The Correlation Between Attitude Components and Divergent Thought

by

Major Michael Todd Judice, USAF

A Graduate Capstone Project Thesis

Submitted to ERAU Worldwide

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Science in Management

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Worldwide

Oklahoma City Campus

May 2014

i

The Correlation Between Attitude Components and Divergent Thought

by

Major Michael Todd Judice, USAF

This Graduate Capstone Thesiswas prepared under the direction of the candidate's Review Committee Member,

Dr. Matthew P Earnhardt, Assistant Professor, ERAU Worldwide,and the candidate's Project Review Committee Chair,

Dr. Greg Atchison, Adjunct Associate Professor, ERAU Worldwide, and has been approved by the Project Review Committee. It was submitted

to ERAU Worldwide in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements for the degree ofMaster of Science in Management.

Project Review Committee:

________________________Matthew P. Earnhardt, Ph.D.

Committee Member

_______________________Greg Atchison, Ph.D.

Committee Chair

ii

Abstract

Researcher: Major Todd Judice, United States Air Force

Title: The Correlation Between Attitude Components and Divergent Thought.

Institution: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Degree: Master of Science in Management

Year: 2014

Every organization possesses a collective attitude toward divergent thought. Feelings turn into

beliefs which eventually reveal themselves in the form of organizational behavior patterns. Over

the course of time this pattern of behavior forges the identity of the organization. Ultimately, the

character of the people that make up the organization determines the nature of the culture of the

organization over the long term. This research model is designed to measure the correlation

between divergent thought and the affective, cognitive and behavioral components of attitude.

Divergent thought is the attitude object as well as the dependent variable in this study. The

subjects for this research will be middle management personnel at an energy company in the

southern plains region of the United States. The quantitative data will reveal the company's

attitude toward divergent thought and will also determine the level of correlation between

attitude components and the phenomena of divergent thought.

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Table of Contents

Tile Page i

Abstract iii

List of Figures v

Chapter I - Introduction 1

Purpose and Significance 3

Definitions of Divergent Thought 5

Definition of Attitude 10

Chapter II - Literature Review 15

Divergent Thought in Action 18

The Current State of the Art 23

Common Findings in Creative Studies 25

Hypothesis 26

Assumptions 27

Chapter III - Methodology 30

Research Design 30

Instrumentation 31

Dependant Variable, Independent Variable and the Regression Model 32

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Setting and Sample 34

Methodological Summary 35

Chapter IV Analysis 37

Demographics 37

All Encompassing Statistical Factors 38

Hypothesis Teesting Using Regression 38

Null Hypothesis (H1) 40

Null Hypothesis (H2) 41

Null Hypothesis (H3) 41

Chapter V Discussion 42

Descriptive Statistics 45

Limitations 48

Chapter VI Concluions 49

Chapter VII Recommendations 53

References 57

Appendices

Appendix A (Survey on the Attitude Toward Divergent Thought) 59

v

Appendix B (Capstone Project Proposal Approval Form) 63

Appendix C (Capstone Completion Schedule) 64

List of Tables

Table 1 Adjusted R2 and SEE 38

Table 2 ANOVA Results 38

Table 3 Statistical Relationships between Variables 40

List of Figures

Figure 1 The Role of Divergent Thought in the Creative Process 8

Figure 2 Spectrum of Conformity 11

Figure 3 Null-Hypotheses (Correlation of Divergent Thought and Attitude Components) 27

Figure 4 Devon's strategy for achieving its strategic goals 35

Figure 5 Demographic Breakouts 37

Figure 6 Residual Plots 40

Figure 7 Experience Effects on Divergent Thought Sorted by DT/SA Ratio 46

Figure 8 Lower Control Chart for Divergent Thought Scores 47

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Chapter I

Introduction

Creativity is not abstract. It is a manifest thing. Like gravity, it cannot be seen but its

existence is demonstrated by its influence on the organization. It is an instrument used to move a

plan from the strategic phase to the strategic objective and divergent thought is the facilitator or

the ocean upon which creativity travels. The way in which organizations view and behave

towards divergent thought and creativity plays a significant role in determining the level to

which they can access the full creative potential of their employees (Campbell & Smith, 2014).

The purpose of this research will be to identify the characteristics, which enable an organization

to formulate creative solutions to challenges and to identify the characteristics that inhibit the

formation of creative solutions.

While assigned as the Air Liaison Officer to the V Corps Commander in Heidelberg

Germany from 2007 to 2010, the researcher served as part of a planning team that was tasked to

develop a full battle plan as part of a simulated contingency operation in western Asia. The

purpose of the exercise was to test the Joint Force Commander (JFC) and his staff officers'

planning capabilities as they prepared various courses of action (COAs) to achieve the exercise's

objectives. Over the course of a year, these (COAs) were developed and submitted to the V

Corps commander for his ultimate approval and for simulated execution. The V Corps staff used

the doctrinally prescribed Military Decision Making Process (MDMP) as a means of controlling

and bringing order to the planning process.

This question arose, was this the best way to ensure the most creative and effective plan

made its way to the forefront? Were the proper minds focused in the proper direction? This

1

research seeks to create a more contemporary and effective alternative to organizing and staffing

military planning groups. By better understanding creativity within the context of industry it will

be possible to identify those cultural qualities such as entrepreneurship and innovation that make

them successful and then propagate these characteristics into a military setting. The body of

study of corporate entrepreneurship and innovation says that it is possible to set conditions that

promote the level of vicissitude desired in military planning groups (McFadzean, O’Loughlin, &

Shaw, 2005). In one example, Morris, Kuratko and Covin (2011) note that companies more often

than not set conditions that discourage creativity. They suggest that an organization that is afraid

to take risk in the name of possible progress is by its very nature averse to creativity and the

bounty it can offer (2011).

The Morris et al. (2011) research also showed that human beings shape the relationship

between culture, structure, leadership style, and the creative capability of an organization. Daft

(2011), even described the leadership of an organization as those that build the framework of the

organization saying

The adaptive culture is characterized by strategic leaders encouraging values that support

the organization's ability to interpret and translate signals from the environment into new

behavior responses. Employees have autonomy to make decisions and act freely to meet

new needs, and responsiveness to customers is highly valued. Leaders also actively create

change by encouraging and rewarding creativity, experimentation and risk taking (Daft,

2011, p. 440).

This example shows that people can and do intentionally change the nature of the

relationship between the identity of the company and creativity. That change is initiated through

2

leadership. Organizations desire change in order to remain competitive, to adopt more effective

and efficient means of operation, and to remain in harmony with their environments. On the

other hand, organizations often resist change because of their desire for relative stability and

predictability (Hodge, Anthony & Gales, 2003).

The questions the current research sought to answer were can an organization be

designed to have a greater ability to provide more useful and more creative products? Can groups

and organizations be genetically engineered from the beginning of their formation to be more

creative? Can intelligent design be applied to organizational culture, processes, production,

structure, and management style that can set conditions which enable human creativity to more

readily flourish as opposed to allowing the creative conditions to form on their own? This

research effort operated under the principle that it is possible to make organizations more

creative.

If it is possible to better understand the conditions that best enable human creativity it

should be possible to design organizations to be more efficient, more productive, and more

profitable. In a military framework, it is possible to establish planning groups that are structured

and organized for the specific purpose of generating the most creative and functional ideas.

Using these methods can reduce the negative effects of war on mankind and more efficiently

achieve the political objectives around the world.

Purpose and Significance

The purpose of this study was to uncover knowledge that would increase the corporis

academica concerning organizational facilitators of creativity by attempting to find meaningful

statistical correlations between divergent thought, a measure of creativity, and the components of

3

attitudes of employees toward divergent thought inside organizations. The study will gain an

understanding of the correlation between these variables and eventually take the lessons learned

and cross-pollinate the findings from American industry into the American military.

Currently, there is a great deal of research associated with the degree to which creativity

is embraced by various organizations and their related cultures. Researchers such as Williams

(1999) and Basadur (1979) are the contemporary leaders in the study of creativity and its impact

on organizations. Their research revealed that the culture of an organization holds towards new

and unconventional ideas is critical in that it determines whether an organization will be able to

realize the full potential of the cumulative imagination and resourcefulness of its employees

(Morris et al., 2011). The understanding of creativity is, relatively speaking, in the formative

stages of development. Nevertheless, it is possible to set conditions inside organizations whereby

individuals and groups could be empowered to be more inventive then they otherwise would be

in organizations that do not devote resources or promote principles which extolled the virtues of

an imaginative organizational culture.

Consequently, the findings in this research could one day be used to modernize the

military decision making process (MDMP). A more effectual MDMP could increase the chances

of formulating a sound course of action for the field commander. Specifically, better-informed

and more creative political solutions could reduce the number of unintended political

consequences. By providing better options to achieve these goals it was hoped that it might one

day be possible to reduce the toll that war inevitably takes on humanity. In the end, reducing

death, destruction and political instability through improved military planning and execution

processes could increase the U.S. military's chances of achieving the political objectives of the

people of the United States at a reduced cost of life and treasure.

4

Definitions of Divergent Thought

Attempting to define organizational creativity began by defining creativity at a very basic

level because defining creativity is difficult. Researchers such as Williams (1999) often times

measure the end product of creativity and not creativity itself. For instance, if one were to say

that an artist was creative, the casual observer would understand the meaning of the word

creative and would probably picture in their mind a painter, a poet or a musician. If you were to

ask the same person to give you a quantitative measurement that accurately rates the level of

creativity innately imbedded inside the brain of the artist they could not do it. If they did give a

response, it could be so subjective that it would essentially be reduced to mere opinion. One

could however observe or record the human perception or reaction to the artwork. If the artist's

intention was to create or capture beauty and thereby elicit an emotional feeling inside the mind

of the observer then the researcher could begin to quantify the level of creative talent spawned by

the human mind. This can be done by measuring the reaction of the sample to the artist's

intended objective (Williams, 1999).

