Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice

A series of flashcards covering key concepts related to entrepreneurship, teams, and creativity based on the lecture notes.

Openness to Experience

A personality trait characterized by a willingness to try new things and engage in novel experiences, linked to creativity.

Cortical Arousal

The level of activity in the cerebral cortex, which relates inversely to creativity - lower cortical arousal is associated with higher creativity.

Latency Inhibition

The mechanism of filtering out unnecessary sensory information; reduced latent inhibition is associated with increased creativity.

Intrinsic Motivation

The drive to do something because it is inherently interesting or enjoyable, contributing positively to creativity.

Convergence Approach to Creativity

A theory, exemplified by Sternberg & Lubart (1999) and Amabile (1983), suggesting creativity occurs when multiple components converge. Amabile's (1983) confluence model specifies these as: 1) intrinsic motivation, 2) domain-relevant knowledge & abilities, and 3) creativity-relevant skills (e.g., cognitive style, knowledge of idea generation heuristics, work style).

Systems Approach to Creativity

An analytical framework that examines creativity within various contexts, including individual traits, social environments, and cultural influences.

Team

“a group of individuals who work together to produce products or deliver services for which they are mutually accountable” (Mohrman et al, 1995).

Team Development (Tuckman's Stages)

A model describing the five stages teams typically go through: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning (Tuckman, 1965; Tuckman & Jensen, 1977).

Forming Stage

The initial stage of team development where members meet, agree on challenges, and begin tasks with an independent orientation, often displaying "best behavior." Mature members model appropriate behavior, and teams start to risk the possibility of conflict.

Storming Stage

The second stage where team members form and voice opinions about others, especially if responsibility is shirked or in attempts to dominate. Progress may stall if disagreements or personality clashes are not resolved, requiring tolerance and patience. Some groups may skip this stage.

Norming Stage

The third stage where resolved disagreements lead to greater cooperation, driven by a shared goal. Members take responsibility and accept others, though a focus on conflict prevention might create reluctance to share ideas.

Performing Stage

The fourth stage where, with established norms and roles, members focus on achieving common goals and succeed. Members are competent, autonomous, and can handle dissent productively.

Adjourning Stage

The final stage of team development involving the completion of the task and the breaking up of the team

Threats to Team Creativity (Thompson & Brajkovich, 2003)

Factors that can hinder the creative output of a team, including social loafing, conformity, production blocking, and downward norm setting.

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals in a group to exert less effort than they would when working alone, thereby reducing overall team performance and creativity.

Conformity

The desire to be liked and accepted by other group members, leading to more conventional, conservative, and homogenous ideas and a fear of negative appraisal, which can suppress creativity.

Production Blocking (Team Creativity)

A hindrance to creativity during group work where individuals must wait for their turn to speak, potentially leading to forgotten ideas and reduced attention to others' contributions.

Downward Norm Setting

The phenomenon in which the lowest performing members of a group tend to lower the average performance level of the entire group, potentially reducing creative output.