Fanning Understanding Risk Propensity

Assessment Tool for Determining Risk Propensity Leadership

(Risk Propensity, Innovation and Community/region Networking: McCline et al, 2014)

Before beginning to take part in the following survey, please understand that your participation is completely voluntary. You can refuse to participate or stop taking part at any time without giving any reason, and without penalty or loss of benefits to which you might otherwise be entitled. If you decide to stop or withdraw from the survey process, the information collected from you up to the point of your withdrawal will be kept as part of the survey data and may continue to be analyzed, unless you make a written request to remove, return, or destroy the information that can be identified as yours.

The purpose of this survey is to improve our understanding of how “Risk Propensity” i.e., “willingness to take a risk,” plays a role in community and regional leadership development.

No personal risk or discomfort is foreseen because of your participation in this survey process. The following statements are intended to improve our understanding of how you see yourself and the larger community and region of which you are a part in terms of risk propensity. There is no right or wrong response to the following statements. Just answer with your first thought and response to ALL the statements. Please note that all information is confidential and individual feedback on your survey responses will be provided to you ONLY. We will have individual summaries available upon request.

Please provide your contact information below so that we can retrieve your individual responses. We will report out to the general community and region only aggregated data which will not allow your individual data to be discerned. This aggregated data will be useful to all as a benchmark on how your personal attitude toward risk taking compares to the collective attitude about risk taking in the community/region in which you live. As we gather more data, you will also be able to see how your community stands on this particular attitude versus other communities and regions in our state. No individual or personal data will be identifiable in our overall community or region level analysis. Full citations for the research that was used to develop the survey tool below are available upon request.

Instruction: Please indicate how much you agree with each of the following statements by selecting a number between 1 and 7 where: • 1 indicates that you STRONGLY DISAGREE with the statements, and • 7 indicates that you STRONGLY AGREE with the statement. Please work as quickly as you can, and do not stop to think too deeply about any one question, just mark down your first thought. Please respond to all of the statements. The statements are designed to capture YOUR thinking. Remember… this is your opinion and cannot be right or wrong… just your view. There are no right or wrong responses. Just give your first thoughts.

Assessment must be completed by 5pm Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

