UNIT 1: LEARNING TO BE CREATIVE

Structure

1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Defining Creativity
1.3 Parameters to Understand Creativity
1.4 Creativity as a Soft Skill
1.4.1 Levels of Knowledge
1.4.2 Understanding Domains of Knowledge
1.4.3 Establishing Creativity as a Soft Skill
1.5 Measuring Creativity
1.6 Learning Creativity
1.7 Applying Creativity
1.8 Let Us Sum Up
1.9 Suggested Readings
1.10 Answers and Hints

1.0 OBJECTIVES

The objective of this unit is to help you

 Understandthe meaning and importance of creativity in daily life. Creativity is an
important soft skill in the contemporary competitive world.

 Explore the scope of creativity. You will also learn how you could be creative, along with
understanding whether creativity can be measured or not.

 Apply creativity in your personal and professional world. By applying creativity, we can
establish and retain our identity as an individual.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Have you ever wondered why you like a particular book, or a movie, or even food? There are
certain things that appeal to us in an extraordinary manner, while some other things may seem
just too ordinary. We tend to find things interesting because it is different from others. In other

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 Thinking of the Box

words, it is ‘unique’. It is this uniqueness that appeals to us, and human beings are inclined
towards anything that is unusual and different. However, this unusual and different has to be
aesthetically pleasing too.

When you are walking down the road that is full of dirt and dust, you would suddenly stop and
glance at a beautiful flower on the roadside shrubs. You may be upset or feeling low, but a movie
might just lift your mood. It is the beauty in things, the beauty of things, which makes you
happy. Feeling happy is an extremely essential quality, whether you are at home or your
workplace. You may have often tried to make the most boring things appear attractive in order to
give yourself that happiness. In today’s world that is largely pessimistic and has an underlying
element of stress, emotional well-being is essential. When we are able to emotionally respond to
the idea of beauty, uniqueness or difference, we tend to handle situations and circumstances in a
much better manner.

It is this unique quality that makes us appreciate the aesthetic quality of something – for instance,
a piece of art, or music, or a game, or even a small showpiece hanging on your wall. It is this
uniqueness that may be understood in terms of creativity. It indicates how well one is equipped
to imagine. Imagination is very closely related to the idea of creativity. “Are you a creative
person?” someone may just ask. And your answer will always be yes! Creativity is not just about
painting, or making music; creativity is everywhere, and you have to explore it.

Check your progress 1

1 List all the qualities you have that you think makes you creative.
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2 Look around yourself. You should be able to notice at least 10 things that are
creative. Make a list of 10 instances where you find creativity in everyday life.

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Learninng to be
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1.2 D
DEFINING
G CREAT
TIVITY

The Oxfford Learnerr’s Dictionaary defines creativity asa ‘the use of skill andd imaginatioon to
produce som
mething new or to prodduce art’
(https://w
www.oxfordllearnersdictiionaries.com
m/definition/eenglish/creattivity). If we
w look att this
definitionn carefully, there are some
s key words
w that identify andd explain crreativity – skill,
imaginattion, producce, new and art. Let us begin
b by undderstanding these terms.

Creativityy involves a skill – it coould be any skill

s that cann be exploreed. In other words,
w it refeers to
an abilityy that any peerson may poossess. All ofo us possesss some skill, some experrtise, some taalent,
and that needs to be b applied and a exploreed in an apppropriate manner.
m Therrefore, creaativity
involves in using on ne’s skill inn an innovattive way. This would be b possible when you apply a
imagination to use yo our skill effeectively. Imaagination is the
t most cruucial componnent of creattivity.
Without imagination n, no creativee ideas can flourish.
f Lett us understaand this throough an exam mple.
You musst have watcched a lot of o advertisem ments that have
h changedd our percepption of orddinary
things. Take
T the insttance of Fevvicol adverttisements. The manner in i which alll the Fevicool ads
have beeen conceptu ualized speaaks volumess about the imaginationn that has gone g behindd the
creation of
o these ads.. This may be b seen as ann instance off creative imaagination.

Image 1 – An adverttisement of Fevicol

F adheesive
Source – https://bran
ndequity.ecoonomictimess.indiatimes..com/news/aadvertising/ffevicol-turns-60-
how-tthe-adhesivee-brand-stolee-the-heart-oof-indian-connsumer-withh-its-quirky-aads/707551664

Additionnal informatio
on:
You mayy read an inteeresting new
ws article in this
t context through
t the above link.

