciency† does not boost creativity. Below that threshold, however, a restriction of resources can dampen creativity. Unfortunately, many managers don’t realize this and therefore often make another mistake. They keep resources tight, which pushes people to channel their creativity into ? nding additional resources, not in actually developing new products or services. Another resource that is misunderstood when it comes to creativity is physical space. It is almost conventional wisdom that creative teams need open, comfortable of? es. Such an atmosphere won’t hurt creativity, and it may even help, but it is not nearly as important as other managerial initiatives that in? uence creativity. Indeed, a problem we have seen time and time again is managers paying attention to creating the â€Å"right† physical space at the expense of more high-impact actions, such as matching people to the right assignments and granting freedom around work processes. Work-Group Features. If you want to build teams that come up with creative ideas, you must pay careful attention to the design of such teams. That is, you must create mutually supportive groups with a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds. Why? Because when teams comprise people with various intellectual foundations and approaches to work- that is, different expertise and creative thinking styles- ideas often combine and combust in exciting and useful ways. Diversity, however, is only a starting point. Managers must also make sure that the teams they put together have three other features. First, the members must share excitement over the team’s goal. Second, members must display a willingness to help their teammates through dif? ult periods and setbacks. And third, every member must recognize the unique knowledge and perspective that other members bring to the table. These factors enhance not only intrinsic motivation but also expertise and creative-thinking skills. Again, creating such teams requires managers to have a deep understanding of their people. They must be able to assess them not just for their kno wledge but for their attitudes about potential fellow team members and the collaborative process, for their problem-solving styles, and for their motivational hot buttons. Putting together a team with just the right chemistry- just the right level of diversity and supportiveness- can be dif? cult, but our research shows how powerful it can be. It follows, then, that one common way managers kill creativity is by assembling homogeneous teams. The lure to do so is great. Homogeneous teams often reach â€Å"solutions† more quickly and with less friction along the way. These teams often report high morale, too. But homogeneous teams do little to enhance expertise and creative thinking. Everyone comes to the table with a similar mind-set. They leave with the same. Supervisory Encouragement. Most managers are extremely busy. They are under pressure for results. It is therefore easy for them to let praise for creative efforts- not just creative successes but unsuccessful efforts, too- fall by the wayside. One very simple step managers can take to foster creativity is to not let that happen. The connection to intrinsic motivation here is clear. Certainly, people can ? nd their work interesting or exciting without a cheering section- for some period of time. But to sustain such passion, most people need to feel as if their work matters to the organization or to some important group of people. Otherwise, they might as well do their work at home and for their own personal gain. Managers in successful, creative organizations rarely offer speci? c extrinsic rewards for particular outcomes. However, they freely and generously recognize creative work by individuals and teams- often before the ultimate commercial impact of those efforts is known. By contrast, managers who kill creativity do so either by failing to acknowledge innovative efforts or by greeting them with skepticism. In many companies, for instance, new ideas are met not with open minds but with timeconsuming layers of evaluation- or even with arvard business review september–october 1998 page 6 How to Kill Creativity harsh criticism. When someone suggests a new product or process, senior managers take weeks to respond. Or they put that person through an excruciating critique. Not every new idea is worthy of consideration, of course, but in many organizations, managers habitually demonstrate a reaction that damages creativity. They look for reasons to not use a new idea instead of searching for reasons to explore it further. An interesting psychological dynamic underlies this phenomenon. Our research shows that people believe that they will appear smarter to their bosses if they are more critical- and it often works. In many organizations, it is professionally rewarding to react critically to new ideas. Unfortunately, this sort of negativity bias can have severe consequences for the creativity of those being evaluated. How? First, a culture of evaluation leads people to focus on the external rewards and punishments associated with their output, thus increasing the presence of extrinsic motivation and its potentially negative effects on intrinsic motivation. Second, such a culture creates a climate of fear, which again undermines intrinsic motivation. Finally, negativity also shows up in how managers treat people whose ideas don’t pan out: often, they are terminated or otherwise warehoused within the organization. Of course, ultimately, ideas do need to work; remember that creative ideas in business must be new and useful. The dilemma is that you can’t possibly know beforehand which ideas will pan out. Furthermore, dead ends can sometimes be very enlightening. In many business situations, nowing what doesn’t work can be as useful as knowing what does. But if people do not perceive any â€Å"failure value† for projects that ultimately do not achieve commercial success, they’ll become less and less likely to experiment, explore, and connect with their work on a personal level. Their intrinsic motivation will evaporate. Supervisory encouragement comes in other forms besides rewards and punishment. Another way managers can support creativity is to serve as role models, persevering through tough problems as well as encouraging collaboration and communication within the team. Such behavior enhances all three components of the creative process, and it has the added virtue of being a high-impact practice that a single manager can take on his or her own. It