460 Challenge Questions Week 1

Your assigned reading on Dr Your assigned reading on Dr. Dweck’s research opens with the important idea that a simple belief permeates every part of our lives. This belief has the potential to a. Limit our possibilities in life b. Expand our possibilities in life c. Prevent or enhance our ability to fulfill our potential d. All the above D

2. Applying ourselves to the study of managing for sustainability involves the capacity to be adaptive and bold in our thinking. Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford found in her famous studies that individuals tend to have one of two basic mindsets: Specifically named in the research, either a __________ or a _________mindset. a. Stubborn, open-minded b. Fixed, growth c. Creative, technical d. Limited, focused B

3. Dr. Dweck and colleagues found that humans generally have, at least, the capacity to a. Continue to grow and learn throughout their lives b. Be less frustrated in confronting difficult problems c. Be more satisfied with life through deeper engagement in its challenges d. All of the above D

5. Please briefly describe a situation where you dealt with a situation with one of the two mindsets described by Dr. Dweck, and relate the outcome. What might have happened had you approached that situation with the opposite mindset?

6. The twenty years of research that informed Dweck’s Mindset study revealed that a. Our qualities as a person are generally fixed characteristics b. We can cultivate aspects of ourselves, including our intelligence and our beliefs, throughout our lives c. Anyone can change and grow through the application of knowledge and experience d. Both b and c are correct D

8. Those concerned about “Managing for Sustainability” benefit greatly from understanding, even focusing on Dweck’s research that shows a. Humans have the capacity to be very flexible in thinking and resilient in their thought patterns, thereby breaking through limitations of anxiety and fear – and opening possibilities. b. It’s too late to prevent massive damage from occurring thanks to climate change and related problems c. Our capacity to innovate can’t keep up with our needs to sustain our lives, livelihoods and planet d. Corporations can save the world if they determine that they must. A

8. In your assigned reading of Jeffrey Immelt’s 2016 convocation at New York State University’s Stern School of Business, the GE CEO spoke about “The Big Pivot” corporations needed to take in order to sustain themselves in a changing business environment. As the respected leader of a major corporation, he remarked that the future of business was more uncertain than he had ever seen, for reasons that included: a. A shrinking workforce b. Shifting global weather patterns that affected affect corporations’ bottom lines in unexpected ways c. A shrinking global population d. Big companies are distrusted; governments and institutions are failing to address the world’s great challenges D

9. Immelt noted that innovation, on its own, a. Is always beneficial b 9. Immelt noted that innovation, on its own, a. Is always beneficial b. Can be a problem in its capacity to divide people; not everyone welcomes change, preferring the status quo, and the familiar c. Is too expensive to consider as a long-term solution d. Creates enough jobs to secure the future of a global workforce. B

10. What is the “Bold Pivot” Immelt says must be made. a 10. What is the “Bold Pivot” Immelt says must be made? a. More flexible thinking in support of finding solutions; “companies need to navigate the world on their own.” b. Look to find local opportunities; “Sustainable growth will require a local capability inside a global footprint.” c. Young workforce entrants should seek security in smaller, as opposed to large, organizations d. Both a and b are correct D

11. Shortly after his convocation address in 2016, Jeffrey Immelt lost his position as CEO. GE, a “legacy corporation,” began to, as one writer put it, “fall apart at the seams.” The CEO who replaced Mr. Immelt was himself replaced with yet another CEO, H. Lawrence Culp, in 2018. This series of events involving rapid change in top leadership suggests that a. Large corporations are indeed facing unprecedented challenges on a global scale b. To remain agile, new, flexible thinking is required c. It remains to be seen if large corporations can continue to exist indefinitely without conscientious, future-oriented investments and strong stakeholder support. d. All of the above D