Your Intuitive Ability
Complete this survey as quickly as you can. Be honest with yourself. For each question, select the response that most appeals to you.
1. When working on a project, do you prefer to:
A) be told what the problem is but be left free to decide how to solve it?
B) get very clear instructions about how to go about solving the problem before you start?
2. When working on a project, do you prefer to work with colleagues who are:
A) realistic?
B) imaginative?
3. Do you most admire people who are:
A) creative?
B) careful?
4. Do the friends you choose tend to be:
A) serious and hard working?
B) exciting and often emotional?
5. When you ask a colleague for advice on a problem you have, do you:
A) seldom or never get upset if her or she questions your basic assumptions?
B) often get upset if he or she questions your basic assumptions?
6. When you start your day, do you:
A) seldom make or follow a specific plan?
B) usually first make a plan to follow?
7. When working with numbers do you find that you:
A) seldom or never make factual errors?
B) often make factual errors?
8. Do you find that you:
A) seldom daydream during the day and really don't enjoy doing so when you do it?
B) frequently daydream during the day and enjoy doing so?
9. When working on a problem, do you:
A) prefer to follow the instructions or rules when they are given to you?
B) often enjoy circumventing the instructions or rules when they are given to you?
10. When you are trying to put something together, do you prefer to have:
A) step-by-step written instructions on how to assemble the item?
B) a picture of how the item is supposed to look once assembled?
11. Do you find that the person who irritates you the most is one who appears to be:
A) disorganized?
B) organized?
12. When an unexpected crisis comes up that you have to deal with, do you:
A) feel anxious about the situation?
B) feel excited by the challenge of the situation?
SCORE: 6
The highest intuitive score is 12; the lowest is 0.
INTERPRETATION
In his book Intuition in Organizations (Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1989), pp. 10-11, Weston H. Agor states: "Traditional analytical techniques...are not as usefull as they once were for guiding major decisions...If you hope to be better prepared for tomorrow, then it only seems logical to pay some attention to the use and development of intuitive skills for decision making."
Agor developed the prior survey to help people assess their tendencies to use intuition in decision making. Your score offers a general impression of your strength in this area. It might need to further develop your skill and comfort with more intuitive decision approaches.
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