Even with the use of medical imaging machines that are capable of mapping human brain

activity in different portions of the brain, no one can tell you what that person is actually thinking

about but only that there is activity in an area of the brain that associates with areas of various

functional purposes. In a business sense, creativity is often times associated with entrepreneurial

spirit and it is the byproduct of this spirit that is used to gauge the level of success through

creativity in business activities. This is manifested in the form of monetary gain. Even though

monetary gain might not be the strategic objective of an organization, it is definitely the measure

of how successful the company was while perusing its goals (Lehrer, 2012).

5

What is the academic definition of organizational creativity? Organizational creativity is

"“the ability to take different approaches to a problem, think of ideas in different categories, or

view a situation from several perspectives" (Woodman, Sawyer & Griffin, 1963, p. 293).

Organizational creativity is related to individual creativity but is very different. Organizational

creativity is a study of the interaction of individuals inside a complex social construct. More

precisely, it is a study of how teams achieve creative solutions to problems through a cumulative

creative effort.

Defining organizational creativity was a study of the artisan and not the artist. Instead of

studying how someone's body, mind and soul are capable of composing incredible musical

compositions, the research focused on how a group of people could create and maintain an

organization that was strictly functional. This is to say that entrepreneurs are artisans and not

artist. Although creativity is the common thread that binds the artist and the artisan, the purpose

of their relative work was fundamentally different. Some entrepreneurs are so creative and build

such amazing organizations that attain unbelievable degrees of human advancement that they are

described as artist. An entrepreneur creates organizations and organizations produce functional

products, services, ideas, procedures and processes in an effort to achieve an objective. This

statement is meant to differentiate the study of artistic creativity and organizational creativity.

The two are related and often times branded as being the same but they are not. This idea was

fundamental to the design of this research. This study measured the perceived level of

organizational creativity and the level of creative thought the that was cultivated inside of an

organization.

The level of creative thought that exists inside the organization is best described by its

socio-technical name "divergent thought" (Williams, 1999). Divergent thought (DT) is really a

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reaction to a problem or a set of problems. The problem solver knows where they want to go but

they have to build a plan that will get them there. Divergent thought is the means by which a new

idea travels but not the new idea itself. It has also been defined as,

the process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible

solutions. It is often used in conjunction with convergent thinking, which follows a

particular set of logical steps to arrive at one solution, which in some cases is a "correct"

solution (Shaikh & Perveen, 2011, p. 10).

Figuratively speaking, if the entrepreneur wants to get from point A to point B and there

are mountains and rivers blocking their direct path to the objective, then they must have an

aptitude for DT. DT is more than just a different way of thinking, it is a moment when an

epiphany occurs and the divergent thought process connects two objects, previously assumed to

be unrelated in the eyes of common knowledge. This connection results in the solution to the

problem or set of problems. In lay terms, it would be labeled as "thinking outside the box." It is

different from creativity in one important way, and that is that DT is the context in which

creativity occurs. It is not just the time but it is the place in which the creativity of the human

mind diverges from common knowledge or conventional paradigms and formulates new

processes, products, organizational structures and even grand strategies.

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Figure 1: The Role of Divergent Thought in the Creative Process. The arrow depicts the creative effort and divergent thought acts as a facilitator that’s moves the effort from the strategic planning phase to the actual realization of the strategic objective.

The connection of one idea to another idea that creates the solution to the problem is the

final portion of the DT cycle. Therefore, a more appropriate definition of DT could be the idea

bridge process. This proposal used DT when referring to this concept since it was an officially

accepted term in sociological and psychological circles. Linking ideas, or as author Jonah Lehrer

(2012) would describe it "a moment of insight," is not conceptual or abstract. It physically occurs

in the right hemisphere of the human brain. Creative moments are associated with α-waves, as

8

detected by an electroencephalography (EEG) measurement devices. Even though α-waves are

not substantive measurements of creative thought, they are correlated in time with moments

when divergent thought is most likely to occur. Alpha waves also occur when the human brain is

relaxed and when the brain is in daydream mode or when freed to wonder. When this

information was applied within the context of this research it was assumed that the goal of most

organizations that are dependent on innovation was to set environmental conditions that would

maximize α wave production or "α-time" and hence maximize divergent thought opportunities.

When Yo-Yo Ma composes a piece of high art, the right portion of his cerebral cortex

explodes with a massive amount of α-wave activity. The same thing can be said for a group or

organization at a macro level as well. If an (EEG) were able to monitor an entire planning group

as they collaborated on a problem and if they eventually solved the problem it would be possible

to see the moment when the group members departed from common knowledge and bridged

their shared ideas and experiences. It would be possible to detect the collaborative formation of a

new process or a management principle or the creation of a new product. It would be possible to

observe divergent thought on an (EEG), and see the physical outcome of creativity inside the

human body (Lehrer, 2012).

Even though α-time is important, divergent thought cannot be allowed to dwell in day-

dream mode. Again, there has to be balance between control and creativity. There has to be a

barrier to divergent thought because it is this barrier that provides the resistance, which is

necessary to create the aforementioned "moments of insight." This idea can be metaphorically

compared to the biological process called Wolff's Law where increased muscle resistance on

bone stimulates bone cells to release chemicals which promote calcium deposits at the site of

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resistance thus making the bone stronger in areas where usage is higher (Wolff, 2005). The same

was true when applying concepts of divergent thought to organizations and groups.

Organizations need obstacles to overcome as much as they need to allow their employees

opportunity to be creative. The challenge gives the organization the necessary pressure to

achieve. Individuals and organizations generally perceive stress as a negative factor when

developing ideas but the associated anxiety does not necessarily inhibit idea formation. In fact,

people need stress and control elements to perform at a higher creative level (Lehrer, 2012).

A good way to explain this would be to compare the need to create to the survival

situation that the Apollo 13 crew was forced to overcome in April, 1970. The astronauts onboard

the ship, and the NASA scientist back on Earth, accomplished the mission by creating ingenious

solutions to seemingly impossible and complex problems because of the emotional desire to save

the lives of the crew. If this had been a simulated mission in a building in Houston, the same

group might have never had had the same success because there was nothing at stake and the

level of control upon the group would have been greatly reduced. Since there was so much

ridding on the real world situation and because of the severity of constrains generated by the

situation the astronauts and scientist achieved a level of creativity and divergent thought they

otherwise never would have achieved due to the control factors in this case. Therefore as the

level of control grew the level of divergent thought grew in direct proportion. This is a definitive

example, which demonstrates that without control, divergent thought cannot achieve its full

potential.

Definition of Attitude

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The battle between divergent thought and control is fought in every organization.

However, as that battle develops individuals tend to gravitate toward different sides of the

control spectrum. The attraction that drives individuals to either camp is called attitude. An

attitude is "a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings, and behavioral tendencies

towards socially significant objects, groups, events or symbols" (Vaughan & Hogg, 2005, p.

110). Attitude is a frame of mind that is formed by the past experiences an individual

accumulates over their lifetime. It begins as a feeling that develops into a belief that then

manifest itself in the form of behavior. The focus of the attitude components is called the attitude

object. Every attitude that develops inside of every mind is aimed at an object. In this context the

object was divergent thought and the collective attitude of the organization was based on how the

people of the organization felt, believed, and acted towards divergent thought as a whole.

Attitude is generated by the culture, the processes, and the management style of the company.

Figure 2: Spectrum of Conformity. As the need for control over process and other functions of the organization increases the need for divergent thought diminishes. In a reciprocal manner, as the need for control over processes

11

and other functions of the company diminishes the need for divergent thought increases. The relationship between control and divergent thought is negatively correlated. (Williams, 1999)

Leadership's zeal, or lack thereof, towards the attitude object might be imitated in the

culture of the organization. At the macro-level, attitude is shaped by the leadership of the

organization and the position the company takes toward divergent thinkers. This influences the

rest of the organization's position toward divergent thought (Daft, 2011, p. 440). If the company's

leadership favors control then those individuals that display a management style which leans

toward control will normally be promoted due to cultural factors and because of the

environmental conditions in which the organization operates. The same is true for organizations

that have a culture, which favors divergent thinkers. Individuals that are more comfortable with

divergence and less concerned with control tend to flourish in an organizational culture reliant on

divergence. As a result, individuals who possess attitude traits that sustain the culture they

operate in tend to gain authority in that organization and over time they tend to institutionalize

the organization's attitude toward divergent thought. Daft (2011) suggests that creativity and

divergent thought are important traits of adaptive cultures. He further says that these cultures

"celebrate the creators of new ideas, products, and work processes. To symbolize the importance

of risk taking, an adaptive culture may also reward those who fail in order to learn and grow"

(Daft, 2011, p. 440).

As stated earlier, attitude is built sequentially and in stages. The first stage of attitude

development is called the affective stage. The affective response is an emotional reaction to the

attitude object (LaPiere, 2008). Feelings can be good or they can be bad. What is important here

is the emotional response to the object. The emotional or affective reaction forms the foundation

by which the rest of the attitude components will be built upon. The affective component

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represents the attitude in its formative stage of development but it continues to exist as long as

the attitude object exists. One example of an effective response might be a description of how

someone feels about sharks. They might us language such as "I cringe at the very thought of

sharks!" This would be an affective component of an attitude that is developing or has already

developed either through direct or indirect experiences with the attitude object.

