The Dolphin Index Indicator (DII)

The Dolphin Index Indicator (DII) has been developed to measure important features of team, departmental and organisational climate. The dimensions assessed by the DII are key to team, departmental and organisational creativity and innovation.

The DII is built upon the ground breaking work of Professor Goran Ekvall, who for many years conducted research examining the links between organisational climate and creativity and innovation. Originally the DII was an English language translation of Ekvall’s Creative Climate Questionnaire. However, we have continued to refine and develop our measures based on our own original research. We have significantly expanded the scope of the original questionnaire to embrace other critical facets of climate.

So far, we have added four additional scales that are important in team, departmental and organisational creativity and innovation. We have added ‘stress’, ‘shared view’, ‘pay recognition’, and ‘work recognition’, while two other new scales (‘idea-proliferation’ and ‘positive relationships’) are modifications of Ekvall's original ‘debates’, ‘trust’, and ‘conflicts’ dimensions. These changes are the result of our continuing substantial data collection plus analysis and our own research into what team, departmental and organisational climate makes for higher levels of creativity and innovation.

A brief description of the meaning of high scores on each dimension is provided below (generally a high score indicates a more positive climate with the exception of 'stress', see below):

Commitment: Commitment to organisational goals and operations. Work is perceived as stimulating and engaging.

Freedom: Opportunities to make own decisions, seek information, and show initiative. Freedom from inappropriately tight supervision.

Idea-support: People are encouraged to put forward ideas and suggestions for improvements.

Positive relationships: People trust and get on well with each other. Absence of personal conflicts. This dimension combines 2 of Ekvall’s dimensions (‘Trust’ and ‘Conflicts’)

Dynamism: Dynamic and exciting atmosphere.

Playfulness: People laugh and joke with one another.

Idea-proliferation: People are perceived as having creative ideas and varied perspectives towards their work.

Stress: People generally feel overburdened and under pressure at work. Risk-taking:
New ideas may be implemented; people prepared to take risks.

Idea-time: People have the time to generate and consider new ideas.

Shared view: There are open and adequate communications between more and less senior employees.

Pay recognition: People are satisfied with their remuneration.

Work recognition: People receive praise for their achievements.