Answer to Question 1
Answer: C
Explanation: A) Incorrect. Vertical thinking is a form of constancy. Your boss has not doggedly pursued a single problem definition without considering alternative definitions. Here, your boss is merely assuming that the current problem is a variation on the past problems. He has fallen victim to the conceptual block of stereotyping.
B) Incorrect. Artificial constraints are those conceptual blocks that cause you to define a problem so narrowly that it is impossible to solve. Here, your boss is assuming that the current problem is a variation on the past problems. He has fallen victim to the conceptual block of stereotyping.
C) Correct. Here, your boss is assuming that the current problem is a variation on the past problems. He has fallen victim to the conceptual block of stereotyping.
D) Incorrect. Ignoring commonalities occurs when an individual fails to identify similarities between disparate pieces of data. Here, your boss is assuming that the current problem is a variation on the past problems. He has fallen victim to the conceptual block of stereotyping.
Answer to Question 2
Answer: B
Explanation: A) Incorrect. Vertical thinking refers to defining a problem a single way and then pursuing that definition without deviation. Here, the problem is that you are assuming that others' past experience launching a product means that they have the best solution for a new marketing problem. This assumes that the current problem is a variation on the past problems and is the conceptual block of stereotyping.
B) Correct. You are assuming that others' past experience launching a product means that they have the best solution for a new marketing problem. This assumes that the current problem is a variation on the past problems and is the conceptual block of stereotyping.
C) Incorrect. Compression occurs when an individual looks at a problem too narrowly or too broadly. Here, the problem is that you are assuming that others' past experience launching a product means that they have the best solution for a new marketing problem. This assumes that the current problem is a variation on the past problems and is the conceptual block of stereotyping.
D) Incorrect. Ignoring commonalities is a form of the commitment block in which individuals fail to identify similarities among seemingly disparate pieces of data. Here, the problem is that you are assuming that others' past experience launching a product means that they have the best solution for a new marketing problem. This assumes that the current problem is a variation on the past problems and is the conceptual block of stereotyping.