is better still when all managers in an organization serve as role models for the attitudes and behaviors that encourage and nurture creativity. Organizational Support. Encouragement from supervisors certainly fosters creativity, but creativity is truly enhanced when the entire organization supports it. Such support is the job of an organization’s leaders, who must put in place appropriate systems or procedures and emphasize values that make it clear that creative efforts are a top priority. For example, creativity-supporting organizations consistently reward creativity, but they avoid using money to â€Å"bribe† people to come up with innovative ideas. Because monetary rewards make people feel as if they are being controlled, such a tactic probably won’t work. At the same time, not providing suf? cient recognition and rewards for creativity can spawn negative feelings within an organization. People can feel used, or at the least under-appreciated, for their creative efforts. And it is rare to ? nd the energy and passion of intrinsic motivation coupled with resentment. Most important, an organization’s leaders can support creativity by mandating information sharing and collaboration and by ensuring that political problems do not fester. Information sharing and collaboration support all three components of creativity. Take expertise. The more often people exchange ideas and data by working together, the more knowledge they will have. The same dynamic can be said for creative thinking. In fact, one way to enhance the creative thinking of employees is to expose them to various approaches to problem solving. With the exception of hardened misanthropes, information sharing and collaboration heighten peoples’ enjoyment of work and thus their intrinsic motivation. Whether or not you are seeking to enhance creativity, it is probably never a good idea to let political problems fester in an organizational setting. In? ghting, politicking, and gossip are particularly damaging to creativity because they take peoples’ attention away from work. That sense of mutual purpose and excitement so central to intrinsic motivation invariably lessens when people are cliquish or at war with one another. Indeed, our research suggests that intrinsic motivation increases when people are aware that those around them are excited by their jobs. When political problems abound, people feel that their work is threatened by harvard business review september–october 1998 page 7 How to Kill Creativity others’ agendas. Finally, politicking also undermines expertise. The reason? Politics get in the way of open communication, obstructing the ? ow of information from point A to point B. Knowledge stays put and expertise suffers. From the Individual to the Organization Can executives build entire organizations that support creativity? The answer is yes. Consider the results of an intensive research project we recently completed called the Team Events Study. Over the course of two years, we studied more than two dozen teams in seven companies across three industries: high tech, consumer products, and chemicals. By following each team every day through the entire course of a creative project, we had a window into the details of what happened as the project progressed- or failed to progress, as the case may be. We did this through daily con? dential e-mail reports from every person on each of the teams. At the end of each project, and at several points along the way, we used con? dential reports from company experts and from team members to assess the level of creativity used in problem solving as well as the overall success of the project. As might be expected, the teams and the companies varied widely in how successful they were at producing creative work. One organization, which I will call Chemical Central Research, seemed to be a veritable hotbed of creativity. Chemical Central supplied its parent organization with new formulations for a wide variety of industrial and consumer products. In many respects, however, members of Chemical Central’s development teams were unremarkable. They were well educated, but no more so than people in many other companies we had studied. The company was doing well ? nancially, but not enormously THE THREE COMPONENTS OF CREATIVITY Expertise is, in a word, knowledge- technical, procedural, and intellectual. Expertise Creativity Creativethinking skills Motivation harvard business review september–october 1998 page 8 How to Kill Creativity Some creative ideas soar; others sink. To enhance creativity, there should always be a safety net below the people who make suggestions. better than most other companies. What seemed to distinguish this organization was the quality of leadership at both the topmanagement level and the team level. The way managers formed teams, communicated with them, and supported their work enabled them to establish an organization in which creativity was continually stimulated. We saw managers making excellent matches between people and assignments again and again at Chemical Central. On occasion, team members were initially unsure of whether they were up to the challenge they were given. Almost invariably, though, they found their passion and interest growing through a deep involvement in the work. Their managers knew to match them with jobs that had them working at the top of their competency levels, pushing the frontiers of their skills, and developing new competencies. But managers were careful not to allow too big a gap between employees’ assignments and their abilities. Moreover, managers at Chemical Central collaborated with the teams from the outset of a project to clarify goals. The ? al goals, however, were set by the managers. Then, at the day-to-day operational level, the teams were given a great deal of autonomy to make their own decisions about product development. Throughout the project, the teams’ leaders and top-level managers periodically checked to see that work was directed toward the overall goals. But people were given real free dom around the implementation of the goals. As for work-group design, every Chemical Central team, though relatively small (between four and nine members), included members of diverse professional and ethnic backgrounds. Occasionally, that diversity led to communication dif? ulties. But more often, it sparked new insights and allowed the teams to come up with a wider variety of ways to accomplish their goals. One team, for example, was responsible for devising a new way to make a major ingredient