Browsing by Author "Vorapot Ruckthum"
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    Creative problem-solving in countries east and west: some organizational implications
    ( 2019) Clapp, Ray ; Vorapot Ruckthum
    Creativity and creative problem-solving are supported by two different cognitive styles, one concerned with adaption (doing things better), and the other with innovation (doing things differently). The current preoccupation with innovation would appear to favour western countries where a more innovative cultural bias exists. Furthermore, countries from the East would appear disadvantaged due to a similar bias towards adaption. However, organisations to sustain success need a diversity of style irrespective of the significance of any social or organisational leadership bias towards a single style. The pursuit of a dominant single style, be it adaption or innovation, leads to a diminishing organisational performance albeit by different routes.
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    The cross-cultural use of the Kirton adaption-innovation inventory: a further exploration
    ( 2017) Clapp, Ray ; Vorapot Ruckthum
    English language measures such as the bipolar scale of cognitive style (Kirton, 2005) are not easily understood by people within diverse cultures and languages where English is spoken as a second language. Particularly the scoring of opposites when many items represent each end of the dimensional continuum and where items that represent one of the poles are reverse scored to produce the final score. Understanding can be improved by using a translation of item meaning into the target language. However, a more efficient method is the use of items with bipolar scoring scales to resolve the problem of accurate recognition and scoring of opposites while at the same time eliminating the scoring anchor and any associated social desirability contamination.
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    An evaluation of the relationships between psychological climate and the styles of cognitive preference and manifest ideas
    ( 2017) Clapp, Ray ; Vorapot Ruckthum
    This study challenges the assumption that the bipolar characteristics of adaption and innovation associated with individual cognitive style preferences directly characterise the content of manifest ideas and in turn the characteristics of organisational change. The findings show psychological climate (in support of the organisational change process) used in this study is significantly related to ideas with adaptive characteristics, but less so to those with innovative characteristics. Furthermore, cognitive style is significantly related to the characteristics of innovative ideas but much less so to adaptive ideas. These two relationships show how the bi-polar characteristics of the Adaptive -Innovative continuum fits with the two characteristics of the manifest ideas where the latter appears as independent. However, while cognitive style and psychological climate have significant relationships with both styles of ideas, climate dominates for ideas with adaptive characteristics, and cognitive style dominates for ideas with innovative characteristics. The lack of a relationship between psychological climate and cognitive style suggests that psychological climate and cognitive style can be considered as independent predictors of adaptive and innovative idea characteristics respectively.
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    An exploration of the factors concerned with reducing the use of plastic carrier bags in Bangkok, Thailand
    ( 2016) Hohmann, Roland ; Chutawat Wattana ; Phichittra Sracheam ; Supichaya Siriapornsakul ; Vorapot Ruckthum
    This research is an exploratory study to examine the attitude of people in Bangkok, Thailand, towards the reduction in use of plastic shopping bags. The research objective is to provide recommendations for policymakers as well as stakeholders in the public and private sector as to how plastic bag use may be effectively reduced. Key findings are that the four factors of the independent variable 'Use of plastic bags in Bangkok' and four of the demographic variables Gender, Nationality, Age, and Occupation are all significantly related to the dependent variable 'Intention to reduce the use of plastic bags'. Additionally, the study shows that regulatory measures like a plastic bag charge may initially reduce the use of plastic bags; however, the effect may only be short-term due to the minimal cost of the bag compared to the cost of items purchased. A number of alternatives are considered such as the substitution of engineered recycled paper containers and bags. however, the main long-term solution is seen as the promotion of a concern for the environment via waste control and recycling as a personal issue (particularly among children) leading to cultural adjustment rather than promotion of any particular project.
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    Using large scale individual creativity to improve organisational efficiency
    ( 2016) Vorapot Ruckthum
    This study reviews the outcomes from six similar organisational interventions two from the USA, three from the UK (one using Appreciative Inquiry) and one from Romania. By way of an illustration the process used by one of the interventions (Clapp, 1991) is described in detail. This process uses a well-defined problem to elicit potential solutions from people working in the organisation who have knowledge of the problem area. The results are compared with the five other interventions that use a similar process. The results show that given a supportive environment and a clear objective most people will engage in a problem-solving exercise and generate many ideas, the bulk of which are set within the current context. The number of ideas generated per person ranged between 1.33 and 1.53. Whereas for the project that used Appreciative Inquiry the number of ideas generated per person was 2.3. The average value of the savings from the ideas of each project ranged between £3.44K and £6.88K. these studies provide support for the theory that all people are creative problem-solvers given the opportunity to become active participants (Kirton 2003). Furthermore, to make use of this creativity in an organisation, managers have to provide a setting that will support and motivate individuals to focus their potential on a target of organisational importance.