At this stage of attitude development, the affective component then begins to shape the

cognitive element of attitude. Often times the evidence of cognitive formation of attitude toward

the attitude object manifest itself in statements made by members of the survey group which

include the words believe, or know or understand (LaPiere, 2008). When these verbs are used

with an object they are indicators that the affective component has shaped and influenced the

formation of the cognitive component and that the cognitive component has completely formed.

An example of this would be a statement such as "I know that all pit-bulls are vicious animals."

In this hypothetical example, the person being questioned has given the interviewer evidence that

they had a bad experience or perception of pit-bulls and that they believe that all pit-bulls are by

their very nature bad.

Cognitive formation constitutes the second stage of attitude development. It forms the

paradigm or the way in which the individual and the organization perceive the world or the

environment in which they operate in. The paradigm then drives the behavioral portion of the

attitude and for the first time it is possible to begin to see the physical demonstration of how

someone feels and believes about something. Consequently, it can be said that the behavioral

component of attitude is the way an individual's attitude influences how said individuac6l acts or

behaves towards the attitude object (LaPiere, 2008).

13

In summary, divergent thought is the creative process by which organizations overcome

obstacles. This study viewed divergent thought as the creative processes found inside the

functional components of the organization. It is these functional components that enable the

organization to overcome obstacles, which prevented it from achieving its objectives. DT is

apparent in an organization's culture, its processes, management style, and in the innovative

products that the company produces. It is the creative component that is imbedded in the overall

strategy by which it seeks to accomplish its goals. In this research, DT served as the dependent

variable and it was regressed against the independent variables of attitudinal components. Those

components capture the way the organization feels, thinks and acts towards DT. Again, the

objective of this research was to determine if these variables correlated with DT. The secondary

objective was to determine the degree to which the variables correlated. If they did correlate, the

next objective was to determine which independent variable had the greatest degree of

correlation with DT.

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Chapter II

Literature Review

This research proposed that there was a correlation between divergent thinking (DT) and

the components of human attitude. This hypothesis was based upon Williams' (1999) work

which suggested further research be conducted regarding the relationship between divergent

thought and the three components of attitude. This project sought to determine whether or not

there was a statistically significant relationship between divergent thought, as a measure of

creativity, and the affective, cognitive and behavioral portions of what scholars in the field of

human studies would describe as attitude. This research will address a gap in the literature

relating to attitude and divergent thought and this will shed light on an area of understanding

which was, unto this point, unexplored by previous research. While formulating these hypotheses

one thing was evident, studies conducted on divergent thought and human attitude were two

threads of knowledge that seemed to share some type of relationship. The study will address this

proposed link and by doing this society will better understand the way in which people interact

inside organizations.

One of the foundational studies on divergent thought was accomplished by Williams

(1999) in which he established evidence in support of a statistically significant correlation

between divergent thought, the dependent variable, and the independent variables, personality,

leadership influence and attitude. This was significant because this was one of the first studies to

use divergent thought as an attitude object. Williams (1999) stated that "although attitudes

toward divergent thinking have been assumed to be related to creative performance, no known

15

attempt has been made to empirically link attitudes toward divergent thinking to organizational

creativity prior to this study" (p. 3).

Williams (1999) points out that "attitudes toward divergent thought may partially mediate

the relationship between openness and individual creative performance" (p. 99). Therefore it is

clear that Williams' did not see attitude as the only significant independent variable but he

suggested that was shaped by the other independent variable in his study, in particular, openness

to new experience which is an individual personality trait. In fact, Williams ran regression

models against a null-hypothesis using the individual's openness toward new experiences as a

dependant variable and attitude toward divergent thought as an independent variable to test this

theory and he found that there was a positive correlation between them. Williams suggests that

Openness to experience was significantly related to two of the three ATDT facets.

Preference for ideation is related to openness to experiences at just below the

conventional significance level (r =.13, p -.06). The new ATDT scale and preference for

premature evaluation are positively and significantly related to openness to experience (r

= .49 p < .001, and r = .19 p < .01, respectively; (Williams, 1999, p. 67).

Consequently, it can be deduced that there is a significant relationship between attitude

toward divergent thought and one's desire to experience something new.

In the Williams’ (1999) study, questionnaires were handed out to the supervisors of a

non-academic department at a major university and the supervisors were asked to provide their

assessment of their employees' level of creativity on an individual basis. Regression was used to

determine the level of correlation between the employees perceived level of divergent thought

and their performance appraisals.

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What is clear is that on average those individuals with high divergent thought scores also

received higher performance scores on their appraisals. The correlation between attitudes toward

divergent thinking and divergent thought were statistically significant. The research revealed that

the "incremental variance explained by the set of three facets was statistically significant in most

cases at better than the conventional level of p < .05 and marginally significant (p > .10) for the

co-workers ratings of creative performance" (Williams, 1999, p. 67). Although the Williams

study did find correlation between attitude and divergent thought it did not determine which

element of attitude was most associated with (DT). Williams' recommendations are to break

attitude into its three basic components and regress them as independent variables against (DT),

an independent variable. This study sought to specifically determine which component of human

attitude correlated most significantly with DT with the intent to specifically identify the root

source of correlation between these two variables.

Another landmark study that sought to contribute to the understanding of creativity and

its role in organization is Basadur's (1980) work concerning the ability to increase an individual's

creative potential through training. Any and all organizations have a very large and vested

interest in maximizing the creative output of their employees and Basadur's research was

designed to map a training plan that would achieve that goal.

Basadur's (1980) study delineated the difference between divergent and convergent

thought. The delineation helped form the definition in academic terms for the first time. What

Basadur finds is that both convergent thought and divergent thought are both necessary during

the creative processes. He suggests that convergent thought is represented by the organization's

paradigm of the word and that this perceived reality is expressed in its doctrine. Convergent

thought is apparent in company manuals and its literature and is part of the organizational

17

indoctrination process of new individuals. It is used to mold the company into the type of

organization leadership believes it needs to accomplish its objectives.

Divergent Thought in Action

Divergent thought is not just a new idea, but it is an idea that breaks away from the

doctrine of the organization in a fundamental way or in a manner, which would be describe as

unconventional in the eyes of the organization (Williams, 1999). A historical example of this

concept occurred during World II in what came to be known as the Doolittle Raid and was

immortalized in the Hollywood movie 30 Seconds Over Tokyo. The movie captured the heroic

actions of the aircrew as they scored a psychological victory over the Japanese a few months

after America's entry into the war.

What the movie did not capture was the ideation, or what Basadur (1980) would have

described as the divergent thought process, which occurred among senior American civil and

military leaders. A more accurate summation of the event would be to say that ideation never

really occurred among these leaders and that it was only when a U.S. Navy Captain Francis Low

recommended that Army bombers be launched from Navy Aircraft carriers that the divergent

thought process ever occurred. The idea met with extreme resistance from those same senior

leaders, some of whom had written the doctrine for the Army and Navy, but it was ultimately

approved by the president.

The Doolittle Raid is a case study in the conflict between the convergent thinkers and the

divergent thinkers in an organization. It is an illustration of a creative solution to a problem

generated by divergent thought processes when all convergent means of resolving the issue have

been exhausted. The fact that an idea as radical as the one proposed by Captain Low was even

18

brought to the attention of the President of the United Sates gives some insight into American

culture and its, relatively speaking, egalitarian style. The fact that the idea reached the President

had as much to do with luck as it did with the organizational culture of the U.S. government

(Glines, 2000). Basadur noted the Roe and Dunnette study which said that

Divergent thinking involves non-evaluative "generation of information from given

information where the emphasis is upon variety or output from the same source" (Roe,

1976). and thus is diverging or ideation in nature. Convergent thinking involves

"generation of information from given information where the emphasis is on achieving a

unique, single correct answer or conventionally accepted or best solution" (p. 9).

Perhaps this is the reason why in a military culture divergent thought is so unpopular. Is it

because it does not provide us with a strong, immediate and decisive solution? Is it because the

decision takes time to develop and because its outcome seems uncertain? Is it because what most

people would like would be a quick decisive answer in order to quench their emotional need for

security and social conformity? Research confirms that convergent thinking really does not offer

a better solution. It simply offers an organization a response it is more familiar with (Basadur,

1980).

Basadur (1980) commented that "the majority of people across all populations are much

more steeped in their preferences for and ability to do evaluative or convergent thinking than

their preference for and ability to do ideative or divergent thinking" (p. 7). In a military culture

convergent thinking tends to be positively reinforced (Allen, 2009). However, at a company like

Google, convergent thought is more likely to be frowned upon in favor of divergent thought.

When one considers the environment that Google operates in, it is possible that if convergent

19

thought dominated Google culture it would be unable meet its goals. By the same token, if an

engineering firm allowed excess divergent thought to dominate it would more than likely not

achieve its goals. In these two examples it is possible to see that one organization is more

dependent on the successful and repetitive execution of processes in a less dynamic environment

and the other operates in an environment where the mission is to out-imagine the competition

(Morris et al., 2011).

If one were to observe the interaction between co-workers at a company like Google they

would probably also find that new ideas are less likely to be received negatively when compared

to other organizations that have very rank conscious cultures and are more hierarchical by

design. In instances where cultures are hyper-sensitive to stature and very vertical in structure

Basadur says that

The tendency is to slip into evaluation prematurely. Many writers have written

extensively on the reasons for this phenomenon of preference for evaluation over

ideation. They have argued that our entire educational system and our society in general

puts a disproportionately greater emphasis on evaluation than on ideation (Basadur, 1980,

p. 7).