for one of the company’s most important products. Because managers at Chemical Central had worked consciously to create a diverse team, it happened that one member had both a legal and a technical background. This person realized that the team might well be able to patent its core idea, giving the company a clear advantage in a new market. Because team members were mutually supportive, that ember was willing and eager to work closely with the inventor. Together, these individuals hel ped the team navigate its way through the patent application process. The team was successful and had fun along the way. Supervisory encouragement and organizational support were also widespread at Chemical Central. For instance, a member of one team received a company award as an outstanding scientist even though, along the way, he had experienced many failures as well as successes. At one point, after spending a great deal of time on one experiment, he told us, â€Å"All I came up with was a pot of junk. Still, the company did not punish or warehouse him because of a creative effort that had failed. Instead, he was publicly lauded for his consistently creative work. Finally, Chemical Central’s leaders did much to encourage teams to seek support from all units within their divisions and to encourage collaboration across all quarters. The general manager of the research unit himself set an example, offering both strategic and technical ideas whenever teams approached him for help. Indeed, he explicitly made cross-team support a priority among top scientists in the organization. As a result, such support was expected and recognized. For example, one team was about to test a new formulation for one of the company’s major products. Because the team was small, it had to rely on a materials-analysis group within the organization to help conduct the tests. The analysis group not only helped out but also set aside generous blocks of time during the week before testing to help the team understand the nature and limits of the information the group would provide, when they would have it, and what they would need from the team to support them effectively. Members of the team were con? dent that they could rely on the materials-analysis group throughout the process, and the trials went well- despite the usual technical dif? culties encountered in such testing. By contrast, consider what we observed at another company in our study, a consumer products company we’ll call National Houseware Products. For years, National had been well known for its innovation. But recently, the company had been restructured to accommodate a major growth spurt, and many senior managers had been ? red or harvard business review september–october 1998 age 9 How to Kill Creativity transferred. National’s work environment had undergone drastic changes. At the same time, new product successes and new business ideas seemed to be slowing to a trickle. Interestingly, the daily reports of the Team Events Study revealed that virtually all creativity killers were present. Managers undermined autonomy by continually changing goals and interfering with processes. At one quarterly review meeting, for example, four priorities that had been de? ned by management at the previous quarterly review meeting were not even mentioned. In another instance, a product that had been identi? ed as the team’s number one project was suddenly dropped without explanation. Resources were similarly mismanaged. For instance, management perennially put teams under severe and seemingly arbitrary time and resource constraints. At ? rst, many team members were energized by the ? re-? ghting atmosphere. They threw themselves into their work and rallied. But after a few months, their verve had diminished, especially because the pressures had proved meaningless. But perhaps National’s managers damaged creativity most with their approach to evaluation. They were routinely critical of new suggestions. One employee told us that he was afraid to tell his managers about some radical ideas that he had developed to grow his area of the business. The employee was wildly enthusiastic about the potential for his ideas but ultimately didn’t mention them to any of his bosses. He wondered why he should bother talking about new ideas when each one was studied for all its ? aws instead of its potential. Suggested Readings Teresa M. Amabile, Creativity in Context: Update to the Social Psychology of Creativity (Boulder, Colo. : Westview Press, 1996). Teresa M. Amabile, Robert Burnside, and Stanley S. Gryskiewicz, User’s Manual for KEYS: Assessing the Climate for Creativity (Greensboro, N. C. : Center for Creative Leadership, 1998). Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Frontiers of Management (Boston, Mass. : Harvard Business School Press, 1997). Through its actions, management had too often sent the message that any big ideas about how to change the status quo would be carefully scrutinized. Those individuals brave enough to suggest new ideas had to endure long- often nasty- meetings, replete with suspicious questions. In another example, when a team took a new competitive pricing program to the boss, it was told that a discussion of the idea would have to wait another month. One exasperated team member noted, â€Å"We analyze so long, we’ve lost the business before we’ve taken any action at all! † Yet another National team had put in particularly long hours over a period of several weeks to create a radically improved version of a major product. The team succeeded in bringing out the product on time and in budget, and it garnered promising market response. But management acted as if everything were business as usual, providing no recognition or reward to the team. A couple of months later, when we visited the team to report the results of our study, we learned that the team leader had just accepted a job from a smaller competitor. He con? ded that although he felt that the opportunities for advancement and ultimate visibility may have been greater at National, he believed his work and his ideas would be valued more highly somewhere else. And ? nally, the managers at National allowed political problems to fester. Consider the time a National team came up with a great idea to save money in manufacturing a new product- which was especially urgent because a competitor had just come out with a similar product at a lower price. The plan was nixed. As a matter of â€Å"policy†- a code word for long-held allegiances and rivalries within the company- the manufacturing