scholarly journals Developing creative and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills in a financial services organisation

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cherylene De Jager ◽  
Anton Muller ◽  
Gert Roodt
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Corporate Context ◽  
Sustainable Innovation ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Innovative Thinking ◽  
Value Add

Orientation: An important evaluation function is to determine whether creative and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills can be developed through training and to assess whether these skills, on their own, are sufficient to ignite innovation in organisations. Research purpose: The evaluation question that the present study aimed to address is whether employees in a corporate context, such as a financial services organisation, can develop creative and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills through an intervention such as a workshop. Motivation for the study: A financial services organisation commissioned the primary author of this article to design a workshop with the intent to develop the creative and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills of their employees in order to ignite innovation and competitiveness. Research design, approach and method: This study employed mainly qualitative research. Utilisation-focused evaluation (UFE) was employed and findings from the literature review, questionnaires, pen-and-paper tests and interviews were used. The unit of analysis was a niche business unit in a South African financial services organisation.Main findings: From this study’s point of view, the most critical finding related to the confirmation that individuals can acquire creative and innovative thinking and problemsolving skills. The acquisition of these skills, however, is not sufficient on its own to establish a culture supportive of creativity and sustainable innovation. Practical/managerial implications: The development of creative and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills of employees is not sufficient on its own to support sustainable innovation. Managers should consciously establish determinants on an organisational as well as an individual level to create an environment supportive of sustainable innovation. Contribution/value-add: The present study indicated how a workshop can assist individuals to develop creative and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills. The acquisition of these skills is not sufficient on its own to ignite sustainable innovation.

Engage Students More Hopscotch Mathe has Students Jumping for Joy

2019 ◽  
pp. 364-367
Author(s):  
Bernie May
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Algebraic Equations ◽  
Magic Squares ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Small Section ◽  
Innovative Thinking ◽  
Innovation Economy ◽  
The Times

The goal was to create a system to teach children deep thinking skills, as well as problem solving skills which they could later use in tomorrow’s innovation economy. The by-product is they learn the Times Table. We cover more in less time…under 5 hours, we go up to 20x20, and introduce the children to complex algebraic equations, too. Guess what? They love it – and ask for more! The times table represents the problem to be solved. Each intersection represents a smaller aspect of the problem. They learn various techniques. No dumb sing-song melodies. They build on what they know. We do not go linearly through the table. We jump around…and cover whatever we can. When we are through I show them that if they only knew 7x4 = 28, they have the problem solving skills where they can solve the whole table. The idea behind Kinestetic Math is to get into their world, and reach them at their level. Children like to run, jump, colour and move around – so do we. We use our fingers, our knuckles, and our legs to learn the Times Table. This paper covers a small section of the program, Magic Squares and Hopscotch Math, as an introduction to a different kind of thinking and how innovative thinking can be applied to teaching. I introduce the program with a 10x10 grid representing the times table. Every time we solve one of the blocks on the table, they get to color the block however they want.

scholarly journals Integrity and derailment of senior leaders in the Southern African context

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieter Koortzen ◽  
Rudolf M. Oosthuizen
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Integrity Test ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Quality Of Leadership ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Value Add ◽  
The Relationship