The context of the research questionnaires, which were distributed to the survey group

were modeled by the lessons learned from Basadur's (1980) research. The sentence context was

specifically chosen to expose the level of divergent thought that existed during idea formation in

meetings or in other informal social gatherings at the company. Basadur's discoveries shaped the

development of the questions posed to the subjects at Devon Energy and helped to ensure the

questionnaire was built on a solid foundation. The goal was to ultimately determine where an

20

organization falls on the control/creativity spectrum and Basadur's research created the

foundation of the understanding of how to uncover this relationship between attitudes and the

success of the company due to creativity.

Given what is known about the benefits of divergent thought and the negative

consequences of remaining in the convergent thought mode, why do most people still prefer to

stay with what they know? Why is the brain so prone to stay in a safe place? Does this have to do

with the fact that the portion of the brain responsible for emotion is programmed to keep us

alive? Estes’ (1987) research on the effects of convergent thinking and convergent modeling

provided us with some of the clues needed to answer these questions. What Estes (1987) and

Tuchman (1985) discovered is that people, by their very nature, will pursue an endeavor in a

manner that ultimately proves to be folly simply because those that came before them pursued

the same endeavor in the same manner. Tuchman established a historical theory called "folly" or

what Estes would more than likely describe as convergent thinking. Folly is pursuit of policy

contrary to self-interest. This is a common theme not only in foreign policy but it can also be

found in the boardrooms of many companies as well.

An example of folly in human factors study has to do with United Airlines Flight 173 and

its attempted landing in Portland Oregon on December 28, 1978. The entire aircrew became

fixated on what appeared to be a landing gear malfunction and during the troubleshooting

process they failed to adequately monitor the fuel level. The result was that the aircraft ran out of

fuel and was forced to make a crash landing into a heavily populated residential neighborhood.

What the aircrew did not know at the time was that the landing gear were all down and locked

but that the light bulb responsible for indicating this was malfunctioning. The result was that

eight people died and twenty-one were seriously injured. According to the NTSB report

21

"Contributing to the accident was the failure of the other two flight crew members to fully

comprehend the criticality of the fuel state or to successfully communicate their concern to the

captain" (National Transportation and Safety Board, 1979, p. 29).

Why did no one on the flight deck challenge the way the crew was responding to the

landing gear issue? Were they afraid to counter the aircraft commander? In a lot of ways the

same "group think" happens in the boardroom and during military planning processes. No one

wants to challenge the CEO or the general or in this case the aircraft commander. The results of

Estes' research reveal that "subjects in both convergent modeling conditions gave significantly

more convergent responses and fewer divergent responses than subjects in divergent modeling

groups, across all three tasks. Subjects in divergent modeling conditions gave more divergent

responses than subjects in inadequate modeling groups, also over all three tasks.

Thus, it appears that subjects do imitate the type of responses that they have observed in a

modeling situation, and they are able to generalize these responses to different types of problems

(Estes, 1987). Her analysis shows that social modeling can program an organization's culture to

stick to the convergent path or it can program the same organization to take on a culture that is

accepting of all of those things that make up divergent thought. From it is possible to infer that

convergent and divergent ways of thinking are learned and reinforce by either positive or

negative social reinforcement methods inside of organizations. McLean (2011) suggests

"noncontrolling supervision predicts the level of creativity for employees in R&D organizations

when supervisor creativity score is used as the measure of the dependent variable"(p. 77).

Woodman et al. (1963) described this complex social interaction and the way it affects

creativity as an interactionist model of creative behavior. They argued that

22

creativity is the complex product of a person's behavior in a given situation. The situation

is characterized in terms of the contextual and social influences that either facilitate or

inhibit creative accomplishment. The person is influenced by various antecedent

conditions, and he or she brings to bare both cognitive abilities and non-cognitive traits or

predispositions (p. 294).

Once again, the level of creative behavior inside organizations is not preordained but it is

established by the members of the organization and its leadership. More specifically it is

established by the attitude they hold toward those people that think differently than the rest of the

organization. This model significantly influenced the hypothesis development of this study.

Moreover it is noteworthy because it is one of the research initiatives that started to relate the

study of divergent thought to the study of attitude.

The Current State of the Art

What happens to an organization that does not make an effort to promote creative

behavior? Does this create a culture where convergent thought is considered to be more

acceptable and in fact preferred over one that celebrates free thinkers? Raudsepp (1987) says that

this creates an environment that celebrates compliance and in the end breeds an organization that

is less effective. Raudsepp declared that many organizations publicly contend that they are for

these qualities (high motivation, autonomy, flexible behavior patters, action orientation, and

strong commitment to goals), yet their policies evoke just the opposite from their members:

immaturity and dependency.

23

Moreover, immature behavior results when people perceive that they have little or no

control over their environment and are expected to behave in a conforming, passive, and

subordinate manner. Rather than supporting individuals who challenge assumptions and

question the way things are run, organizations reward those who never rock the boat, who

never propose challenging ideas that would threaten the status quo or require some

restructuring and risk taking (Raudsepp, 1987, p. 51).

If it were possible to identify such behavior then an organization as a whole could make

every effort to challenging that type of attitude. By challenging this, the organization could

improve the overall health of the company. Additionally, if pro-convergent thought was allowed

to proliferate throughout the entire culture of the company then the attitude toward divergent

thought could begin to diminish in value as it becomes apparent to employees that what

management really wants is conformity and not someone possessed by innovative spirit.

Interestingly enough,

non-controlling supervision was shown to be positively and statistically significantly

related to supervisor creativity score (.28, p < .01), though weakly, and predicted the

difference in intercepts between supervisors for supervisor creativity score (p < .001).

However, when creativity was measured by annual invention disclosures, non-controlling

supervision was not related to creativity, nor did non-controlling supervision predict the

likelihood of an individual having at least one invention disclosure (McLean, 2011, p. 81)

Therefore, not only do cultural and social factors in the office play a role in determining

how well creativity is exploited but it also demonstrates that management style matters as well.

McLain's (2011) research reveals that management style has to be accounted for when

24

researching creativity. It shows that it is important to capture the level of correlation between

management styles and divergent though in order to understand what the role of the leader is

when employees form an attitude toward divergent thinking.

Up until this point, the focus of the current research endeavor was on the object of the

attitude and not the attitude itself. As you will recall the attitude is made of three interrelated

components which are the affective, cognitive, and behavioral components. There have been

previous studies conducted which measured the level of correlation between attitude and

divergent thought, Basadur (1980) and Williams (1999), but none have measured the correlation

between the individual components of attitude and divergent thought.

The focus of the methodology in this area had less to do with context and more to do with

the construct or the way attitude components were measured against any and all attitude objects.

The Colon University survey conducted on attitudes toward the study of statistics is an example

of such a study. This was a survey conducted to ascertain the correlation between the

components of attitude and statistical studies. According to the researchers "the instrument used

was the Survey of Attitude Towards Statistics (SATS), and we applied it to a sample of 116

students. The statistical technique used was an exploratory factorial analysis with an extracted

principal component" (Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Components That Explain Attitude

Toward Statistics, 2012, p. 8). They found that they were able to reject their null-hypothesis and

statistically prove that there was significant correlation between the components of attitude and

statistics classes. The methodology of their research and the analysis of the data were used as the

framework of this research project.

25

Common Findings in Creative Studies

The common pattern that emerged during the literature review of the study of attitude

was that correlations tend to be higher between attitude objects and the behavioral component of

attitude than any other component. Pain's research showed that there was also statistically

significant proof, which supported the existence of the affective component of attitude. (Paine,

1989).

In addition, an in-depth review of the literature involved in the creation of this hypotheses

and the configuration of the methodology revealed that there are two genres of study,

organizational science and psychology that have to be successfully applied in order to determine

the level of correlation between attitude components and divergent thought. By combining these

two threads of knowledge it was possible to achieve a better understanding of how the creative

potential of people could be used to the maximum extent possible. Through this understanding,

organizations could become more productive, better led, and as a result, be of greater benefit to

their community.

Hypothesis

Is there a correlation between divergent thought and the components of human attitude?

This was the central question that formed the three hypotheses proposed in this research effort.

Divergent thought (DT) was not only a dependent variable; in this instance it was an attitude

object as well. It was the object by which affective, behavior, and cognitive responses were

generated by the sample toward the overall level of creativity inside Devon Energy.

As Williams (1999) proposed there was a possible positive correlation between (DT) and

attitude in general. Williams’ research indicated that as one's attitude toward DT becomes more

26

favorable, creative performance increased proportionally. The study further indicated that if the

organizational structure and management style of the organization were supportive of the

development of inventive thought then the collective level of innovation of the organization

would increase positively and in proportion to the independent variable. The null-hypotheses

below summarize the meaning and the scope of this research. It was believed that the levels of

correlation would reveal which components of attitude correlated most significantly with

divergent thought.