What wee have seen above

a in Imaage 1 is a case of creativve imaginatioon whereby an advertiseement
is producced. Produccing somethiing may alsso be understood as creeating someething. We must, m
thereforee, utilize our skills in an optimized manner
m in orrder to produuce any creaative piece – be it
a painting, a book orr an advertissement. At thhe same time, this newlyy produced thing t ought to be
new; othherwise theree is no creaativity in it. Creative esssentially means somethhing that is new,
whereby innovative ideas are generated. Innovation and imaginnation go hand h in hannd in
creativityy. What is eventually
e prroduced at the
t end is a work of arrt. This workk of art couuld be
anything – a new dissh that you prepared,
p a new
n song thaat you wrote,, a new stylee of wearingg your
scarf, a new
n book thaat you are reading, or anyything.

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 Thinking of the Box

Thus, creativity is how best we can generate any work of art that is original, with whatever
expertise we have, along with imagination. It is very difficult to define creativity in strict terms
since each definition focuses on some particular aspects of creativity. There is a lot of
subjectivity involved in defining creativity. Experts from different fields may define creativity
according to their specific points of focus. We will now look at a few ways in which creativity
may be defined. You need to remember that creativity is essential in every field. Therefore, the
way in which we understand creativity also differs in each context.

Poetry involves creativity where imagination plays a very important role. You may read the
poem below by William Wordsworth (1770-1850) and see how the poet uses imagination to
create a beautiful poem about a beautiful evening. Here, creativity has an aesthetic appeal.

It is a beauteous evening, calm and free,

The holy time is quiet as a Nun
Breathless with adoration; the broad sun
Is sinking down in its tranquility;
The gentleness of heaven broods o'er the Sea;
Listen! the mighty Being is awake,
And doth with his eternal motion make
A sound like thunder—everlastingly.
Dear child! dear Girl! that walkest with me here,
If thou appear untouched by solemn thought,
Thy nature is not therefore less divine:
Thou liest in Abraham's bosom all the year;
And worshipp'st at the Temple's inner shrine,
God being with thee when we know it not.
Source – https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45524/it-is-a-beauteous-evening-calm-and-
free
Additional information:
William Wordsworth was an English Romantic poet who emphasized on the role of imagination
in poetry. “It is a beauteous evening, calm and free” is a sonnet by William Wordsworth written
in August 1802. This poem was first published in the collection Poems, in Two Volumes in
1807.
Try reading more poems by different poets to understand creativity in poetry.

Psychologists, on the other hand, view creativity in a slightly different manner. Their emphasis is
more on thinking differently so that it helps in problem solving. Problem solving is another soft
skill which you are aware of.

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Learning to be
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Creativity is defined as the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities
that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves
and others.

This definition of creativity is taken from Human Motivation, 3rd edition, by Robert E. Franken
(p. 396). This definition of creativity is very different from the way in which Wordsworth used it
to write his poem. However, on a deeper analysis, you may find that they have an underlying
relationship of thinking or perceiving things differently.

Additional Information:
Human Motivation, 3rd edition, by Robert E. Franken discusses various aspects of human
behavior, and analyses how creativity helps in motivating human beings. You may like to read it
and explore.

When we are speaking of organizations, creativity appears to us in another connotative sense.

For entrepreneurs, creativity is closer to innovation and production. It also refers to looking for a
creative solution, as well as the possibilities of turning innovative ideas into a profitable solution.
C. Bilton discusses creativity that empowers the entrepreneur to respond to increasing
globalization and technology so that one may facilitate competitive advantage for the
organization, and promote innovation and business growth.

Check your progress 2

1 Can you now ‘create’ your own definition of creativity? Try it out!

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2 What role does skill and imagination play in creativity?
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1.3 PARAMETERS TO UNDERSTAND CREATIVITY

Let us now try to understand the idea of creativity in some more detail. We will be looking at all
parameters that may be taken together to understand creativity. When we were attempting a
definition of creativity in the previous section, we referred to the use of skill.Appropriate skill
would certainly refer to a balance where all efforts towards creating somethingare incorporated
in the optimum amount. It could be the right amount of innovativeness, or even the right time.
This carefulsense of balancemakes the final outcome to be appreciated.

