A Theoretical Review
Paper title: Innovation Leadership Lessons from the Marshmallow Challenge
Authors: Scott D. Anthony
My summary of the content of the paper:
This paper provides insight into thinking abilities and creativity whilst under pressure.
The lessons learned from both can be applied into the Design and innovation areas as well as in leadership.
- Quality of research
| Item | Comments |
| Is the research question or objective clearly stated? | No. There is a specific aim that could be used as a type of research question; “Are you more creative than a five year old?” |
| Is the research question interesting and important? | Not directly noted although the topic of the paper is interesting enough. |
| Is the work original? | Yes. The author took lessons from a marshmallow challenge and derived leadership lessons from it. |
| Is the background research clear and relevant? | No. |
| Are there any ethical problems? | No. |
- The Research Methodology
| Item | Comments |
| Summarize the research method? | Observation was used since all the learnings from the observation were used to formulate the leadership lessons. |
| Does the research method seem appropriate for the research question? | Yes. It supports the aim. |
| Are the methods adequately described? | No. There is no methodology explained in the paper. |
| Were the analyses done correctly? | The only analyses is from the interpretation of the graph. |
| Are the conclusions supported by the data? | Yes. The author concluded that we all start with creativity and curiosity as children but, we lose those skills or unlearn them as he calls it during our time in school. |
- Findings and Discussions
| Item | Comments |
| Is the paper logically presented? | Yes although brief. |
| Does the data adequately support the research question? | Yes. The data shows that children beat the average. |
| Does the discussion link back to the RQ and key literature? | Yes. The children beat the MBA graduates and that answers the question. MBA Graduates are not more creative than five year olds. |
- Additional Notes
| Additional notes on the paper | It is a very short review paper and |
| Identify any links to other work discussed in IS sessions. | Innovative Problem Solving. |
| Where can this article be found? | https://hbr.org/2014/12/innovation-leadership-lessons-from-the-marshmallow-challenge |