P-value Coefficients

Affective Component (AC) (x1)

H(1): there is no correlation between the attitude object, divergent thought (DT), and the affective component (AC) inside of Oklahoma Oil Company X

0.01% 27.41%

Behavioral Component (BC) (x2)

H(2): there is no correlation between the attitude object, divergent thought (DT), and the behavioral component (BC) inside of Oklahoma Oil Company X

32.87% 7.38%

Cognitive Component (CC) (x3)

H(3): there is no correlation between the attitude object, divergent thought (DT), and the cognitive component (CC) inside of Oklahoma Oil Company X

83.33% -1.68%

Figure 3: Null-Hypotheses (Correlation of Divergent Thought and Attitude Components)

27

Assumptions

The reader must accept that divergent thought truly represents the creative effects

generated by the company that was surveyed. Although creativity is a physical electromagnetic

process occurring in the brain it is not easily measured due to the lack of instrumentation capable

of discerning creative electrical impulses from other electrical activity serving other brain

functions. At present, researchers only know that there are certain areas of the brain that correlate

with creative function but there is no causal evidence that differentiates creative activity from

other electrical activities. However, there are methods that allow us to measure creativity which

other researchers have used to determine the level of creative thought in individuals and

organizations. Sasser (2006) sought to determine a company's level of creativity by associating

the number of copyrights generated by a particular advertising agency with its level of creativity

This methodology is a measure of creativity so long as a researcher is studying an organization

that extensively utilizes copyrights. The company involved in this researched has produced only

one patented product in the last ten years yet it is an industrial leader in innovative oil

exploration techniques in North America. Therefore another form of instrumentation was

required to measure creativity and divergent thought inside the company.

In this research, creativity was measured by rating the perceived level of divergent

thought that resides inside of all of the functions of the company. It was based on the point of

view or the perceived experience of the sample. It measured the degree to which culture,

structure, processes and management style infused innovation into the DNA of the company. It

measured the degree to which divergent thought was allowed to shape the collective mind of the

company. It measured how far left or right the company was oriented toward either control or

creativity.

28

As was mentioned earlier, too much cognitive wandering can be detrimental and just as

devastating to innovation as control (Williams, 1999). If there is no order to idea development

then those ideas can never be congealed into a functional and executable plan. The proper

combination of control and innovation is critical. The proper combination is different in different

organizations and Devon Energy was no exception. Conceptually speaking, control and

creativity can be thought of as polar opposites that share a mutually influential and sympathetic

relationship.

The intent of the research was to reveal the sample's perception of the level of influence

which both forces exerted upon the company. If the perception of this particular company was

accurate then it should be reasonable to expect to see the company fall more toward the creative

pole and less toward the control pole. In contrast to this it would be reasonable to expect that

companies which have a greater interest in consistently producing the same product over and

over again, such as fast food, to lean much more heavily towards the control pole and less

towards the creative pole. However, in oil exploration creative solutions are essential because the

competition is just as capable of producing innovative responses to complex problems as anyone

else. In this environment the company that operates with the best mix of creativity and control

will win the competitive race (Devon Energy Corporation, 2008).

29

Chapter III

Methodology

This study hypothesized that there was a statistically significant correlation between the

components of attitude and divergent thought in all organizations. This hypothesis was

conceptualized based on Williams’ 1999 research. Although Williams' research did show that

there was significant positive correlation between attitude toward divergent thought and

instances of divergent thought, it never determined which part of attitude had the strongest

relationship with divergent thought.

Research Design

The strategic design of this study was meant to accomplish three things. First, prove,

from a descriptive statistical perspective, that the components of attitude correlated with

divergent thought. Secondly, using inferential statistical analysis, demonstrate that this

correlation was statistically significant. Finally, from a predictive statistical standpoint, prove

that the level of divergent thought could be reliably forecasted given certain management styles,

cultures and processes. In summary, the research was designed to answer the following three

questions. Is there correlation between the dependent and independent variables? Is that

correlation statistically significant using an α of .95? Finally, using regression models, is it

possible to predict divergent thought?

In order to determine this, a quantitative methodology was utilized and a questionnaire

was used as an instrument for measure. Multiple regression models were used for the purposes of

correlation analysis, model validation and prediction. This was to be accomplished using a

survey sample of approximately three hundred employees at a large oil and natural gas

30

exploration and production company. This research chose a quantitative approach for four

reasons. First, it offered a more efficient means by which to conduct data analysis. It had an

inherent ability to demonstrate relationships among variables. It offered a greater possibility of

examining probable cause and effect relationships. Lastly, quantitative analysis made it easier to

draw conclusions for large numbers of people.

Instrumentation

This research was designed using a questionnaire as a primary tool of instrumentation in

a cross-sectional setting. The questionnaire was based on a Likert scale test designed after the

Bannon Model (Bannon, Marshall & Fluegal, 1985). The design of the Bannon Model was

meant to gather the perceived feelings, beliefs and behavior of an individual toward an attitude

object. In addition, it has been used in many quantitative research questionnaires and has proven

to be valid and reliable.

The questions were designed with nomenclature that would extract the feelings, the

beliefs, and the behavior of the sample towards the attitude component. For example, the sample

was asked to rate their feelings towards divergent thought on a scale from 1 to 4 in the following

manner. "I would feel frustrated listening to unconventional courses of action especially when I

know that a conventional method is safer to execute." In this example it would be reasonable to

anticipate that an employee with a positive attitude toward divergent thought would reply with a

response at or below a two since logically someone with a positive attitude toward divergent

thought would show signs of a preference toward a new way of doing something. Some Likert

scale questionnaires use a scale from 1 to 5 so as to offer the sample the opportunity to choose an

option that demonstrates their impartiality toward the object. The researcher chose to use a scale

31

from 1 to 4 in order to force the sample to make a decision and prevent them from being

noncommittal. Additionally, the questionnaire was distributed via email. This research provided

a link to the sample group, which allowed them to access the questionnaire.

Dependent Variables, Independent Variables and the Regression Model

The Williams (1999) study proved that there was statistically significant correlation

between the design of the company and its overall creative capability. Simply stated, the design

of the company and its associated culture shares some type of relationship, either positive or

negative, with divergent thought. For instance, Williams research proved that added levels of

management correlated negatively with creative capability. Following the same rationale, this

research intended to either prove or disprove the existence of significant correlation between

attitude components and certain aspects of the organizational design of Devon to include

structure.

Therefore the dependent variable in this research was defined as a measure of employee

perception of those tangible factors that either facilitated or inhibited divergent thought. The way

in which the organization's processes, products, organizational structure and management style

were perceived by the sample was translated into quantitative data via the Bannon styled

questionnaire. (DT) was regressed against the independent variables, which include the affective,

cognitive and behavioral components of attitude. The quantitative data that constituted the

independent variables was generated by a Bannon Model questionnaire as well. When

referencing the questionnaire it is evident that the first 15 questions are dedicated to establishing

the attitudinal data components for feeling, belief and behavior.

32

Of note, the behavioral portion of the attitude was the one element of attitude which

could be observed as a physical and concrete action that was provable. Until this phase of

attitude development one was dependent upon determining the subject's feelings and beliefs

through the use of questionnaire. At the behavioral phase the researcher could prove through the

observed actions of the organization what the sentiment and essence of the organization's attitude

really was. Previous phases of attitude development lead to the formation of behavior. Therefore,

it was anticipated that the behavioral component/independent variable would show the most

significant level of correlation since it was thought to be the least subjective of the independent

variables.

Also, when questioning the sample it was important to note critical verbs which indicated

past behavior towards the attitude object. Researchers should look for verbs imbedded in

statements such as "I shun large crowds as much as possible." In this instance the behavior

associated with an aversion to large crowds sheds some light on the person's attitude towards

large groups of people. Just like the affective and cognitive components verb usage by the

sample was a key indicator of the behavioral disposition of the sample towards the attitude

object.

There were four main reasons why regression was used in this research. As was stated

before the overall purpose of this study was to determine if there was any correlation between the

dependent and independent variables. One of the products of a regression model is the R value

and thusly regression was suitable for determining the level of correlation. Secondly, the R² and

adjusted R² values were used to test the general accuracy of the regression model. Third, the

regression model was used to determine the probability that the regression product was not

random. Therefore special attention was paid to the significance of F in the regression. Next, the

33

reliability of the Y-intercepts and coefficients was judged based upon the P-values of the Y-

intercepts and their associated coefficients. Lastly, a scatter plot was generated to ensure the

residuals show no evidence of pattern.

Setting and Sample

Devon was chosen because they have continuously demonstrated a commitment to an

innovative culture, more so then any other company in their respective industry. This tradition of

innovative design was a valid reason why they were used as the source of the sample. The

cornerstone of their success has been their ability to deviate from idea-conformity. They have

shown an ability to find oil and natural gas resources in places other companies either did not

believe existed or thought were impossible to reach. When other larger companies failed to

connect the link between new methods of extraction and North American sources of oil and

natural gas Devon made the connection. Why? Was it due to the relatively smaller size of the

company? Was it due to the flatter organizational structure? Was it due to the culture of the

company, which can be described as tolerant of high risk or was it simply due to chance? These

are the questions that can only be answered by using divergent thought as a measure of

creativity.

The specific sample was comprised of engineers involved in oilfield exploration. Since

engineers formed the dominant subgroup in the organization and since that career path has

traditionally been the one that has proven to lead to faster promotion and greater influence inside

the organization it makes since to focus on them. They are the heart of the organization and

constitute the mainstream subgroup of the company. Since engineers are the most influential

members of the organization they exert the greatest amount of influence upon the formation of

34

the culture and its overall personality. The corporate headquarters building was home to three

hundred engineers.