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 Thinking of the Box

A poet may write poetry for one’s own satisfaction; but one may also write in order to earn a
living. Advertisements are created so that a product’s sale goes up, or an employee may put to
use an innovative business idea so that the organization prospers. Therefore, the element of profit
or growth cannot be seen as unrelated to the idea of creativity. This can only happen when the
aesthetic outcome has a larger appeal, and is not limited to an individual’s liking or preference.
What we may do for our own selves is also creative in the same manner as the notion of using
creativity to earn profit. We cannot overrule one in favour of the other.

Creativity involves thinking out-of-the-box, that is, how an ordinary thing can be looked at from
a different and new lens. This involves a thought process that is not lateral thinking alone. In
other words, in order to create something different, one has to also think differently. Here we
may use another term to understand creativity. We may say that creativity involves divergent
thinking. This refers to a thought process that involves perceiving things from different points of
view, or looking for multiple solutions to a given problem. It is the opposite of convergent
thinking that looks forward to only one solution, or thinking from only one perspective.

Image 2 – Divergent Thinking

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This figure in Image 2 can be seen as a visual representation of divergent thinking. It indicates
how divergent thinking allows the human mind to understand and explore multiple perspectives,
and look for multiple solutions to a problem.

Now that we have understood creativity from various perspectives, let us identify the key
indicators of creativity:

- New or novel idea

- Skill or talent
- Imagination
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Appropriate or balanced
- Thinking out-of-the-box

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Learning to be
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- Innovation
- Production
- Divergent thinking
- Originality

New or
novel idea

Skill or
Originality
talent

Divergent
Imagination
thinking

CREATIVIT
Y

Aestheticall
Production
y pleasing

Appropriate
Innovation or
balanced
Thinking
out-of-the-
box

Image 3

Image 3 sums up the idea of creativity, emphasizing the fact that creativity cannot be defined in
any one way, or in any rigid terms. Creativity in itself has multiple facets. It is evident that the
idea of divergent thinking is embedded in creativity.

Check your progress 3

1 How is divergent thinking different from convergent thinking?

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 Thinking of the Box

2 What are the key indicators of creativity?

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1.4 CREATIVITY AS A SOFT SKILL

We have already discussed how creativity involves the use of skill; we shall now discuss how
creativity becomes a soft skill. Since creativity as a skill involves thinking out-of-the-box, it
deals with how an individual incorporates the thought processes in ways that are different from
those of the others. Creativity has become an important concept in the last several decades. This
is just not a concept that is used interchangeably with thinking out-of-the-box and innovation in
the field of management or in organizations, but has a major role to play in the field of education
as well. The emphasis on creativity as the highest order of cognition (or function of thought) has
been introduced by Anderson and Krathwohl in their attempt to revise Bloom’s Cognitive
Taxonomy in 2001. The original work byBenjamin Bloom and others in 1956 attempted to
define the functions of thought, or cognition. This taxonomy, popularly known as Bloom’s
Taxonomy, that is almost 60 years old, was revised in 2000-2001. The shift from evaluative
learning as the highest cognitive or knowledge category, was replaced by creativity. As such,
acquiring knowledge was no longer considered to culminate with the evaluation of knowledge,
but with creation of further knowledge.

Anderson and Krathwohl perceived a shift from concrete knowledge to abstract knowledge. This
shift was made possible with the introduction of creativity. Concrete knowledge would deal with
factual and conceptual knowledge; while abstract knowledge would emphasize on procedural
and metacognitive knowledge. These levels of knowledge were indicated in Bloom’s original
work of 1956, but it only discussed the three kinds – factual, conceptual, and procedural. In the
revised version, metacognitive knowledge was added to the knowledge types.

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Learning to be
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Image 4 – Bloom’s Taxonomy and Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

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Image 4 discusses the taxonomies of the cognitive domain by bringing forth the differences
between Bloom’s Taxonomy of 1956 and the revised version of it by Anderson and Krathwohl in
2001.

1.4.1 Levels of Knowledge

Let us understand how the Knowledge Dimensions were defined in Bloom’s Taxonomy and in
the revised version in the 21st century, and highlight the distinctions between them. It may be
noted that the first three levels were identified in the original work of 1956, but was not
elaborated upon much while initially discussing the uses of the taxonomy. The fourth level was
added in the revised version, while elaborate discussion was carried out on all four levels of
knowledge as well.

The Knowledge Dimension:

Factual Knowledge – The basic elements students must know to be acquainted with a discipline
or solve problems in it.