Orientation: In recruiting and developing senior leaders for the organisation, great emphasis is placed on the personality of these individuals and on the resulting manifestations of their behaviour in the work context.Research purpose: The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between integrity and derailment to identify the dimensions of integrity that may reduce the risks of derailing in a group of senior leaders.Motivation for the study: As organisations become more complex, a higher quality of leadership is demanded. The quality of leadership is often determined by, among other things, the level of leaders’ integrity and the manner in which they are able to manage their own derailment at work. In this study, integrity is defined as the conflict and balance between our instincts (i.e. vices) and our ability to reason (i.e. our virtues), while leadership derailment is defined as the way in which leaders behave under stress or when they overuse a particular strength. Both constructs are of particular concern when they manifest in the organisation’s pool of high-potential leaders, who are the organisation’s future successors. However, most derailment cases are predictable and can be managed effectively with proper intervention.Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional quantitative, correlational research design was followed. A non-probability purposive sample of 108 senior leaders in companies in Southern Africa participated in the study.Main findings: The results enabled the researchers to assess the relationship between integrity and derailment in order to identify the dimensions of integrity that are associated with a lowered risk of derailing in a group of senior leaders. It is apparent from the results that several of the integrity dimensions measured in the current study acted as significant predictors of derailment. The results indicate that the Giotto scales predict five of the Hogan scales to a degree that could be regarded as practically significant and are associated with medium to large effect sizes). These are Excitable, Cautious, Leisurely, Bold and Colourful. The prediction of Cautious can be described as practically important, while the prediction of the remainder of the Hogan scales was practically non-significant.Practical/managerial implications: From a practical point of view, the research findings allow leadership development practitioners, consultants and coaches to assist leaders in identifying the ways in which leaders will probably derail based on the results of the Giotto integrity test. Those involved in the development of leaders will also be able to develop the leaders’ level of integrity in order to reduce unnecessary derailment at work.Contribution/value-add: The study findings contribute valuable information on the relationship between integrity and derailment and the dimensions of integrity, which may reduce the risks of derailment of senior leaders.

scholarly journals Graduates Attributes: Convergence and Divergence of Different Stakeholders

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 288
Author(s):  
Vallipuram Kanagasingam
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Team Work ◽  
State Universities ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Generic Skills ◽  
Convergence And Divergence

The concept of graduates’ attributes has become the focus of increasing attention among practitioners and scholars alike. Little research, however, has been undertaken to investigate the graduates’ attributes in Sri Lanka from the perspective of stakeholder, the main objective of this study is to explore students’ attributes from different stakeholders’ point of view, particularly scholars and industrialist perspective. Further, this study concludes that most employers are looking for graduates who possess a range of generic skills and attributes, particularly, communication, team work, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The study found that graduates are unable to find suitable employment opportunities to fulfill their expectations. They have dissatisfaction towards the employability. The main reason for unemployment and under-employment among the graduates is due to mismatch between the qualities of graduates produced by the state Universities in Sri Lanka and the quality expected by employers.

scholarly journals Workplace bullying: A perspective from the Job Demands-Resources model

2011 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Van den Broeck ◽  
Elfi Baillien ◽  
Hans De Witte
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Workplace Bullying ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Interpersonal Behaviour ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Value Add ◽  
The Individual

Orientation: Workplace bullying is characterised as a counterproductive interpersonal behaviour, yielding severe consequences for both the individual and the organisation. The occurrence of workplace bullying is often attributed to a stressful work environment.Research purpose: The purpose of the study was to test the work environment hypothesis by applying the Job Demands-Resources model to workplace bullying. We expected job demands and job resources to relate to both perpetrators’ and actors’ reports of workplace bullying.Motivation for the study: We aimed to extend the outcomes examined in the Job Demands- Resources model to a specific form of counterproductive interpersonal behaviour, namely workplace bullying. From the point of view of the literature on bullying, we aimed to substantiate the well-known work environment hypothesis with empirical data.Research design, approach and method: We applied structural equation modelling on questionnaire data of a large heterogeneous sample of Flemish employees (N = 749).Main findings: Job demands and job resources interacted in the prediction of perpetrators’ reports of bullying: job demands associated positively to perpetrators’ reports of bullying particularly under the condition of high job resources. Job demands related positively to targets’ reports of bullying, while job resources related negatively. These associations were (partially) mediated by emotional exhaustion.Practical/managerial implications: These results suggest that workplace bullying may indeed be reduced by good job design, that is, by limiting the job demands and increasing job resources. Particular prevention plans may be developed for exhausted employees, as they are vulnerable to workplace bullying, in terms of both becoming perpetrators and victims.Contribution/value-add: This study attests to the predictive validity of the JD-R model for perpetrators’ and targets’ reports of workplace bullying. The findings also underline the complex and multi-causal nature of workplace bullying.

