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Creative companies are a joy to work for. They also tend to be top performers, year in and year out — because they understand the economic value of creativity. They work hard to cultivate it. Here's a quick quiz to gauge where your firm stands. Click the answer that best describes your situation. Press the "Submit and Score" button to grade quiz.
 
1. Creative firms cherish new ideas and encourage the people who generate them.
You come up with a brilliant idea in a meeting. After five minutes of discussion, you feel like…
it’s the NBA finals, you’re hot, and your teammates are feeding you. Think MVP.
a finalist on Survivor Island.
a salmon swimming upstream with a backpack full of rocks.
an armadillo pancake on a Texas highway on a July afternoon.


2. Conformity creates caution, conservatism and more conformity.
The de-facto dress code at your office is …
People are genuinely comfortable not looking like each other.
We’re hip. No suits and ties. Everyone wears khakis and oxford shirts.
We have more neckties than good ideas.
A strict published code. Some dude in the mail room got sent home for hair that wasn’t dyed a “natural” color.


3. Creativity and collaboration require readily available, supportive space.
Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg drop in unannounced to explore an exciting opportunity. Quickly, you need a place for an impromptu meeting. How easy is it?
Tough decision. Let’s see – the outdoor deck overlooking the river, the juice bar, or any of the fully equipped conference rooms …
The President reschedules a staff meeting and gives you his office.
You grab the office of a VP who’s on a trip. Just as Bill and Steve are laying out the deal, a secretary asks what you’re doing there.
You call the meeting-room scheduler but keep getting voice mail. Your guests are leaving. Wait! Wait …


4. Diversity spawns creativity, opens up new possibilities and broadens perspectives.
Our company’s concept of diversity looks like …
the bar scene in Star Wars.
a Security Council meeting at the UN.
a box of Good ‘n Plenty
the 1950 graduating class at West Point.


5. Challenge is the breakfast of champions.
The biggest challenge I’ve faced so far at work today is …
Prioritizing all the paradigm-busting ideas our team has come up with.
Finding a way around the bureaucracy so we can implement one of them.
Trying to guess what my boss really wants and what the game plan is.
Trying to look busy.


6. Poorly fitting shoes cause calluses, corns and blisters. Brains suffer, too, when the physical environment cramps creativity.
Which of these best describes your personal workspace?
Abundant space with lots of plants and natural light. One wall has windows (that actually open) and an inspiring view; the other is floor-to ceiling-whiteboard. Ample work surfaces and storage units with all of your stuff arranged just as you like it.
A semi-private office with a real door and window. The company supplied artwork but I can take it down and put up my own.
A cramped cubicle with piles of computer gear, papers, and an IPAQ to stay organized.
A miniscule cubical with neighboring coworkers who spend half their day on the phone yelling at their spouses about weekend plans or family feuds (or such).


7. Freedom, flexibility, and change of pace (or change of venue) stimulate creative thinking.
You and a co-worker walk to Starbucks to discuss a project. This excursion is …
Unnecessary. There are better places to talk in and around your office (with better coffee and free snacks).
Cool. Just let the receptionist know.
Not cool. Leave a coat on the back of your chair to make it look like you’re around.
One of those flagrant acts of defiance you commit when you just don’t care any more.


8. People are more relaxed, energized and productive when the line between work and fun gets fuzzy (or even better disappears entirely).
Our company’s attitude toward fun is …
Around here, “ha ha” frequently leads to “ah ha!” New hires are amazed at how loose we are (and how much gets done).
We try to schedule fun events when we’re not under too much pressure. Once we had a Friday afternoon review meeting that segued into a TGIF, and everybody says we ought to do that more often.
If you laugh out loud, the boss gets this look on his face like the hall monitor in junior high.
Zero tolerance.


9. Leaders play the key role in fostering an environment of freedom, inspiration, teamwork, and creativity.
My boss’s role model is …
Phil Jackson. Attracts good people; gives clear direction, then lets us run with it. Finds ways to bring out the best in everyone: the stars shine and even the bit players over-achieve. Real teamwork prevails.
Jack Welch. Tough but smart. Do it his way and you’ll go far.
Whoever’s hot. You can always tell when he’s read the latest management book.
Chainsaw Al Dunlap, pre-reform. At home he has three problem children and a dog that bites.


10. Healthy bodies sustain healthy minds.
Our company’s policy on exercise is …
We have an on-site gym (where people sometimes do their best thinking), and we discourage 8 AM meetings to allow time for starting the day with exercise.
Hey, we’re in favor of it! Just don’t be gone too long on those lunch-hour runs, or wear your workout shoes in the office, or …
That’s what weekends are for.
There will be plenty of time to exercise when you retire.


11. Compensation and incentives play a key role in defining what a company gets. Creative workers do best when money is not an issue and intrinsic rewards are plentiful.
Our company’s policy on compensation and incentives is …
Everyone gets competitive base pay, job assignments they love, and working conditions tailored to their needs. Lots of recognition, challenge and opportunities to grow.
Fairly decent pay, plus a lot of stock options and fringe benefits (like coverage for dental implants) that might actually be worth something sometime … and if you’re a star, you kind of get to call the tune on things like working conditions.
Pay and perks are based on seniority, with cost-of-living adjustments.
It’s a jungle out there. You’re lucky to have a job.


12. Corporate culture determines corporate performance.
Our leaders define “culture” as…
the attitudes, values, and practices that govern how we conduct our daily business and are the keys to our success.
something we work on because the employees seem to care about it, but you can’t really measure it, so how important could it be?
one of those fishy concepts that liberals and female business professors like to talk about.
what you might catch at the symphony if you’re not careful.


Extra Credit:
How would you feel if your boss walked in and saw you taking this quiz?
Perfectly comfortable. She’s looking over my shoulder right now. She wants to have everyone take it, and then do a follow-up so we can get even better.
Pretty comfortable, I think. In fact I’ve got half a mind to show it to him.
He was just here and boy, did I feel my neck turning red.
Are you kidding? I’m doing this at home at 2 AM while I job-search.

         


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