Developing Creativity Throughout Organizations

Number 21 Cartoon Drawing of Robert ALAN Black

Developing Creativity Throughout Organizations

Creativity and creative thinking is growing and being developed in companies and organizations around the world. The purpose of this paper is to provide some examples from around the world of such programs. Since 1979 1 have been collecting information about creative thinking programs and striving to meet and connect with people who design and run those programs. Upon completing my doctorate work in creativity with Dr. E. Paul Torrance in 1983 1 began working as a professional speaker and consultant striving to help my clients: business, industrial and government; to develop creative thinking and creativity throughout their workplaces.

The following are a cross-section of programs from around the globe.

Here is an example of how one large corporation is striving to increase the innovation throughout their organization.

United States, England, Scotland, Australia and the Far East

A large multi-national industrial company involved in the discovery, drilling, processing and shipping of various chemicals has begun a world-wide Innovation Program. It began in their home offices in the United States with an Innovation Fair. The Director of Innovation, appointed by the CEO of the conglomerate, assembled their first Innovation Fair by making many contacts in the US to discover a list of potential vendors and consultants who would be asked to participate in the Innovation Fair by providing booths. The Fair was planned to last two days. Transportation was provided between several of the company's offices so that their employees could take a long lunch or breaktime during either day and walk through the Fair. In addition workshops were provided on both days that the Fair was held and two days after the fair that employees could sign up for and attend.

Based on the success of the initial Fair another was planned for England. The second fair was much larger based on the success of the first. The exhibit portion of the fair lasted one day instead of two. Once again workshops afterward lasted for two days. Two American consultants were brought in to make 4, 1/2 day presentations at 3 different sites for the employees. Providing transportation to the main office was impractical. The coordinators found it was easier to transport the presenters instead of the employees. Also a series of monthly presentations were offered involving noted experts from around England.

Following the success of both the first Innovation Fair in the US and the second in England a third was planned for Aberdeen, Scotland. The third fair lasted one day. The exhibit was much more enhanced in quality and scale. The employees were bussed over from their respective offices because of the space needed for the exhibit area was not available on site. Instead of I or

2 hour workshops, 8 hour, full day long programs were offered by two American consultants who presented their sessions simultaneously on site of the headquarters near Aberdeen.

The growing successes of each of the three successive Innovation Fairs led the Director of Innovation to create a packaged program to take on the road to several cities in Australia and the Far East, using an Australian consulting firm, local vendors and packaged exhibits that the Innovation Department had put together strictly for the traveling Innovation Fair.

The goals of introducing the Innovation movement throughout the organization world-wide, developing a cadre of innovation champions, innovation teams and other efforts have all been achieved.

In many countries professional associations have been including programs on creative thinking and problem solving in their yearly calendars.

England and Scotland

Over the past 5 years there has been a growth of creative thinking consulting firms and a growing interest among government officials to develop creative thinking in all parts of the British Isles, especially in the past two years in England and Scotland.

France

A professional society deciding to help its members to begin to become more creative brought in a professional creativity consultant to present a 3 -hour workshop at one of the monthly professional meetings. The goals were exposure, awareness and acquisition of some beginning level creative thinking skills. The effort was a success.

Another approach used around the globe is for professional training groups through government projects or grants to provide creative thinking and problem solving training as part of their larger training programs.

the Netherlands

Faced with a government contract to help 30+ unemployed college degreed, agricultural engineers prepare to enter the information industry in the Netherlands Regio Baak, a division of DeBaak, a training and consultant organization in the Netherlands brought in a creativity consultant to present a 3-day workshop on developing creative thinking skills as part of a 12- month, one workshop per month on various work skills. The results: each of the attendees acquired employment within the next few months in the information technology industry.

Around the globe groups of people have been forming associations or clubs of people focused on the development of creative thinking because of a growing interest in creative thinking in specific countries, professions or occupations.

Denmark

A group of engineers, technical, design and advertising people in the major Copenhagen area formed a Creativity Organization due to their common interest in creativity and their desire to develop their creative thinking skills and creativity. Monthly they hold meetings with speakers on various topics related to creativity. The meetings are held at varying locations based on where the members are employed. I was fortunate enough be included as one of their monthly meetings in 2001 that was held at the offices of Ericcson. There were 50 to 60 people in attendance for the entire workshop.

Another example from Copenhagen is Novo, a highly successful Swedish medical equipment company. They have created an internal creativity and creative thinking development department. Their CEO has continually promoted the significance of creativity and its development in their company for all its employees and has made it one of its missions. Thanks to a fellow member of the American Creativity Association who lives in Copenhagen, Ame Stjemholm and current president of the Danish Creativity Association I was invited to be one of their monthly speakers, speaking on Creative Thinking on Demand techniques. Since that meeting Arne left Ericcson as a marketing manager to join Novo as a creativity consultant.

