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WGU - D081 Innovative and Strategic
Thinking Questions and Answers
Latest 2026
Initiative Ans: An organizational priority that identifies a
direction or strategic area of focus
Innovation Ans: Process of developing and implementing
a new product or process that delivers value to users or
customers
Iterative Ans: Repeated cycles that increasingly approach
the desired result
Creativity Ans: Generation of novel or unique ideas
Critical Thinking Ans: Disciplined process of rational,
evidenced-based, and open-minded thinking that involves
analysis and evaluation of inputs to reach an answer
Market Share Ans: The percentage of sales in a market
controlled by a particular company or product
Customer Value Ans: The benefit (vs. cost) a customer
receives from a product or service offering
Product Innovations Ans: New or improved goods or
services offered to the market
© 2025 All rights reserved
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Process Innovations Ans: New or improved ways of
conducting business, such as the application of new
technology, production techniques, or distribution
methods
Invention Ans: The creation of a unique new idea,
process, or object
Which type of innovation adds indirect value to
customers by lowering costs and increasing the quality of
new or existing products or services? Ans: Process
Research and Development Ans: Organizational activities
with the goal of innovating products and services
Incremental Innovations Ans: Gradual improvements to
products or processes
Breakthrough Innovation Ans: The development of an
entirely new product or process
Transformational Innovation Ans: Organizational
adaptation and development of new processes and
business models
Business Model Ans: A company's plan for creating value,
including the types of products and services it will offer
to earn revenue
Which type of innovation results in the development of
entirely new products or processes? Ans: Breakthrough
© 2025 All rights reserved
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Key Point Ans: Innovation is an activity or process that
leads to more effective products, processes, services,
technologies, or ideas. Innovation is the development of
customer value through solutions that meet unmet needs
in new ways.
Key Point Ans: Creativity is the generation of new ideas.
Innovation is the development and implementation of a
new idea through a series of stages.
Key Point Ans: Three types of innovation include
breakthrough, incremental, and transformational.
Breakthrough innovation results in the development of
completely new products or processes. Incremental
innovation occurs through gradual improvements.
Transformational innovation radically changes an
existing product or process into a new model.
Design Thinking Ans: A human-centered process for
innovation consisting of six iterative stages—empathize,
define, ideate, prototype, test, and implement
Scientific Method Ans: Empirical approach or procedure
used to hypothesize and test observations
Wicked Problem Ans: A challenging or complex problem
without a clear solution, usually social or cultural in
nature
How does design thinking differ from traditional
problem-solving? Ans: Develops iterative solutions
© 2025 All rights reserved
WGU - D081 Innovative and Strategic
Thinking Questions and Answers
Latest 2026
Initiative Ans: An organizational priority that identifies a
direction or strategic area of focus
Innovation Ans: Process of developing and implementing
a new product or process that delivers value to users or
customers
Iterative Ans: Repeated cycles that increasingly approach
the desired result
Creativity Ans: Generation of novel or unique ideas
Critical Thinking Ans: Disciplined process of rational,
evidenced-based, and open-minded thinking that involves
analysis and evaluation of inputs to reach an answer
Market Share Ans: The percentage of sales in a market
controlled by a particular company or product
Customer Value Ans: The benefit (vs. cost) a customer
receives from a product or service offering
Product Innovations Ans: New or improved goods or
services offered to the market
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
Process Innovations Ans: New or improved ways of
conducting business, such as the application of new
technology, production techniques, or distribution
methods
Invention Ans: The creation of a unique new idea,
process, or object
Which type of innovation adds indirect value to
customers by lowering costs and increasing the quality of
new or existing products or services? Ans: Process
Research and Development Ans: Organizational activities
with the goal of innovating products and services
Incremental Innovations Ans: Gradual improvements to
products or processes
Breakthrough Innovation Ans: The development of an
entirely new product or process
Transformational Innovation Ans: Organizational
adaptation and development of new processes and
business models
Business Model Ans: A company's plan for creating value,
including the types of products and services it will offer
to earn revenue
Which type of innovation results in the development of
entirely new products or processes? Ans: Breakthrough
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 3 | Page
Key Point Ans: Innovation is an activity or process that
leads to more effective products, processes, services,
technologies, or ideas. Innovation is the development of
customer value through solutions that meet unmet needs
in new ways.
Key Point Ans: Creativity is the generation of new ideas.
Innovation is the development and implementation of a
new idea through a series of stages.
Key Point Ans: Three types of innovation include
breakthrough, incremental, and transformational.
Breakthrough innovation results in the development of
completely new products or processes. Incremental
innovation occurs through gradual improvements.
Transformational innovation radically changes an
existing product or process into a new model.
Design Thinking Ans: A human-centered process for
innovation consisting of six iterative stages—empathize,
define, ideate, prototype, test, and implement
Scientific Method Ans: Empirical approach or procedure
used to hypothesize and test observations
Wicked Problem Ans: A challenging or complex problem
without a clear solution, usually social or cultural in
nature
How does design thinking differ from traditional
problem-solving? Ans: Develops iterative solutions
© 2025 All rights reserved