Conceptual Knowledge – The interrelationships among the basic elements within a larger
structure that enable them to function together.

Procedural Knowledge – How to do something, methods of inquiry, and criteria for using skills,
algorithms, techniques, and methods.

Metacognitive Knowledge – Knowledge of cognition in general as well as awareness and

knowledge of one's own cognition. (Anderson and Krathwohl, 29)

Check your progress 4

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 Thinking of the Box

1 What is the role of creativity in the revised Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives?

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2 Describe Knowledge Dimensions in about 80-100 words.

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1.4.2Understanding Domains of Knowledge

When we attempt to understand this classification of the different levels of knowledge in some
details, you will see how thinking creatively and constructively is extremely essential. Factual
Knowledge refers to the knowledge that is basic to specific disciplines. This dimension refers to
essential facts, terminology, details or elements students must know or be familiar with, in order
to understand a discipline or solve a problem in it. This knowledge emphasizes on information,
terminologies and specific details.This is the basic premise of any knowledge classification. The
next step, Conceptual Knowledge, is the knowledge of classifications, categories, principles,
generalizations, theories,models, and structures that are pertinent to a particular disciplinary
area.In Procedural Knowledge, the focus is primarily on subject-specific skills and algorithms,
techniques and methods, and the knowledge of criteria for determining when to use appropriate
procedures. It refers to methods of inquiry, and veryspecific or finite skills, in a discipline or an
area of study. This is skill-based knowledge and the application of this skill-based knowledge.

It may be observed that the levels of knowledge that are applicable in the field of education, can,
by way of extension, also be used to understand factual, conceptual and skill-based knowledge
within an organization.These would refer to the hard skills that an individual requires to acquire
in order to perform the given job or the professional role that one is expected to execute. These
hard skills can be acquired by anyone who is diligent and hardworking. However, the output for
this would be the same in every case. To this, we may now add what is known as Metacognitive
Knowledge. This is a strategic or reflective knowledge about cognitive tasks that employ
thinking in a constructive manner. It also includes appropriate conte1tual and conditional
knowledge. The most significant aspect of Metacognitive Knowledge is self-knowledge. It
entails the awareness of one’s own cognition (understanding) and particular cognitive processes
(application of the understanding). This is possible only when one applies divergent thinking

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Learning to be
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processes, or is capable of thinking-out-of-the-box. In other words, this is where creativity comes

into play. With the introduction of divergent thinking, this becomes a soft skill. It means thinking
about one’s thought process in a meaningful manner so that one is aware of one’s cognition and
also knows how to regulate one’scognition. This cognitive domain works in close relationship to
the actions one performs and the manner in which it is reflected upon the individual, or how the
individual respond to it.

Check your progress 5

1 Discuss the significance of Metacognitive Knowledge and its relationship to creativity.

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1.4.3 Establishing Creativity as a Soft Skill

Let us now closely look at the traditional domains of learning – cognitive, affective and
psychomotor. Each of these domains has a taxonomy associated with it. Categories of the
cognitive process dimension in these taxonomies have become an integral part of knowledge and
learning processes. Taxonomies of the cognitive have been explored by Bloom and others, where
the revised taxonomy of the cognitive domain by Anderson and Krathwohlintroduced ‘creating’
as the highest form of knowledge. Therefore, we can say that creativity is an essential part of the
domain of knowledge.Creativity requires a balance between all domains of learning.

Image 5 – Traditional Domains of Learning

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 Thinking of the Box

Look at Image 5 carefully. The three domains of learning have been shown. Please observe that
the three domains overlap, and this merging of all three domains are essential for an individual’s
holistic development. Cognitive Domain refers to knowledge that is based on thinking. Affective
Domain refers to the attitude of the individual that is based on feeling. The final domain is that of
Psychomotor Domain. This domain refers to the skills that an individual possesses, and is
reflected through the actions performed.

The affective domain of learning is value-based, and is dependent on humanistic knowledge.

These values could be applicable to the work skills of an individual, as well as life skills (or, soft
skills). It also takes into cognizance ethical and emotional awareness, which would again refer to
an individual’s soft skills. Another parameter of the affective domain is cultural competence,
which is again associated with soft skills. Therefore, this domain of learning caters to developing
one’s soft skills.