scholarly journals Mapping Students' Problem-Solving Skills in Physics Subject After Inquiry Learning at Class X SMAN 1 Prambanan

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-69
Author(s):  
R Z Putri ◽  
J Jumadi ◽  
A Ariswan ◽  
H Kuswanto
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Inquiry Learning ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Problem Solution ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Student Problem

Problem-solving skills is necessary to be mastered by students to help them in solving the problems of their daily life in the future. The purpose of this study was to map the student problem-solving skills after inquiry learning in Physics subject, impulse, and momentum in class X SMAN 1 Prambanan, Yogyakarta. Experimental research model with one-shot case study design was used in this study. Data collection was performed through essays at the end of the learning process. The results of the mapping show that students have different problem-solving skills levels at each stage. At the stage of problem identification, students were in a very good category. At the stage of planning the problem solution and problem-solving implementation, the students were in a good category, while in results evaluation, the students were in a fairly good category. The result of this study can contribute to giving the point of view to the teacher about students' problem-solving skills level based on the indicators as well as giving the additional information as a literature in the topic of students’ problem-solving skills after inquiry learning.

scholarly journals Dimensionality of trust: An analysis of the relations between propensity, trustworthiness and trust

2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marita Heyns ◽  
Sebastiaan Rothmann
Keyword(s):  
Survey Design ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Dyadic Relationships ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Trust Formation ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Value Add ◽  
Trust Propensity

Orientation: Research concerning trust relationships on the interpersonal level, particularly when studied in dyadic relationships from the follower’s point of view, is relatively scarce. Only a few researchers have attempted to link multiple dimensions of trust in the same study.Research purpose: This study examined the dynamic interplay between trust propensity, trustworthiness beliefs and the decision to trust, as perceived within dyadic workplace relationships. Motivation for the study: No studies, as far as the authors are aware, have ever attempted to use a combination of Mayer and Davis’s well-known assessment of trustworthiness and Gillespie’s measure of behavioural trust within the same study. By including measures of main antecedents and the actual decision to trust in the same study, the multidimensionality of trust can be established more concretely.Research approach, design and method: A cross-sectional survey design with a convenience sample (N = 539) was used. The Behavioural Trust Inventory and the Organisational Trust Instrument were administered.Main findings: Results confirmed the distinctness of propensity, trustworthiness and trust as separate main constructs. Trust was strongly associated with trustworthiness beliefs. Trustworthiness beliefs fully mediated the relationship between propensity and trust. The observed relations between propensity and trustworthiness suggest that individuals with a natural predisposition to trust others will be more inclined to perceive a specific trust referent as trustworthy.Practical/managerial implications: Leaders should realise that their attitudes and behaviour have a decisive impact on trust formation processes: if they are being perceived as trustworthy, followers will be likely to respond by engaging in trusting behaviours towards them. Tools to assess followers’ perceptions of the trustworthiness of the leader may provide useful feedback that can guide leaders.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to scientific knowledge regarding the influence of propensity to trust and trustworthiness on trust of leaders.

Improving Problem-Solving Performance of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gulnoza Yakubova ◽  
Teresa Taber-Doughty
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Video Modeling ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Vocational Tasks ◽  
Students With Autism ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Improved Performance

The effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention to improve the problem-solving performance of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) during vocational tasks was examined. A multiple-probe across-students design was used to illustrate the effectiveness of point-of-view video modeling paired with practice sessions and a self-operated cue sheet to solve problems encountered during vocational tasks. Following intervention, all students improved performance and generalized problem-solving skills to a second untrained setting. Three of four students maintained performance at a 6-week follow-up. Overall, evidence indicated that students with ASD could learn to engage in problem solving independently following the intervention.

