VA1 Ch 6 - Adaption-Innovation (A-I) Theory Flashcards
The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force has been levied with the task of creating a new performance system for enlisted personnel. He forms a team of the leading experts in enlisted force development. The experts begin to propose different designs to use to build the new performance system. There are strains developing within the team. They seem to bicker a lot and lose track of the objective. It appears they will never develop the new performance system. What problems do you see? You could label them Problem A: creating a new performance system for enlisted personnel; and Problem B: getting the team to work toward the common objective of creating a new enlisted performance system.
What is the difference between Problem A and Problem B?
Problem A is the ‘actual problem’ that two of more individuals come together to solve.
Problem B encompasses all of the problems (team dynamics, interpersonal skills, communication, collaboration, etc.) that stem from ‘human interactions’.
The Adaption-Innovation Theory is only concerned with ___________.
Style
What is the difference between style and level?
Level refers to potential capacity (intelligence or talent) and learned levels (such as management, supervisory and leadership competency). Style: refers to “how we think,” our preferred cognitive approach to problem solving, and decision making.
What is a more precise term for adaptors?
More Adaptive
What is a more precise term for innovators?
More Innovative
Why is it important to know where you fall on the Adaption-Innovation continuum?
How others perceive you and how you perceive them depends on where you are on the continuum in relation to their position.
Why does a large gap in style offer greater potential/ability to solve problems?
Because of the cognitive diversity
What are some of the tendencies adaptors exhibit concerning “structure”?
Prefer more structure and more of it consensually agreed
What are some of the tendencies innovators exhibit concerning “structure”?
Prefer less structure and can tolerate less of it consensually agreed
What are some of the tendencies adaptors exhibit concerning “the paradigm”?
Improve or extend the paradigm in order to solve problems
What are some of the tendencies innovators exhibit concerning “the paradigm”?
Challenge or break the paradigm in order to solve problems
What are the two forms of cognitive gap?
The first form is the distance between one’s preferred style and the behavior actually needed in a particular situation (i.e. the distance between ones preferred style and his/her task).
The second form is, the distance in a social interaction, between the preferred styles of 1) two people, 2) a person and a group, or 3) two groups (refer back to figure 2).
According to A-I Theory, the larger the cognitive gap, the greater the potential for conflict and for __________.
Productive Problem Solving
Leaders who manage ______________ effectively end up with the best possible solutions.
Cognitive Diversity
Organizations with only adaptors or innovators quickly _______________.
Perish
An effective method for managing cognitive gap is through the use of ___________.
Bridgers
What is bridging?
Bridging is reaching out to people in the team and helping them to be part of it so that they may contribute even if their contribution is outside mainstream.
Why do we need coping behavior?
Because we cannot always solve problems using our preferred style.
Effective leaders create environments where they only ask for __________ coping behavior most of the time and only have to ask for __________ coping behavior in times of crisis.
Minimum; Maximum
potential capacity: intelligence or talent
Level
preferred approach to problem solving, and decision making.
Style
precise terms use to describe the A-I Continuum
More Adaptive or Innovative
problem that two of more individuals come together to solve.
Problem A
problems that stem from human interactions
Problem B
distance between one’s preferred style and the behavior actually needed in a situation
Cognitive Gap #1
social role requiring human relation skills, and an intermediate score (ideally)
Bridger
effort required to do something that is not one’s preference
Coping Behavior
emotion, desire, physiological need that causes one to take action
Motive
All of us are intelligent and creative, at different levels and with different styles
Basic Principle of A-I Theory
An appropriate or favorable time, occasion, or situation favorable for attainment of a goal
Opportunity
distance in a social interaction between preferred styles
Cognitive Gap #2