Creative thinking conferences have been created in many countries based on the work of the Creative Education Foundation and its 49 years of sponsoring its Summerfest and Winterfest Creative Problem Solving Institutes.

Italy, Turkey, Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia

Halim Erganulp, a business and engineering consultant based in Istanbul visited the Creative Problem Solving Institute a few years ago. Based on his experiences he became excited about starting his own Annual Turkish Creativity Institute in Istanbul. After two years of experience at CPSI he invited a mix of CPSI presenters to help him as presenters at his first Turkish Creativity Institute. He lined up the largest single Turkish company to sponsor the conference. They in turn sent over ISO people to attend it and offered their beautiful training facilities as its site. Over 300 people attended the first one. A second Institute was held the following year with over 300 people attending representing many different companies, industries, schools (public and private from elementary through university), government agencies and branches of the Turkish military. Due to problems with the Turkish economy the Institute was not held for a couple years. Now one is being planned for 2003.

The results of the institutes has been a vastly increased interest in creative thinking and creativity development in many companies, schools and government agencies in Turkey.

South Africa

The work of Kobus Neethling in South Africa is a tremendous success story. His Annual African Creativity Conference has held 8 successive, successful conferences near Pretoria involving companies, industries, universities and government agencies from throughout South Africa and some of the other African nations. Kobus each year invites a mix of Presenters from among his many friends at the annual CPSI conferences who come from the US, Canada, and Europe to help with the South African team of presenters. The widespread results are extensive from the conferences and Kobus and his team of consultants' on-going efforts.

India

Various companies from a newspaper chain to a large hospital organization have begun to bring in consultants to speak on creativity to their employees to add sets of creative thinking skills to their on-going training and development programs. In addition independent Indian consulting firms are focusing on the development of creative thinking skills for their clients.

Sri Lanka

A consulting and meeting planning organization brought in an American consultant to present a day-long workshop on Creative Thinking on Demand for an open-enrollment public seminar. Over 70 people attended representing 30 to 40 businesses and industries from Sri Lanka. This in itself is not unusual except that only a few days prior rebel forces blew up 5 commercial airplanes on the runways at the Colombo International Airport. The intersections of the primary streets of Colombo were covered by military and police officers who searched every vehicle. Road blocks were set up on most side roads to prevent vehicles from sneaking through from one street to another. Military officers were stationed at all locations where people can congregate. Add to that the docks were basically closed down because other nations had stopped sending ships.

Yet with all this going on, 70 people came to spend a day to discover how they might develop their creativity and creative thinking skills.

Malaysia

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia the Malaysian Institute for Training and Development has added several creative thinking courses to their offerings.

In addition creative thinking consultants from Malaysia have been offering over the past few years training programs and workshops throughout Asia on creative thinking.

Singapore

Singapore has seen many workshops, seminars, training programs, college courses presented on creative thinking over the past IO to IS years with a large burst over the past 3 years.

As a country Singapore has added creativity as one of their primary focuses for development. The results are many: multiple creativity conferences and workshops being offered involving Singaporean consultants and business people and a vast array of consultants from around the world; business institutes in Singapore are offering courses; universities in Singapore are offering courses and some are jointly offering the Buffalo State University's masters program in creative studies. That is just a few examples.

Australia

Edward de Bono, Tony Buzan and other western creativity writers and consulants have been working in Australia for several years developing certified trainers of their materials. From that growth has come a new generation of many independent consultants and college professors who focus on innovation and creative thinking.

Spain & Portugal

There has been a growing interest in the development of innovation and creativity in both Spain & Portugal through university programs and private consulting firms.

Mexico

There have been creative thinking consultants in Mexico for several years who work with their individual clients and offer public seminars. Several American consultants have been brought into Mexico as well over the past 20 years with a renewed interest in innovation and creative thinking among business schools and associations over the past 2 to 3 years.

Mauritius

Through the Malaysian Institute of Training and Development a major effort is taking place in the island country of Mauritius to develop creativity in their businesses, industries, government and schools. MITD has and continues to provide resource people from Asia and the U.S. to work with the leaders of Mauritius. Their goal is to develop the creative thinking of all the Mauritian citizens to help their economy in the near and distant future.

Canada

Creative thinking development in Canada has been in existence for many years starting with consultants, college professors and training organizations. Over recent years government leaders have been promoting innovation efforts through government funded programs.

SUMMARY

The efforts are varied. The commitments are growing. The results are multiple, ranging from minor to highly significant. The key point is that the interest in the development of creativity is growing around the world.

Through the development of interdependent connections and relationships between creativity associations around the world plus between consultants, consulting firms, companies and governments we can jointly expand the creativity and creative thinking of the entire globe.

Prev Page Next Page Index Page