This research sought to achieve a confidence interval of less than five percent. This

would have required a sample of just under 170 respondents to the questionnaire given a

confidence level of 95%. In order to ensure reliability the same questionnaire was distributed to

the entire sample and the nomenclature was specifically chosen to isolate on the attitudinal

components of the sample members. This nomenclature was based on previous studies that used

Likert scales for measuring responses to questionnaires. These studies successfully achieved

sufficient levels of reliability and validity. Additionally, because Devon initially denied access to

the sample group a pilot test was not possible before the survey needed to be conducted.

.

Figure 4. Devon's Strategy for Achieving its Strategic Goals. Please note the first two strategic principles. Exploration and land speculation are risky and depend heavily on creative solutions to make them profitable.

Methodology Summary

In summary, the scores for the attitude toward divergent thought were regressed against

the scores for the perceived level of divergent thought inside Devon. This research expected to

find some level of significant statistical correlation between the dependent variable and the

35

independent variables. This research further expected that the strongest correlation would be

between the dependent variable and the behavioral component of attitude. This research believed

that these findings would shed light on how managers can best set conditions which will better

facilitate the beneficial effects of creative human potential inside of organizations.

36

Chapter IV

Analysis

Demographics

The samples used for this analysis were engineers from Devon Energy in Oklahoma City,

Oklahoma. Three hundred questionnaires were distributed via email. Of the 300, 35 responses

were generated (12%). The three major demographic categories most pertinent to this research

were gender, age, and work experience. Of the 35, 91% were male and 9% were female.

Experience level was divided into three brackets. Those brackets consisted of individuals with

fifteen or more years experience in the oil industry (15+), ten plus years (10+), and five plus

years (5+). The sample showed that 71% were (15+), 11% (10+), and 14% fell into the (5+)

category. Age was also a consideration and was divided categorically. The sample was divided

into brackets consisting of those individuals fifty years and older (50+), forty to forty nine (40+),

and thirty to thirty nine. None of the sample was less than thirty years of age. The results showed

that 63% were (50+), 20% were (40+), and 17% were (30+). Another way to describe the sample

is to say that there is a 75% chance that an individual sample member is male, age fifty or older

and has at least fifteen years of work experience in the oil industry.

37

63%20%

17%

Age Bracket Breakout

50 40 30

91%

9%

Gender Breakout

Male Female

71%

11%

17%

Experience Bracket Breakout

15 10 5

Figure 5. Demographic Breakouts

Hypothesis Testing Using Regression

The primary question this analysis intended to answer was, do human attitudes toward

divergent thought have an affective, cognitive, and behavioral component? The second question

was, dependent on the answer to the first, which attitudinal component has the strongest

relationship with divergent thought? Three hypotheses were tested using a regression model,

which relied on data generated from a scaled measure questionnaire.

All Encompassing Statistical Factors

Before the discussion turns to the issue of testing individual hypothesis, it is important to

detail the results of the descriptive statistical results of this model and understand how well the

model explains the relationship between variables. The Adjusted R2 values stand at just over 7%.

Therefore, when the relationship between DT, AC, CC, and BC, as expressed using the current

model, only about 7% of the variance between the output and input variables is explained. In

addition the standard error is high, nearly 70%. Therefore this measure of dispersion would

indicate that the predictive capability of this model is highly questionable.

38

SUMMARY OUTPUT Estimates of the Relationship

Regression Statistics

Multiple R 0.2953

R Square 0.0872

Adjusted R Square 0.0712

Standard Error 0.6997

Observations 175

Table 1. Adjusted R2 and SEE

The ANOVA results are somewhat more promising. The overall F-significance

indicates .0013. Accordingly, it can be said that there is 99.99% chance that the results are not

due to chance. Such a low F-significance also indicates that the research has not erroneously

induced significant bias into the model.

ANOVA Variance Analysis

df SS MS F Significance F

Regression 3 7.995996033

2.665332011 5.444112339 0.13%

Residual 171 83.71828968

0.489580641

Total 174 91.71428571

Table 2 ANOVA Results

39

0 2 4 6 8 10 120

2

4

6

8

10

12

Sample

Res

pons

e V

alue

Figure 6. Residual Plots

Null-Hypothesis (H1)

(H1) states that there is no statistically significant relationship between the dependent

variable Divergent Thought (DT) and the affective human attitudinal component (AC) as an

independent variable. Using an α of 0.05 the research rejects (H1) since the p-value is 0.01 and

thus does not exceed the α. In addition, the independent variable (AC) shows the highest

correlation with (DT) when compared to all other independent variables. From this standpoint, it

can be said that just over 24% of the relationship between DT and AC can be explained by the

model. Also, the standard error for this particular independent variable, as it relates to (DT), is

low (6.8%).

40

Null-Hypothesis (H2)

(H2) states that there is no statistically significant relationship between the dependent

variable Divergent Thought (DT) and the cognitive human attitudinal component (CC) as an

independent variable. Using an α of 0.05 the research accepts (H2) since the p-value is .8333 and

thus exceeds the α. There is also very low if any correlation (.0738). The standard error is low

(0.075) but this is of little consequence due the previously mentioned statistical insignificance of

this independent variable.

Null-Hypothesis (H3)

(H3) states that there is no statistically significant relationship between the dependent

variable Divergent Thought (DT) and the behavioral human attitudinal component (BC) as an

independent variable. Using an α of 0.05, the research accepts (H3) since the p-value is .3287 and

thus exceeds the α. There is also a very low negative correlation (-0.0168). The standard error is

low (0.079) but this is of little consequence due the previously mentioned statistical

insignificance of this independent variable.

CoefficientsStandard Error t Stat P-value Lower 95% Upper 95%

Lower 95.0%

Intercept 2.055195958 35%5.80628748

30.0000030

% 1.356501482.75389043

6 1.35650148Affective (X1) 27.41% 7%

4.029505823 0.01%

0.139802846

0.408303869

0.139802846

Cognitive (X2) 7.38% 8%

0.979483649 32.87%

-0.07489322

30.22242536

2

-0.07489322

3

Behavioral (X3) -1.68% 8% -0.2107892 83.33%

-0.17361692

10.14011466

9

-0.17361692

1

Table 3. Statistical Relationships between Variables

41

Chapter V

Discussion

The intent of this research initiative was to improve the military decision making process

by cross-pollinating some of the creative characteristics of private industry into some of the

planning organizations inside the U.S. military. More specifically, the question was asked, were

planning groups composed of the right people? Was it possible to create a more effective

planning group through proper organization and manning? Is it possible to apply intelligent

design to organizational culture, processes, production, structure, and management style, which

could set conditions and thus enable human creativity to flourish as opposed to allowing the

creative conditions to form on their own?

It was determined during the review of previous research that the way to answer these

questions was to attempt to find meaningful statistical correlations between divergent thought, a

measure of creativity, and the components of the attitudes of employees toward divergent

thought inside of Devon Energy. The impetus of the methodology was Williams’ 1999 research,

which, like this study, used divergent thought as a dependent variable to determine correlation

with personality, leadership influence, and attitude as a whole. This research attempted to answer

Williams’ call for further research on the correlation between the specific components of attitude

and divergent thought in order to determine which parts of attitude were potentially more

influential on the overall relationship.

What this research discovered was that like the Williams (1999) study, levels of

correlation between the attitude object and attitude in general were both low, but statistically

significant. The statistical results of Williams' H2 and the H1 in this study are similar. The R2

value for William’s H2 utilized regression for analysis purposes was 0.12 and the R2 value

42

between divergent thought and the affective component of attitude was 0.08. This seems to

indicate that the affective component shares the most significant relationship with divergent

thought. It could also indicate the instrumentation and methodology of both research efforts were

most adapt at detecting and explaining the relationship between divergent thought and the

affective component and not adept at detecting and explaining the relationship between divergent

thought and the other two components of attitude. Regardless, the Williams study says that there

is a relationship with a significance of 12% and this research indicates that of that 12%, 8% of

the relationship is explained by the affective component of attitude.

According to the results of the regression, the other independent variables played a far

less significant role in explaining the relationship between divergent thought and attitude.

Because the adjusted R2 for both the cognitive and behavioral components were statistically

insignificant, and because so much of the relationship between divergent thought and attitude as

a whole remains unexplained, the conclusion could be drawn, that even if the affective

component played a very significant role in the overall relationship, the cognitive and behavioral

components were more than likely underrepresented in this model.

As stated earlier, one of the overarching goals of this research was to determine which

component of attitude shared the strongest relationship between divergent thought. Based upon

the correlation results, low amount of induced error in the model, and the fact that the variables

used for H1 were the only variables with an acceptable P value below 0.01 and given the

methodology employed in this study, it would be safe to say that the affective component shares

the most significant relationship as a component of attitude with divergent thought.

These results differed from the Colon research effort in that the Colon study drew a

stronger correlation between the behavioral component and the attitude object than this study did

43

(Garcia-Santillian et al., 2012). Although the Colon study also used a questionnaire as the

primary instrument, it did not use regression for analysis purposes. Additionally, the

questionnaire for that research only pulled data, which encompassed a six month period and was

administered immediately after the attitude object was experienced. This could account for some

of the difference in the level of the respective representation of each of the attitude components.

The questionnaire distributed during the course of this research intended to cover the entire work

experience of the individual samples.

This begs the question, could the fact that the Colon questionnaire was executed right

after a less expansive timeframe have meant that the sample in that study could have more

accurately remembered acts of behavior associated with the attitude object and thus more

precisely represented that independent variable in that particular study? Could the fact that the

questionnaire used in this study covered, in some cases, more than 15 years have meant that what

was formerly behavior in the minds of the sample drifted into the affective realm over the course

of time? Only further research could determine this.