division wouldn’t allow it. One team member commented, â€Å"If facts and ? gures instead of politics reigned supreme, this would be a no-brainer. There are no de? able cost savings from running the products where they do, and there is no counterproposal on how to save the money another way. It’s just ‘No! ’ because this is the way they want it. † Great Rewards and Risks The important lesson of the National and Chemical Central stories is that fostering creativity is in the hands of managers as they harvard business revie w september–october 1998 page 10 How to Kill Creativity Fostering creativity often requires that managers radically change how they build and interact with work groups. think about, design, and establish the work environment. Creativity often requires that managers radically change the ways in which they build and interact with work groups. In many respects, it calls for a conscious culture change. But it can be done, and the rewards can be great. The risks of not doing so may be even greater. When creativity is killed, an organization loses a potent competitive weapon: new ideas. It can also lose the energy and commitment of its people. Indeed, in all my years of research into creativity, perhaps the most dif? cult part has been hearing people complain that they feel sti? d, frustrated, and shut down by their organizations. As one team member at National told us, â€Å"By the time I get home every day, I feel physically, emotionally, and intellectually drained. Help! † Even if organizations seemed trapped in organizational ecosystems that kill creativity- as in the case of National Houseware Products- it is still possible to effect widespread change. Consider a recent transformation at Procter G amble. Once a hotbed of creativity, PG had in recent years seen the number of its product innovations decline signi? cantly. In response, the company established Corporate New Ventures (CNV), a small cross-functional team that embodies many of the creativity-enhancing practices described in this article. In terms of challenge, for instance, members of the CNV team were allowed to elect themselves. How better to make sure someone is intrinsically motivated for an assignment than to ask for volunteers? Building a team from volunteers, it should be noted, was a major departure from standard PG procedures. Members of the CNV team also were given a clear, challenging strategic goal: to invent radical new roducts that would build the company’s future. Again departing from typical PG practices, the team was given enormous latitude around how, when, and where they approached their work. The list of how CNV broke with PG’s creativity-killing practices is a long one. On nearly every creativity-support dimension in the KEYS work-environment survey, CNV scored higher than national norms and higher than t he pre-CNV environment at PG. But more important than the particulars is the question: Has the changed environment resulted in more creative work? Undeniably so, and the evidence is convincing. In the three years since its inception, CNV has handed off 11 projects to the business sectors for execution. And as of early 1998, those products were beginning to ? ow out of the pipeline. The ?rst product, designed to provide portable heat for several hours’ relief of minor pain, was already in test marketing. And six other products were slated to go to test market within a year. Not surprisingly, given CNV’s success, PG is beginning to expand both the size and the scope of its CNV venture. Even if you believe that your organization fosters creativity, take a hard look for creativity killers. Some of them may be ? urishing in a dark corner- or even in the light. But rooting out creativity-killing behaviors isn’t enough. You have to make a conscious effort to support creativity. The result can be a truly innovative company where creativity doesn’t just survive but actually thrives. Reprint 98501 To order, see the next page or call 800-988-0886 or 617-783 -7500 or go to www. hbrreprints. org harvard business review september–october 1998 page 11 How to Kill Creativity Further Reading ARTICLES One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees? by Frederick Herzberg Harvard Business Review September–October 1987 Product no. 88X Originally published in the January–February 1968 issue of HBR, this classic article offers enduring insights into the psychology of motivation, providing further explanation for why intrinsic motivation is more powerful than extrinsic. In common-sense, often humorous terms, Herzberg explores myths of motivation, outlines steps for job enrichment, and discusses the merits of various forms of the KITA (â€Å"kick in the ass†). This article includes an update by the author. Job Sculpting: The Art of Retaining Your Best People by Timothy Butler and James Waldroop Harvard Business Review September–October 1999 Product no. 282 Butler and Waldroop demonstrate how intrinsic motivation can help companies address one of the thorniest problems in today’s economy: retaining top talent. Many managers are dangerously unfamiliar with the psychology of work satisfaction, which holds that employees are the most engaged when their responsibilities coincide with their â€Å"deeply embedded life interests. † These interests- the authors identify eight- don’t determine what people are good at; they drive the activities that make people happy. Once an employee’s life interests are known, manager and employee can customize work responsibilities through job sculpting- matching the employee to a job that allows her deeply embedded life interests to be expressed. BOOK Harvard Business Review on Breakthrough Thinking Harvard Business School Press 1999 Product no. 181X Amabile’s â€Å"How to Kill Creativity† is one of the eight articles in this collection. Other topics explored include identifying customer needs that customers themselves have not yet recognized, promoting new understanding of the competitive environment, and fostering innovation. Another article, â€Å"A Film Director’s Approach to Managing Creativity,† is an account of the filming of Night Moves. It describes how director Arthur Penn successfully managed stress, conflict, motivation, and other elements familiar to businesses. To Order For Harvard Business Review reprints and subscriptions, call 800-988-0886 or 617-783-7500. Go to www. hbrreprints. org For customized and quantity orders of Harvard Business Review article reprints, call 617-783-7626, or e-mai [emailprotected] harvard. edu page 12