The psychomotor domain of learning is related to the act of doing or executing the learning
acquired. Traditionally, this domain referred to the physical encoding of information. In the 21st
century learning process, this act of doing something may be viewed as meta-knowledge where
communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, innovation and creativity
become extremely important. No action is possible to represent itself in a better manner unless it
has the elements of innovation and creativity.

Therefore, it may be rightly justified that creativity plays an exremely significant role in the
growth and development of an individual, and hence becomes one of the most noteworthy
components of soft skills that an individual may develop.

Check your progress 6

1 Explain the domains of learning with emphasis on the aspect of creativity.

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2 Do you think creativity is a soft skill? Give reasons for your answer.

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Learning to be
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1.5 MEASURING CREATIVITY

Creative attitude and creative-thinking skills, both are very important. We have already discussed
that. If creativity has so much significance, then a question naturally comes up – can creativity be
measured? The term ‘measuring creativity’ sounds like an oxymoron. However, for
psychologists, measuring creativity is a science, and there are ways in which it may be measured.

Three main ways of measuring creativity have been proposed by psychologists – the creativity
quotient (CQ), psychometrics, and the social-personality approach. It was earlier believed that
measuring creativity by a quotient would be similar to an IQ. For most of the 20th century,
psychologists believed that IQ and creativity were linked: a high IQ meant high creativity, and
conversely, a lower IQ meant lower creativity. However, researchers managed to test creativity
by employing imagination and open-mindedness to various options.

In 1967, J.P. Guilford, the pioneer of creative psychology, developed a test to measure divergent
thinking, calling it Guilford’s Alternative Uses Task. This ‘divergence test’ considered the
uniqueness of a response and analyzed how people understood different concepts. In his
psychological model called the “Structure of Intellect,” Guilford used a technique to separate
creative thinking skills from other skills. Subsequently he identified two distinct forms of
thinking: divergent thinking and convergent thinking.

Guilford devised four measures of a person’s divergent production to measure creativity. These
are:

Fluency
Flexibility
Originality
Elaboration

The Guilford approach may not be comprehensive in measuring creativity, but he made an
attempt tomeasure the Creativity Quotient.

Another way to measure the outcomes of creative actions is through a psychometric evaluation
of an individual. The psychometric method uses questionnaires to measure people’s skills,
character traits, attitudes and thought processes. One such example is the 2005-questionnaire
used for trying to understand creativity, known as the Creative Achievement Questionnaire
(CAQ). This questionnaire requires respondents to rate their achievements in the creative
domains.This could be considered an appropriate way of measuring creative outcomes because
people know how creative they are. However, it is difficult to assess creativity in a rational,
honest and accurate manner.

The social-personality approach attempts to measure creativity by measuring other personality

factors and claiming that these are parts of creativity.

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 Thinking of the Box

However, in order to measure how creative a person is, the Guilford Model has been used quite
effectively. Divergent thinking is associated with creative thoughts, while convergent thinking is
commonly associated with IQ tests.Guilford’s pioneering work led others to identify and
measure creative thinking. Psychologist E. Paul Torrance built on Guilford’s research,
developing the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) that attempt to psychometrically
measure divergent thinking, and other problem-solving skills. His scoring of answers included
the four factors developed by Guilford – originality, fluency, flexibility, elaboration – plus two
additional factors: abstractness of titles and resistance to premature closure.Other psychology
researchers took an interest in designing and developing tests and scales to identify, rate, and
predict creativity, especially by means of personality tests of creativity that involve self-
assessments or self-reporting of creativity.Psychologists using the test to measure creativity
focus on the ‘openness to experience’ trait.

Artistic assessments aim to assess artistic products, such as a short story, a painting, and apiece
of music, building design, and the like. Experts rate and judge the products.This type of
assessment is considered domain-specific,that is, creativity is not considered a general skill. Here
creative thinking is seen across multiple subjects or areas, but specific to a particular discipline
or domain.A test developed by Harvard psychology researcher Teresa Amabile called the
Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT) attempts to measure and assess domain-specific
creativity.

Check your progress 7

1 Discuss briefly the ways in which creativity may be measured.

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1.6 LEARNING CREATIVITY

We have discussed certain theoretical models with you that will help you to understand the
importance of creativity in your personal life as well as at your workplace. Now let us discuss
whether creativity can actually be taught and learnt. This will certainly help you emerge as a
thinking creative person and can bring about a change which will impact your professional life
for the better.

