Were you surprised by the inclusion of any of Ekvall’s ten
dimensions? Are there any additional dimensions that you
think should have been included?
None of the 10 dimensions particularly surprised me. I believe
that each one has an important role to play in fostering a
creative work environment. I would be surprised to find a
company that was all 3’s or all 1’s. The addition of a dimension
that captured leadership and followership could be a good
inclusion since both of those attributes are key to a creative
workplace.
Which dimension of creative climate was the hardest to
evaluate?
The hardest dimension for me to evaluate was Freedom
because we are extremely regulated by the Air Force in many
aspects, but at the same time we have a fair amount of latitude
to create innovative solutions to problems at the unit level and
in our tactical duties.
Share any insights or thoughts about the creative climate for
the organization you evaluated. Discuss the one to two
dimensions that received the highest and lowest scores.
Due to how hard it was to evaluate; Freedom got a one in my
assessment. The same rules and regulations that determine the creative
freedom that we have are also used to mitigate risks, which is why that
dimension also was scored as a 1. Both the “Playfulness and humor” and
“Trust and openness” dimensions received a 3 because of the nature of
our work. The military is very different from a traditional work force, and
even so in the Guard. We don’t change our postings every few years, so
many of us are together for our entire careers. This allows members in
my workplace to grow close and develop bonds that allow us to be open
and trust each other.
