CVS CVS Creative Thinking and Idea Generation Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a VM Creative Phase session, the rule of 'deferred judgment' means:
- Postponing the VM study until more data is available
- Withholding evaluation of ideas until the brainstorming session is complete (Correct answer)
- Deferring to senior team members for all creative decisions
- Waiting for stakeholder approval before generating ideas
Correct answer: Withholding evaluation of ideas until the brainstorming session is complete
Deferred judgment prevents premature criticism from inhibiting idea flow, allowing the Creative Phase to generate the maximum quantity of alternatives.
Question 2: Why is quantity of ideas valued over quality during the VM Creative Phase?
- More ideas mean more paperwork, which demonstrates team productivity
- A larger idea pool increases the probability that at least one breakthrough solution will emerge (Correct answer)
- Regulations require a minimum number of ideas per VM study
- More ideas justify a higher VM study fee
Correct answer: A larger idea pool increases the probability that at least one breakthrough solution will emerge
Research on creativity shows that innovative solutions are more likely to be found when a large volume of ideas is generated before evaluation begins.
Question 3: Which brainstorming technique in VM involves building on each other's ideas to create progressively refined concepts?
- Gordon technique
- Brainwriting 6-3-5
- Classical brainstorming with 'yes-and' building (Correct answer)
- Random word stimulation
Correct answer: Classical brainstorming with 'yes-and' building
The 'yes-and' building approach encourages team members to extend and refine each other's ideas, creating collaborative improvement of concepts.
Question 4: The Gordon Technique for creative thinking differs from standard brainstorming because:
- It requires more participants
- The problem is stated abstractly so participants generate ideas without being limited by preconceptions about the specific problem (Correct answer)
- It focuses only on cost reduction ideas
- It uses written rather than verbal idea generation
Correct answer: The problem is stated abstractly so participants generate ideas without being limited by preconceptions about the specific problem
By framing the problem abstractly, the Gordon Technique prevents participants from anchoring to conventional solutions associated with the known problem.
Question 5: In VM creative sessions, 'mental blocks' most commonly arise from:
- Insufficient meeting room space
- Habitual thinking patterns, fear of criticism, and cultural or organizational norms (Correct answer)
- Poor facilitator credentials
- Overly detailed cost data presented in the Information Phase
Correct answer: Habitual thinking patterns, fear of criticism, and cultural or organizational norms
Mental blocks prevent creative thinking by making people anchor to familiar solutions, fear judgment, or respect perceived constraints that may not actually exist.
Question 6: The technique of 'random stimulation' in VM creative sessions works by:
- Randomly assigning team members to subgroups
- Using unrelated words or images to trigger unexpected associations that lead to novel ideas (Correct answer)
- Randomly selecting alternatives for detailed development
- Shuffling the order of FAST diagram functions
Correct answer: Using unrelated words or images to trigger unexpected associations that lead to novel ideas
Random stimulation uses arbitrary inputs (words, pictures) to trigger unusual mental associations, breaking fixed thinking patterns and generating fresh ideas.
In a VM Creative Phase session, the rule of 'deferred judgment' means: