As a manager in my office I was asked to take a survey on innovation styles. I tested as an Experimenting-Modifying style person. This is apparantly what that means:

Your Profile: Experimenting-Modifying

At a Glance

Those who have Modifying / Experimenting profiles like to expand and build on what has already been done – they build and optimize. They like to move forward one step at a time, looking to previous situations and applying expert opinion to fit a new purpose. They also like to test out various combinations of ideas, and learn from the results – they combine and test. They like to seek solutions by applying reliable methods and experimental trial-and-error.

First impulse when approaching a challenge:
"Let's build on and optimize what we already have and make improvements as needed."
"Let's see what happens if we take existing elements and combine them in new ways."

Likes ideas that are:
Realistic, verifiable, directly relevant, integrated

Likes to generate these ideas by asking:
What can we do to improve upon and optimize what we've done?
What can we combine to put together a new solution?
What has been done before that we can build upon?
How can we include a broad range of others' ideas?

Frustrated when others:
Change direction in midstream
Ignore the risks of, and requirements for, implementation
Say, "You're too set in your ways" or "You're not imaginative enough"

Contributes:
An ability to expand and build on what has already been done
Systematic methods to take risks in stages
Applying expert opinion to fit a new purpose
A commitment to making sure things work correctly and reliably

Potential Pitfalls:
Not being open to far-reaching goals and bold new possibilities
Getting lost in the details of implementation
Not questioning assumptions
Censoring own or others' ideas that seem "too crazy" or "too idealistic"

Give this Profile:
Time to be steady and thorough when developing new ideas
Continuous, practical learning opportunities
An abundance of relevant information or data
A balance of intense work periods with reflective time

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