The Psychology Of Innovation — IELTS Reading Answers

The example of the ‘million-dollar quartet’ underlines the writer’s point about

1. Arecognising talent.
2. Bworking as a team.
3. Chaving a shared objective.correct
4. Dbeing an effective leader.

“Presley, Cash, Perkins and Lewis instinctively understood Phillips’s ambition and believed in it. Orbison wasn’t inspired by the goal, and only ever achieved one hit with the Sun label.”

The quartet succeeded because they instinctively understood Phillips's ambition and believed in it, while Orbison was not inspired by the goal, option C.

James Watson suggests that he and Francis Crick won the race to discover the DNA code because they

1. Awere conscious of their own limitations.correct
2. Bbrought complementary skills to their partnership.
3. Cwere determined to outperform their brighter rivals.
4. Dencouraged each other to realise their joint ambition.

“He said he and Crick had succeeded because they were aware that they weren’t the most intelligent of the scientists pursuing the answer.”

Watson credits success to being aware that he and Crick were not the most intelligent scientists pursuing the answer, meaning they knew their limitations, option A.

The writer mentions competitions on breakfast cereal packets as an example of how to

1. Ainspire creative thinking.
2. Bgenerate concise writing.
3. Cpromote loyalty to a group.
4. Dstrengthen commitment to an idea.correct

“The very act of writing makes us more likely to believe it.”

Writing a belief down makes us more likely to believe it, which is the point of cereal-packet competitions, deepening commitment to an idea, option D.

In the last paragraph, the writer suggests that it is important for employees to

1. Abe aware of their company’s goals.
2. Bfeel that their contributions are valued.correct
3. Chave respect for their co-workers’ achievements.
4. Dunderstand why certain management decisions are made.

“assure all concerned that every recommendation is important to making the right decision and will be given full attention.”

Treating every recommendation as important and giving it full attention makes employees feel their contributions are valued, option B.

Employees whose values match those of their employers are more likely to

“Research shows that the fit between an employee’s values and a company’s values makes a difference to what contribution they make and whether, two years after they join, they’re still at the company.”

Value fit affects what contribution employees make and whether they are still at the company two years later, so matched values make them more likely to stay, G.

At times of change, people tend to

“When things change, we are hard-wired to play it safe.”

When things change, we are hard-wired to play it safe, which describes a tendency to avoid risk, ending E.

If people are aware of what they might lose, they will often

“Studies show that we invariably take more gambles when threatened with a loss than when offered a reward.”

We invariably take more gambles when threatened with a loss than when offered a reward, matching ending A about riskier choices.

People working under a dominant boss are liable to

“The wrong kind of leadership will lead to what Cialdini calls ‘captainitis, the regrettable tendency of team members to opt out of team responsibilities that are properly theirs’.”

Under poor leadership, team members opt out of responsibilities that are properly theirs, Cialdini's captainitis, which is ending F.

Employees working in organisations with few rules are more likely to

“for whom ‘the only rule was that there were no rules’. This environment encouraged a free interchange of ideas”

Where the only rule was that there were no rules, a free interchange of ideas was encouraged, matching ending B about freedom to innovate.

The physical surroundings in which a person works play a key role in determining their creativity.

“There are, nevertheless, people working in luxurious, state-of-the-art centres designed to stimulate innovation who find that their environment doesn’t make them feel at all creative. And there are those who don’t have a budget, or much space, but who innovate successfully.”

Lavish, innovation-designed centres fail to make people feel creative while those with no budget innovate successfully, so surroundings are not the key.

Most people have the potential to be creative.

“almost every individual can be creative in the right circumstances.”

Almost every individual can be creative in the right circumstances, which affirms widespread creative potential.

Teams work best when their members are of equally matched intelligence.

“‘It’s been scientifically proven that three people will be better than one at solving problems, even if that one person is the smartest person in the field.’”

The text says three people outdo one even if that one person is the smartest, but never claims teams work best when members' intelligence is equal.

It is easier for smaller companies to be innovative.

“It’s easy for a company to be pulled in conflicting directions as the marketing, product development, and finance departments each get different feedback from different sets of people.”

The passage warns companies can be pulled in conflicting directions by different departments but says nothing about whether small firms find innovation easier.

A manager’s approval of an idea is more persuasive than that of a colleague.

“Research shows that peer power, used horizontally not vertically, is much more powerful than any boss’s speech.”

Peer power, used horizontally rather than vertically, is much more powerful than any boss's speech, so a manager's approval is less persuasive, not more.