Do You Know How to Elicit Creativity in Other People?
Do You Know How to Elicit Creativity in Other People?
Epstein Creativity Competencies Inventory for Managers (ECCI-m) v. 2.5.1, © 2008-2023, Dr. Robert Epstein  

You are about to take the unabridged version of the Epstein Creativity Competencies Inventory for Managers (or ECCI-m), an inventory of eight types of skills that managers need in order to stimulate creative expression in other people. Although designed for the business environment, the test may also be helpful for parents and teachers. A Spanish version is available at MisHabilidadesCreativas.com/gerentes, and a Malaysian version is available at MyCreativitySkills.com/managers/Malay. The test has been empirically valided with a sample of 1,337 managers, mainly from the U.S. and Canada.

This test is derived from more than 25 years of laboratory and field research on creativity by Dr. Robert Epstein (follow on Twitter @DrREpstein), one of the world's leading experts on creative expression in individuals and the developer of Generativity Theory, a formal, empirically-validated theory of creativity. You can learn more about Generativity Theory and related research in Dr. Epstein's book, Cognition, Creativity, and Behavior: Selected Essays, or by downloading his chapter from the Encyclopedia of Creativity.

Most people are able to complete the test in less than 15 minutes, and there are no right or wrong answers. Just select the response that seems best. After you answer the questions, you'll be given a detailed report that will give you your scores and explain what they mean. This is just the start; once you know your ECCI-m scores, there are many avenues you might pursue to improve your creativity management skills. Forty-eight games and exercises designed to strengthen such skills can be found in Dr. Epstein's book, The Big Book of Creativity Games. A longer version of the book, Creativity Games for Trainers, is available for professional trainers.

If you are conducting research and would like to collect raw data for a group that is taking this test - for a business, research study, classroom activity, or other purpose - please see our Group Testing Instructions.

If you are interested in increasing your own creative output, you might want to take the Epstein Creativity Comptency Inventory for Individuals (ECCI-i), which measures four core competencies that are essential for creative expression in individuals. That test can be accessed free of charge at MyCreativitySkills.com.

Creativity in an organization need not be left to chance. Creativity-generating mechanisms can be embedded into every policy and procedure: incentive systems, meeting formats, evaluations, goal structuring, office design, and so on. Management training is just one of many ways to stimulate creativity throughout an organization.

Before we get to the inventory itself, we'll ask you a few basic questions about yourself. Demographic information is being collected for research purposes only and will be kept strictly confidential.

To make sure the scoring is accurate, be sure to fill in all the blanks!

*Required response

*Highest Degree:
None
High School
Community College
Bachelors
Masters
Doctorate
*Race/Ethnicity:
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
American Indian
Other
*Gender:
Male
Female
Other
*Creative Environment:
Business
Non-Profit
School
Home
Other

For each of the following questions, select the answer that best applies to you.


*1. I rearrange the items in my office frequently.
Agree             Disagree


*2. I see no value in providing training for employees outside their specialties.
Agree             Disagree


*3. I provide common areas in my workplace to encourage diverse groups of people to interact.
Agree             Disagree


*4. I encourage staff not to fear failure.
Agree             Disagree


*5. I provide multiple writing surfaces in my workplace to encourage staff to record and share new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*6. I often place unusual objects in the workplace to encourage new thinking.
Agree             Disagree


*7. I always record my new ideas as they occur to me.
Agree             Disagree


*8. When creating a team, I look for people who can contribute diverse strengths and skills.
Agree             Disagree


*9. I usually provide my employees with the supplies they need to develop new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*10. I am careful not to criticize new ideas expressed by an employee.
Agree             Disagree


*11. When my staff needs equipment or software to develop an idea, I generally supply it.
Agree             Disagree


*12. I encourage team members to take breaks to work on problems individually.
Agree             Disagree


*13. I consistently praise employees for expressing new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*14. I encourage employees to learn job skills outside their immediate responsibilities.
Agree             Disagree


*15. I like to read about areas outside of my specialty.
Agree             Disagree


*16. Occasionally I like to work on extremely difficult problems.
Agree             Disagree


*17. Employees should keep only job-related materials in the work area.
Agree             Disagree


*18. I encourage staff to broaden their knowledge and experience.
Agree             Disagree


*19. I sometimes challenge others with problems that have no solution.
Agree             Disagree


*20. I provide my employees with the time they need to develop new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*21. I think that employees should record only their best ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*22. I recognize and acknowledge creative thinking in employee evaluations.
Agree             Disagree


*23. I provide employees with many tools for recording new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*24. When I give assignments I try not to state or imply any performance boundaries.
Agree             Disagree


*25. Once I establish a team I like I rarely change the members.
Agree             Disagree


*26. I often use role-playing techniques to help stimulate new ideas in a meeting.
Agree             Disagree


*27. I encourage staff to visit or work temporarily in other areas of the organization.
Agree             Disagree


*28. I rarely record my new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*29. I provide staff with stress-management training to help them through tough times.
Agree             Disagree


*30. I regularly change the office or desk locations of my employees.
Agree             Disagree


*31. I provide my employees with the equipment and software they need to develop new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*32. I change the membership of all workgroups on a regular basis.
Agree             Disagree


*33. I believe that work spaces should be redecorated on a regular basis.
Agree             Disagree


*34. I only give assignments that I know can be completed.
Agree             Disagree


*35. I provide employees with a special place or places where they can be creative.
Agree             Disagree


*36. I encourage employees to take courses in areas outside of their expertise.
Agree             Disagree


*37. I rarely change the office or desk locations of my employees.
Agree             Disagree


*38. I encourage employees to record as many of their new ideas as possible.
Agree             Disagree


*39. I provide some time each day for my staff to work on new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*40. I encourage employees to express any new ideas they might have for the organization.
Agree             Disagree


*41. I provide my employees with the expert help they need to develop new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*42. When an employee's idea has value, I provide special recognition or rewards.
Agree             Disagree


*43. I often give difficult assignments and set ambitious goals.
Agree             Disagree


*44. I allow my staff to submit suggestions anonymously.
Agree             Disagree


*45. I usually provide my employees with the staff support they need to develop new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*46. While new ideas are being generated at a meeting, team members should withhold judgment.
Agree             Disagree


*47. I set aside time every day to think of new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*48. When people give me ideas I don't like, I let them know it.
Agree             Disagree