Another possible explanation for the difference might have to do with the attitude objects

themselves. This point raises the question, how differently are dissimilar attitude objects,

assuming they are used as dependent variables, be influenced by their independent variables?

Nonetheless, the Colon study and this research for reasons yet undetermined, drew very different

conclusions on attitudes and how they relate to different attitude objects. Without doubt, the

regression model run in this study shows that the affective component has a more substantial

influence on divergent thought.

44

Descriptive Statistics

One of the most surprising findings of the study had to do with work experience (years)

as well as sample age and how those variables appeared to relate to levels of divergent thought.

As was mentioned earlier, two of the demographic factors the sample provided were the number

of years they had worked for the company and their age. Both variables were then divided into

brackets. The samples were then sorted according to their associated divergent thought scores.

The divergent thought score was the sum of their responses to the questionnaire. The higher the

score, the higher the individual's level of divergent thought. Similarly, the lower the score the

lower the individuals level of divergent thought. The sample's age was then divided by the

individuals associated divergent thought score to create a simple ratio whereby the study could

gauge any possible separation in the level of divergent thought that might exist between age

brackets.

The results were stark, showing that on average, individuals in the 50-59 age bracket

demonstrated lower levels of divergent thought when compared to the other age brackets. The

data further showed that the DT/SA ratio trend line and the age bracket trend line separated very

rapidly at age of 40. The range of the ratio went from the lowest (1.30:1) in the 40-49 bracket, to

the highest ratio separation (1.93:1) in the 30-39 age bracket. In comparison, the separation of

DT/SA ratio compared to age bracket went from the lowest (0.88:1) to the highest (1.12:1). The

data says that as age and work experience increases divergent thought scores decrease.

Conversely, as age and work experience decreases divergent thought increases.

45

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 350

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50

40 40 40 40 40 40 40

30 30 30 30 30 30

4446 47

49 50 51 51 51 51 51 52 52 52 52 53 53 53 54 55 55 56 5652 53

55 55 56 56

61

4951

5355 56

58

Age/Experience Effects on Divergent Thought Sorted Acording to DT/SA Ratio

Sample Age

Linear (Sample Age )

Dt Score

Linear (Dt Score)

DT/SA Ratio

DT Scores

Sample Number

Figure 7. Age/Experience Effects on Divergent Thought Sorted by DT/SA Ratio

How reliable are the DT scores? Using an upper/lower control chart it was possible to

determine the following. There were no signs of extremes. None of the points fell outside of

three standard deviations and no points were grossly abnormal. There were no indications of bias

since there was no indication of nine or more points that fell on the same side of the mean. There

were no indications of trending because there was not an instance where six or more points in a

row were continually increasing or decreasing. Therefore random variation of this model was

sound.

Furthermore, there was no indication of oscillation since there was not an instance where

fourteen or more points in a row alternated on the y-axis, either increasing or decreasing. In

addition, there was no instance where two or three out of three points in a row were more than

two standard deviations from the mean in the same direction.

46

Tendency was not an issue since there was not an instance where two or three out of five

points in a row were more than one standard deviation from the mean in the same direction. This

further supported the argument that there was no bias and that the model was under control. In

addition, "blissful ignorance" was not an issue because there was not an occurrence of fifteen

points in a row, which were all within one standard deviation of the mean. Variation appeared to

be normal as well. Lastly there did not appear to be an issue with the "No Middle Ground Rule:"

There was not an instance where there were eight points in a row with none of those points

within one standard deviation of the mean.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 3535

40

45

50

55

60

65

12

3

45

6

7 8

9

1011

12 13

1415

16

17 1819

20

2122

23

24

25

26 27

28

29

3031

32 33

34

35; 52Mean (CL);

52.6857142857143

STDVA (UCL); 62.8141334096239

STDVA (LCL); 42.5572951618043

Div

erge

nt T

houg

ht S

core

s

Figure 8. Upper/Lower Control Chart for Divergent Thought Scores

Limitations

It is important to note, that there were some data collection shortcomings related to this

study. First, other companies besides Devon Energy did not contribute to the sample. Therefore,

a certain level of generalization concerning the level of representation of the broader private

47

industry is assumed in the results. It should be understood that Devon is a microcosm of the

broader private industry. Secondly, the lower than desired sample of the population was an issue.

Only 35 of 300 engineers replied to the study meaning there was an associated error rate of

15.59%. Therefore, given a confidence level of 95%, a sample of 35 and a population of 300

engineers there is a margin of error of 15.59 %. This probably impacted the control results since

the age was skewed in favor of the 50 and older age bracket. In addition, the 30 and 40 year old

age bracket is more than likely underrepresented. This definitely affected the mean divergent

thought scores and the associated standard deviation. Ultimately, it can be said that with a

margin of error of 15.59% and a confidence level of 95% that the results were an accurate

representation of the population.

48

Chapter VI

Conclusions

Strategy is a means to an end and divergent thought is a facilitator of strategy. It is the

measure of creativity and ingenuity not only in people but also within an organization. This

research suggested that an organization’s attitude towards individuals that display the ability to

formulate creative solutions is critical because that attitude type eventually molds the

organization’s collective culture. This research examined the relationship between divergent

thought and the three components of human attitude. The affective component, or the way an

individual feels about something, shares the strongest relationship with the measure of creativity,

which is divergent thought. The findings suggest that it is possible to create groups or

organizations that have the potential to be more creative than they otherwise would be if left to

form through serendipitous means.

This can be realized by increasing the influence of individuals throughout the

organization that possess an aptitude for leading teams that have produced new and innovative

solutions to processes or products. However, the management style of the organization must

support this type of leader. Management must possess some level of risk affection, which

supports this type of culture or the members of the organization will begin to possess a negative

feeling towards the act of thinking divergently. The inability to set the previously mentioned

conditions will produce the opposite results. From a cultural perspective, the organization will

begin to gravitate towards a control-oriented institution as opposed to a divergent oriented one.

People will adopt an attitude that will allow them to survive and grow in whichever environment

is eventually established.

49

The results of the data analysis of this research would suggest that the manner in which

an organization influences people’s feelings about ideas that diverge from the common

knowledge is the most critical factor in determining whether the organization will be control

based or divergent based. Again, the H1 null-hypothesis proved to be statistically supported with

a P value under .01 and a R2 value of nearly 26%. A relationship does exist between divergent

thought and the affective component of attitude. The H2 and H3 null hypotheses could not be

statistically supported. This study could not prove that a significant relationship exists between

divergent thought and the cognitive or behavioral components of human attitude. A great deal of

the relationship between attitude, as a complete entity, and divergent thought was not explained

by the methodology conducted here. Because other studies such as the Colon study have proven

attitude components, such as the behavioral component, do have significant relationships with

other attitude objects it can be assumed that the cognitive and behavioral components were

somehow underrepresented in this study.

The final point that proves there has to be some relationship between cognitive and

behavioral components goes to the root of what the general understanding of human attitude is.

Attitude forms in the affective stage of development. The affective stage forms the foundation

for what the attitude of a person will eventually become. The attitude then progresses into the

cognitive and finally the behavioral stages of development. If this research proved that there is a

statistically substantial relationship between divergent thought and the affective component it

would be safe to say that this research effort simply failed to detect those relationships due to the

methodology or instrumentation employed.

On the other hand, one of the findings this study successfully uncovered was the impact

that age or years of experience or both had on individual divergent thought scores. The question

50

has to be asked. What caused the precipitous decline in levels of divergent thought as the age and

level of experience of the sample increased? Did the culture of the organization affect the

attitude of the sample? Did the years of experience impact the affective component? Did an

attitude of “That’s the way we’ve always done it” set in? The answer to that question is beyond

the scope of this research but the data conclusively shows that the >50 sample had significantly

lower divergent scores when compared to all other age brackets.

What does all of this mean to those individuals that actually operate in the management

world? What does the study mean to all of the other stakeholders that have a vested interest in

understanding how human beings operate inside of organizations? How does the Defense

Department maximize the creative potential of U.S. military planning cells? There are really two

main points that this study addresses that help answer the aforementioned questions.

First, there is more than likely a significant relationship between all of the components of

attitude and divergent thought, especially the affective component. Because research has shown

that the affective component is the foundation of the rest of the attitude it is important for

organizations to focus their efforts on educating management on the importance of supporting

divergent thought inside of their respective departments. If this type of environment does not

manifest itself, then the likelihood of some type of divergent breakthrough, either in the form of

processes or technological innovation, will not come to fruition.

Second, either age or high levels of exposure to the same culture year after year has some

type of effect on the affective component of attitude when the object is divergent thought. It

appears that as these potential independent variables increase in value, the potential dependent

variable, divergent thought, decreases. This study did not run regression or check for correlation

between these variables but there appears to be some type of relationship there. Regardless, it

51

appears that over time an individual can in some way be indoctrinated into the culture they live

in. The data in this research shows that there is more than likely some relationship there.

The impact on an organization is that as the collective experience level of its members

increases, the level of conservative feeling also increases as Figure 10 clearly indicated. Some

institutions might want this while others, because of the environment they operate in, might not.

This research effort is important because it begins to open up a discussion on how to gauge the

level of divergent thought inside an organization and then compare that to the level of divergent

thought the respective industrial environment requires. Is the organization capable of achieving

its strategic goals given its attitude toward those individuals that think divergently? Is the culture

consistent with an organization that intends to thrive in a particular environment? Using the

divergent thought questionnaire and the subsequent divergent thought scores created in this study

an organization can begin to get a feel for where they stand regarding this matter.