An exhaustive study was done to assess that creativity training programmes help in the
professional development of individuals in an article published in 2004, titled “The Effectiveness
of Creativity Training: A Quantitative Review” by GinamarieScott, et al. They discussed some
of the ways in which creativity may be taught, is by encouraging learners to use new vocabulary,
engaging in divergent thinking activities, participating in problem solving, and working towards
one’s behavioral and attitudinal aspects of personality.

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Learning to be
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Teresa M. Amabile in her article “How to Kill Creativity” published in the Harvard Business
Review in September-October 1998discusses the three components of creativity through the
image given below. She posits thatcreativity is a combination of expertise in the area
(knowledge), motivation that can inspire, and creative-thinking (imagination). The three
components together would help an individual to learn creativity.

Image 6 – Components of Learning Creativity

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Creativity has become the buzzword in recent times. By now, you must have already realized
that. In a 2010 IBM global survey of more than 1500 CEOs from 60 countries and 33 industries
worldwide, creativity was selected as the most crucial factor for future success. In the last
decade, the demand for creativity in every sphere has increased manifold.

According to an analysis by LinkedIn in 2020, ‘creativity’ is the most in-demand soft skill in the
world for the second year in a row. LinkedIn analyzed thousands of job postings to determine the
skills that companies need the most. Their analysis reveals that creative skills can help
employees to retain their jobs, and not be displaced by automated technology.Deanna Pate
observes that creativity is a skill that workers in every industry need, in the LinkedIn Learning
blog. She further writes, “Organizations need people who can creatively approach problems and
tasks across all business roles, from software engineering to HR. Focus on honing your ability to
bring new ideas to the table in 2020.”

Learning creativitydoes not mean that you start learning completely new things. There are a lot
of hidden talents and potential in you that you may start honing. Creativity is about unraveling
and enhancing the creative intelligence that you already have, but perhaps you haven’t explored
enough.

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 Thinking of the Box

Rebecca Shambaugh in an article for the Harvard Business Review in 2019 observes that
creativity is in such high demand because it helps both individuals and organizations achieve
their goals. She further posits that leaders need talent who can identify better ways to solve
problems, and concludes, “The goal of getting your team to think beyond the box is a no-brainer,
but figuring out how to actually achieve greater group innovation isn’t. As a leader, it’s
important to approach making this happen just as you would any other management challenge:
creatively.”

Therefore, in today’s world, learning creativity and being creative is the most important soft skill
for all. You must start thinking out-of-the-box!

Check your progress 8

1 Do you think creativity can be taught? Give three reasons in support of your answer.
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2 How can you cultivate creativity?

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1.7 APPLYING CREATIVITY

We have discussed in detail all parameters that define creativity, and why this skill is so
important for us in today’s time. Let us see how we can apply creativity in our work, in our life,
in our surroundings. You may apply some of the given ideas and suggestions so that you can
become creative, and apply creativity in whatever you do.
Learning to be creative and applying creativity:

1. Think freely: Never think that your ideas are not worth it.
2. Explore: Look out for all possibilities.
3. Imagine: Unless you can imagine, you cannot become creative.
4. Stop self-editing: Let your ideas flow freely. That will ensure more avenues.
5. Be confident: You must have confidence and conviction in your ideas.
6. Do not imitate: We all have different ways in which we explore our creativity.

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Learning to be
Creative

7. Be original: Creativity hinges on originality.

8. Look for alternatives: The more you look for different solutions; you will be able to think
out-of-the-box.
9. Don’t give up: If you are not able to think immediately, do not give up. Sometimes ideas
take time to develop.
10. Relax: All creative thinkers have faced creative blocks. It is normal. Do not stress
because you cannot think right now.

These may be seen as some simple tips and suggestions which may help you to apply creativity
in your professional and personal life.

Check your progress 9

1. Discuss the 5 most important things that would make you creative. Why do you think
these 5 points are more important than the other points?

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1.8 LET US SUM UP

In this Unit, we have looked at importance of creativity and how we can aspire to be creative. Let
us sum up the important points:

1. Imagination is very closely related to the idea of creativity.

2. Creativity involves in using one’s skill in an innovative way.

3. Creative essentially means something that is new, whereby innovative ideas are
generated. Innovation and imagination go hand in hand in creativity.

4. Creativity involves thinking out-of-the-box, that is, how an ordinary thing can be looked
at from a different and new lens.
5. The key indicators of creativity are new or novel ideas, skill or talent, imagination,
aesthetically pleasing, appropriate or balanced, thinking out-of-the-box, innovation,
production, divergent thinking, and originality.

