Level 13: Adaptive Culture Building and Experimentation
(13a) Higher-Order Thinking Question (HOTQ) Why is balancing principled and flexible culture critical for institutional resilience? Answer: Balancing principles with flexibility ensures ethical clarity while allowing experimentation, learning from failure, and adaptation, fostering innovation, engagement, and long-term institutional resilience.
(13b) Analytical Reasoning Question How do safe zones contribute to experimentation and innovation in Nigerian universities? Answer: Safe zones reduce fear of failure by providing controlled, structured, and supported spaces for testing ideas, promoting learning, creativity, and adaptive problem-solving.
(13c) Conceptual Mastery Question Differentiate structural, cognitive, and cultural rigidity in institutions. Answer: Structural rigidity: Inflexible hierarchies, procedural bottlenecks, centralized authority. Cognitive rigidity: Fixed mental models, assumptions, and resistance to new ideas. Cultural rigidity: Shared norms and values discouraging questioning or experimentation.
(13d) Diagnostic Reasoning Question If an organization consistently fails to adapt despite skilled leaders, which cultural issue is likely present? Answer: The organization likely exhibits cultural rigidity and institutional blind spots, limiting learning, feedback integration, and adaptive innovation.
(13e) Cognitive-Challenge Question Predict the long-term benefits of sustaining cultural renewal under frequent disruptions. Answer: It strengthens institutional agility, enhances innovation, aligns behavior with core values, increases stakeholder engagement, and ensures resilience amid technological, policy, and societal change.