In summary, divergent thought is not wholly dependent on an individual’s inherent talent

to create although this is probably a very important factor. It is also dependent upon how well the

organizational culture facilitates divergence. If the management style of the organization fosters

the necessary environment that divergent thinkers need to produce their masterpieces and if the

same organization can achieve the proper balance between conservative and divergent thought,

then the organization can continue to grow and profit.

52

Chapter VII

Recommendations

What were the important questions that this research did not answer? There are many, but

the consistently low correlation between the attitude object, divergent thought, and the associated

independent variables highlights the fact that academia has in some way applied inefficient

methodological approaches and less than optimal instrumentation in order to extract data that

measures the phenomena of creativity. Most of the research efforts up until this point have been

purely quantitative in nature. Perhaps a mixed methods approach could better explain the

relationship between divergent thought and the components of attitude.

The apparent underrepresentation of the cognitive and behavioral components might best

be understood through physical observation of working groups and the processes, projects, and

programs they operate. The qualitative data this research effort is missing could put meat on the

bones and allow us the see what types of personal interactions form the culture and prevailing

management style of an organization. Questionnaires are just one tool that can be employed to

help researchers understand what is actually occurring in the world. Therefore, this research

recommends that future efforts be carried out on a broader front and with less reliance on

questionnaires. Questionnaires are great for assessing the sample’s feeling, mode or sentiment at

the time but they might not be accurate in describing what actually occurred in the past or what a

person was thinking when an event occurred 10 years ago. An adjusted methodology and more

pertinent instrumentation should reveal more of the relationship between divergent thought and

the components of attitude.

53

Secondly, the relationship between age/experience and divergent thought needs to be

better understood. Is there a negative relationship between age/experience and divergent thought

as this research effort suggest or is there some other factor that seems to diminish divergent

thought as time goes by? The answer to this is important because managers need to be able to

maximize the creative talent they possess and prevent their respective organizations from lapsing

into some melancholy state of mind. Answering this question could provide managers with the

tools they need to keep their organizations relevant in their respective environments. The goal

here is to retain the organization’s experience level without sacrificing its ability to find new

horizons and opportunities that only divergent thinkers can find. The objective of this endeavor

should be to discover the interaction that appeared to occur between the effects that time had on

the sample and divergent thought.

In summary, this research did answer the question concerning the relationship between

the ways people feel about divergent thought. The way that managers and leaders treat

individuals that think divergently impacts an organization’s ability to create. Creativity and the

imagination are resources that can be grown and harvested. If they are nurtured by favorable

environmental conditions they can play a significant role in facilitating the overall strategy of an

organization. Managers should be trained to this standard and work to achieve the proper balance

between divergence and convergence. This initiative is only born from the vision of leadership.

Leaders and stakeholders should be trained to understand the need to strike the proper balance

between these two forces and resist the urge to improperly commit to either side of the control

spectrum. Creativity is critical but so too is the correct level of prudence. The suggested goal of

further research is to identify this balance as it applies to the particular circumstance of an

organization. If this is identified, an organization could work to attain and maintain the proper

54

mix that, via some quantifiable index, would extend the usefulness and value of its products or

services and therefore increase the profitability of the organization.

In a military sense, the product generated by planning teams has life or death

ramifications. Sometimes the survival of the nation can be at stake. This is why innovative

solutions are so critical in this setting and not easy to achieve given military culture. Future

research should make an effort to explore how planning teams can be populated by the most

creative minds in the organization. The emphasis in this proposed planning model would be to

fill the team based on creative capability and not rank. This achieves the goal of reducing control

and increasing divergent thought. The product generated by this team is subject to control but

only after they have produced their proposed courses of action. At that point, control is

reintroduced when the proper command authority decides on the course of action or a mixture of

courses of action.

As the United States continues to move into 21st Century, it is with the understanding

that it does so without the hegemony it enjoyed in the last two decades after the fall of the Soviet

Union. China or its proxies will more than likely confront the United States military in future

conflicts. They could do so with a much larger creative talent pool than any other nation. So how

does the United States outperform China in industry and military endeavors? One of the answers

will be found through the effort of better understanding creativity. The other part of the answer

lies within the ability to efficiently and effectively manage a creative resource. The benefit that

Americans enjoy is that their creative resources reside in a liberal democratic system that allows

that resource to grow and reach fruition. The Chinese environment is still developing and the

jury is still out on what that environment will ultimately look like. Will that environment remain

control oriented or will the Chinese political environment morph into some form of government

55

that allows the free flow of information and thought? This answer will ultimately determine how

well China will be able to compete against the Western liberal democratic system. In the end, a

better understanding of divergent thought and creativity led by academia will help U.S. industry

and military organizations remain competitive in this century.

56

List of References

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Basadur, M. S. (1980). Training In Creative Problem Solving: Effects on Defered Judgement and Problem Finding and Solving in an Industrial Research Organization. University of Cincinnati. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms International.

Campbell, M., & Smith, R. (2014). High-potential Talent: A View from Inside the Leadership Pipeline. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Center for Creative Leadership.

Creswell, J. W. (2013, Feb 19). What is Mixed Methods Research? YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OaNiTlpyX8

Daft, R. L. (2011). The Leadership Experience, Fifth Edition. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Davis, G. A., & Rimm, S. B. (1994). The Education of the Gifted and Talented. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Devon Energy Corporation. (2008, February 2014). Devon. Retrieved from Devon: http://www.dvn.com/AboutDevon/Pages/about_devon.aspx

Estes, L. (1987). Social Learning Theory and Creativity: The Effects of Modeling on Divergent Thought Production. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI.

Garcia-Santillian, A., Moreno-Garcia, E., Carlos-Castro, J., Zanudio-Abdala, H. J., & Garduno-Trejo, J. (2012). Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Components That Explain Attitude Toward Statistics. Journal of Mathematics Research, pg 8-16.

Hodge, B. J., Anthony, W. P., & Gales, L. M. (2003). Organization Theory: A Strategic Approch 6th Eddition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

LaPiere, R. T. (2008). Attitude vs. Actions. Psychology Press, 403-409.

McFadzean, E., O’Loughlin, A., & Shaw, E. (2005). Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation Part 1: The Missing Link. European Journal of Innovation Management Vol. 8 No. 3,, 350-372.

McLean, L. D. (2011). Understanding Creativity in Organizations: The Relationship Among Cross-Level Variables and Creativity in Research and Development Organizations. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Dissertation Publishing.

Morris, M. H., Kuratko, D. F., & Covin, J. G. (2011). Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Mason, OH: South-Western.

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National Transportation and Safety Board. (1979). Aircraft Accident Report December 28, 1978 N8082U UA FLT 173. Washington D.C.: US Government Printing Office.

Paine, R. E. (1989). An Examination of Channel Mode, Field Independence/Dependence Cognitive Responses, The Affective Component of Attitudes, The Cognitive Component of Attitudes, and Overall Attitudes: A Study in Attitude Change. Ann Arbor: UNI.

Raudsepp, E. (1987, Apr). Establishing a Creative Climate. Training and Development Journal, pp. pg. 50-53.

Sasser, S. L. (2006). Creativity, Innovation & Intergration in Global Advertising Agency Channel Relationships Creativity in the Real World. Wayne State University. Detroit: UMI Dissertations Publishing. From ProQuest: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/pqdtft/docview/304966567/13D27721CF940392D82/2?accountid=27203#

Shaikh, I. R., & Perveen, S. (2011). Divergent thinking and creative ideation of high school students. I-Manager's Journal on Educational Psychology, 5(2), 9-14.

Tuchman, B. W. (1985). The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam. New York, NY: Random House Trade Paperbacks.

Vaughan, G., & Hogg, M. (2005). Social Psychology. London: Prentice Hall.

Williams, S. D. (1999). Personality, Attitude, and Leader Influence on Divergent Thinking and Creativity in Organizations. Ann Arbo: Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company.

Wolff, J. (2009). Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th Edition. Elsevier Health.

Woodman, R. W., Sawyer, J. E., & Griffin, R. W. (1963, Apr 18). Toward a Theory of Organizational Creativity. Academy of Management. The Acadmy of Management Review, pp. 293-321.

58

Appendix A

59

60

61

62

Appendix B

63

Appendix C

Capstone Completion Schedule

64

Activity Dates

Submit Proposal 10 Dec 2013

Rewrite Proposal 17 Dec 2013

Proposal Review (Member) 18 Dec 2013

Proposal Review (Chair) 21 Dec 2013

Proposal Rewrite 1 Jan 2013

Capstone Proposal Approval (Member) 6 Jan 2013

Capstone Proposal Approval (Chair) 6 Jan 2013

Submit Completed Capstone Proposal to Campus 6 Jan 2013

Data Collection 6. Jan 2014

Data Analysis 20. Jan 2014

Write Capstone 1st Draft 20 Jan 2014

Capstone 1st Draft (Member review) 25 Jan 2014

Capstone 1st Draft (Chair review) 25 Jan 2014

Edit/Write Final Capstone 2nd Draft 27 Jan 2014

Capstone 2nd Draft (Member review) 28 Jan 2014

Capstone 2nd Draft (Chair review) 29 Jan 2014

Edit/Write Final Capstone 31 Jan 2014

Enroll in Capstone Course 3 Feb 2014

Final Capstone (Member signoff) 1 Mar 2014

Final Capstone (Chair signoff) 1 Mar 2014

Submit Capstone and paperwork to Director of Academic Support 1 Mar 2014

Capstone Project Completed 1 Mar 2014

65