Name

Section 1 1 = Strongly Disagree; 4 = Neither Disagree Nor Agree; 7 = Strongly Agree
1: I have confidence in my ability do things that others may call reckless.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2: Folks in this region normally take a cautious “wait-and-see” position in order to minimize making decisions that cost more financial resources than anticipated.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3: Most people in this region are willing to spend public funds on new projects, even if it means raising taxes.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4: I often get up in the middle of the night to make sure all my doors at home are locked.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5: If I believe in an idea, no obstacle will prevent me from making it happen.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6: I normally take a cautious “wait-and-see” position in order to minimize the hazard of making costly erroneous decisions.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7: I am capable of taking the next steps necessary to follow through with my plans.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8: I admit if my taste differs from that of my friends.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9: I get real excited when I think of new ideas that change how we do things.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10: People in my community avoid discussing difficult issues such as race, ethnicity and religion.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Section 2 1 = Strongly Disagree; 4 = Neither Disagree Nor Agree; 7 = Strongly Agree
1: I tend to bounce back quickly after hard times.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2: I will rely on my friends and acquaintances that share my background and cultural experiences to help me secure the resources needed to do leadership work in this region.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3: Taking business risks makes good sense.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4: I try to do the right thing even if no one is looking.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5: I continually look for new ways to do things in this community/region.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6: I have the ability to make realistic plans for the future as I work on today’s issues.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7: I generally prefer unforeseen excitement to predictable security.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8: my community has too many procedures and regulations that tend to govern everything that happens here.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9: It is better to ask for permission than to ask for forgiveness.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10: I speak my mind about unpopular issues in my community.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Section 3 1 = Strongly Disagree; 4 = Neither Disagree Nor Agree; 7 = Strongly Agree
1: my community strongly supports new businesses that are opening up here.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2: The customer base that my business serves must be bigger than just this region.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3: I have a positive self-concept and confidence in my strengths and abilities.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4: I would not hesitate to cheat at cards in a casino.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5: In this region, networking with others is easy.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6: I take time to buckle my seat belt.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7: I will do whatever it takes to win, even if I must bend the rules a little.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8: I often approach issues in this community in unique and different ways.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9: I would invest 10% of my annual income in stocks that might go way up or way down.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10: I cheat on my income tax.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Section 4 1 = Strongly Disagree; 4 = Neither Disagree Nor Agree; 7 = Strongly Agree
1: I am a member of cross cultural groups working to help solve problems in our region.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2: I am always looking for new and untried ways to do things.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3: People in this community speak up even if they have unpopular opinions.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4: To become a successful leader in this community/region you must spend some time every day developing new opportunities.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5: I wear unconventional clothes when I walk around my community.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6: We currently work quite well as a region to solve problems.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7: Most folks in my community follow the motto, 'nothing ventured, nothing gained.'	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8: I feel best about my work when I know I have followed accepted procedures.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9: I would like to or have tried bungee jumping at least once.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10: I love being a champion for my ideas, even against others’ opposition.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Section 5 1 = Strongly Disagree; 4 = Neither Disagree Nor Agree; 7 = Strongly Agree
1: I tend to take a long time to get over set-backs in my life.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2: I believe that communities which don’t experience radical changes now and then tend to get stuck in a rut.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3: If I feel that the chance of failure is high, I would not start my own business.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4: I would choose a $3,000 annual raise over a $10,000 bonus.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5: I generally prefer unforeseen excitement to predictable security.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6: In general people in my community define success in terms of taking no risks.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7: I have confidence in my ability recover from my mistakes, no matter how big they are.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8: I follow the motto, 'nothing ventured, nothing gained.'	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9: Generally, people in my community prefer the status quo where there are few changes going on.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10: This region is getting to become too diverse.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Section 6 1 = Strongly Disagree; 4 = Neither Disagree Nor Agree; 7 = Strongly Agree
1: The communities of my community only take ‘baby steps’ when it makes changes in what we do here.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2: I tolerate ambiguity or unpredictability well.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3: Athletes should not be punished if they are only using steroids to improve their performance in a game.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4: High-risk investments are an opportunity to lose large amounts of money.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5: Leaders in my community are more interested in maintaining the status quo than in making new things happen here.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6: I speak my mind about unpopular issues at social occasions.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7: I do not like to express my opinion even if most people have opposite views.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8: My decisions tend to be made carefully.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9: I save a little money by taking office supplies from work to my home business.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10: When facing a decision with uncertain outcomes, my potential losses are my greatest concerns.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Section 7 1 = Strongly Disagree; 4 = Neither Disagree Nor Agree; 7 = Strongly Agree
1: Folks in this region want to work together to make this a better place to live.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2: I usually come through difficulty times with little trouble.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3: My business has a noticeable impact on this region.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4: I usually seek out friends and acquaintances that are excited about exploring new ways of doing things.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5: I don't mind taking chances with things that are important to me.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6: In order to succeed, one must conform to the accepted practices in this community/region.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7: When pursuing my goals and objectives, the final result is more important than followings the accepted procedures.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8: I would bet a day’s income in a casino.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9: I do take chances with my career choices.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10: I would go whitewater rafting at high water in the spring.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Section 8 1 = Strongly Disagree; 4 = Neither Disagree Nor Agree; 7 = Strongly Agree
1: If I believe in something, I will make it happen.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2: I argue with a friend if we have different opinions.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3: I seldom follow instructions unless the task I am working on is very complex.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4: I feel restricted being tied down to old ways of doing things.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5: Behavior in my community is more about maintaining old relationships than welcoming new ideas and new people.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6: In my work I tend to only set small goals so that I can achieve them without difficulty.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7: my community residents do not hesitate to take risk and make changes that they think are needed to make this a better place for everyone.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8: I avoid uncertain situations because I may lose something valuable to me.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9: It is hard for me to snap back when something bad happens.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10: I like to experience novelty and change in my daily life.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Section 9 1 = Strongly Disagree; 4 = Neither Disagree Nor Agree; 7 = Strongly Agree
1: I systematically plan to use my personal network in this region in order to become a successful entrepreneur.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2: I avoid uncertain situations because I may lose something valuable to me.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3: My professional network includes individuals who primarily look like me in terms of race, culture and background.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4: Folks in my community are reluctant to make changes.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5: Lots of folks are talking to other folks to find out how my community can provide new services that have never been tried here before.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6: Decision making in my community tends to always be much slower than other communities around us.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7: I'm very cautious when I make plans that involve my health and safety.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8: My work is well supported by the network of friends and acquaintances I have in this region.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9: This region welcomes me because of the needs that I am satisfying through my work and contributions.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10: I rarely put myself in positions in which I might lose something important to me.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Section 10 1 = Strongly Disagree; 4 = Neither Disagree Nor Agree; 7 = Strongly Agree
1: Success in business is really a matter of luck.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2: I would openly disagree with a friend in front of other mutual friends.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3: My professional network in this region includes individuals who don’t look like me in terms of race and ethnicity.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4: I would openly disagree with my boss in front of my coworkers.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5: It does not take me long to snap back when something bad happens.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6: If forced to choose, I take safety over something new.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7: In this region, people are willing to stick their necks out and take a financial risk on things that have not been tried here before.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8: I prefer a clearly structured daily schedule with no surprises.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9: In my community, I feel free to express my opinion even if most people have opposite views.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10: Political differences strongly inhibit people working together in this region.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Section 11 1 = Strongly Disagree; 4 = Neither Disagree Nor Agree; 7 = Strongly Agree
1: I tend to imagine the unfavorable outcomes of my actions.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2: I would accept a job that is paid solely based on commission.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3: My social network includes individuals who primarily look like me in terms of race, culture and background.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4: my community has plenty of people who champion new ideas, in spite of others who may be against these new ideas.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5: I get excited when I am able to approach a task in unusual ways.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7