Language aspects of engineering students' view of entropy

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 489-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesper Haglund ◽  
Staffan Andersson ◽  
Maja Elmgren
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Internal Energy ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Second Law Of Thermodynamics ◽  
Ideal Gas ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Chemical Thermodynamics ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Chemistry Students

Entropy is a central concept in thermodynamics, but has been found to be challenging to students due to its abstract nature and the fact that it is not part of students' everyday language. Interviews with three pairs of engineering students (N= 6) were conducted and video recorded regarding their interpretation and use of the entropy concept, one year after a course on chemical thermodynamics. From a syntax perspective, students were asked to assess whether different sentences involving temperature, internal energy, and entropy make sense. With a focus on semantics, they were asked to rank a set of notions with regards to how closely they are related to entropy, how scientific they are, and how useful they are for explaining what entropy is. From a pragmatics point of view, students were asked to solve two qualitative problems, which involve entropy. The results show that these chemistry students regard internal energy, but not entropy, as a substance-like entity. The students' ranking of how closely related to entropy notions are and how useful they are for explaining entropy was found to be strongly negatively correlated to how scientific the notions were seen to be. For example, disorder was seen as highly unscientific, but very useful for explaining entropy. In the problem-solving tasks, Chemical Engineering students were comfortable relating entropy to enthalpy and Gibbs free energy, the three notions being seen to form a “trinity” in thermodynamics. However, the students had challenges grasping the unchanged entropy in reversible, adiabatic expansion of an ideal gas, in which they did not consider how entropy relates to the second law of thermodynamics. In final reflections on their learning processes, the students saw weak connections between their problem-solving skills and their conceptual understanding of entropy, although acknowledging that both aspects of learning are important.

scholarly journals Mental health and corporate social responsibility for industrial psychology

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Vermeulen ◽  
Lené I. Graupner ◽  
Bouwer E. Jonker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Industrial Psychology ◽  
North West ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The North ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Value Add

Orientation: Organisations must do whatever it takes to ensure sustainability and longevity, and extend benefits into the communities where they operate.Research purpose: The general aim of this study was to explore the contribution that the profession of industrial psychology can make towards improving mental health by means of a CSR programme.Motivation for the study: This study was motivated by the notion that, in South Africa, organisations are encouraged to be socially responsible and Industrial-organisational Psychology (IOP) can be of service to this goal for the organisation.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative research design with a combination of purposive and convenience sampling was utilised. Participants consisted of the project team who participated in a training institution’s CSR initiative in the North West province. Data gathering took place in the form of semi-structured in-depth interviews, which were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.Main findings: The results showed that typical IOP topics that could be formulated into a CSR programme included life skills and topics related to personal growth and self-worth. The results also showed that universities are able to play a vital part in community engagement, and an inter-relationship of benefits can be established.Practical/managerial implications: The research indicates that industrial and organisational psychologists could also contribute to organisations when they operate in the CSR scope.Contribution/value-add: On an individual level, this study contributed to clarify the understanding whether IOP has a place in social investment and contributions.

Segments: An alternative rainfall problem

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER ACHTEN
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Solution Strategies ◽  
List Processing ◽  
Problem Solving Strategies ◽  
High Level ◽  
Higher Order Functions

Abstract Elliot Soloway’s Rainfall problem is a well-known and well-studied problem to investigate the problem-solving strategies of programmers. Kathi Fisler investigated this programming challenge from the point of view of functional programmers. She showed that this particular challenge gives rise to five different high-level solution strategies, of which three are predominant and cover over 80% of all chosen solutions. In this study, we put forward the Segments problem as an alternative challenge to investigate the problem-solving skills of functional programmers. Analysis of the student solutions, their high-level solution strategies, and corresponding archetype solutions shows that the Segments problem gives rise to seven different high-level solution strategies that can be further divided into 17 subclasses. The Segments problem is particularly suited to investigate problem-solving skills that involve list processing and higher-order functions.

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