6. The emphasis on creativity as the highest order of cognition (or function of thought) has
been introduced by Anderson and Krathwohl in their attempt to revise Bloom’s Cognitive
Taxonomy in 2001.

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 Thinking of the Box

7. The four Knowledge Dimensions are Factual Knowledge, Conceptual Knowledge,

Procedural Knowledge and Metacognitive Knowledge.

8. The most significant aspect of Metacognitive Knowledge is self-knowledge. It entails the

awareness of one’s own cognition (understanding) and particular cognitive processes
(application of the understanding). This is possible only when one applies divergent
thinking processes, or is capable of thinking-out-of-the-box. In other words, this is where
creativity comes into play. With the introduction of divergent thinking, this becomes a
soft skill.

9. Creativity requires a balance between all domains of learning.

10. The traditional domains of learning are Cognitive Domain, Affective Domain and
Psychomotor Domain.

11. Three main ways of measuring creativity have been proposed by the psychologists – the
creativity quotient (CQ), psychometrics, and the social-personality approach.

12. J. P. Guilford devised four measures of a person’s divergent production to measure

creativity. These are – Fluency, Flexibility, Originality and Elaboration. The Guilford
approach may not be comprehensive in measuring creativity, but he made an attempt to
measure the Creativity Quotient.

13. Expertise in the area (knowledge), motivation that can inspire, and creative-thinking
(imagination), are the three components taken together that would help an individual to
learn creativity.

14. According to an analysis by LinkedIn in 2020, ‘creativity’ is the most in-demand soft
skill in the world for the second year in a row.

1.9 SUGGESTED READINGS

Anderson, L. W. & Krathwohl, D.R., et al.A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching and Assessing: A
Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Longman, 2001.

Bilton, C. Management and Creativity: From Creative Industries to

CreativeManagement.Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2007.

Bloom, B. S. Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals.

New York: Longmans, Green, 1956.

Dev, Anjana Neira, Anuradha Marwah and Swati Pal. Creative Writing: A Beginner’s Manual.
New Delhi, India: Pearson, 2009.ISBN 9788131719848.

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Learning to be
Creative
Franken, Robert E. Human Motivation. 3rd edition. California: Brooks/Cole Publishing
Company, 1994. ISBN9780534156121.

Scott, Ginamarie,Lyle E. Leritz, and Michael D. Mumford. “The Effectiveness of Creativity

Training: A Quantitative Review.”Creativity Research Journal. Ed. Mark A. Runco. Vol. 16,
No. 4. United States: Routledge, 2004.361–388.

Internet Resources

Amabile, Teresa M. “How to Kill Creativity.” Harvard Business Review September–October

1998. https://hbr.org/1998/09/how-to-kill-creativity

Pate, Deanna (Lazaro). “The Top Skills Companies Need Most in 2020—And How to Learn
Them.” LinkedIn Learning Blog. January 13, 2020.
https://www.linkedin.com/business/learning/blog/top-skills-and-courses/the-skills-companies-
need-most-in-2020and-how-to-learn-them

Shambaugh, Rebecca. “How to Unlock Your Team’s Creativity.” Harvard Business Review.
January 31, 2019. https://hbr.org/2019/01/how-to-unlock-your-teams-creativity

1.10 ANSWERS AND HINTS

Check your progress 1

1. (Hint) you can think about all those qualities that make you different and stand apart
from others.

Check your progress 2

2. Creativity involves a skill – it could be any skill that can be explored. All of us possess some
skill, some expertise, some talent, and that needs to be applied and explored in an
appropriate manner. Creativity involves using one’s skill in an innovative way. Imagination
is the most crucial component of creativity. Without imagination, no creative ideas can
flourish. We must utilize our skills in an optimized manner in order to produce any creative
piece. Creative essentially means something that is new, whereby innovative ideas are
generated. Innovation and imagination go hand in hand in creativity.

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 Thinking of the Box

Check your progress 3

1. Divergent thinking refers to a thought process that involves perceiving things from
different points of view, or looking for multiple solutions to a given problem. It is the opposite of
convergent thinking that looks forward to only one solution, or thinking from only one
perspective.

2. The key indicators of creativity are new or novel ideas, skill or talent, imagination,
aesthetically pleasing, appropriate or balanced, thinking out-of-the-box, innovation, production,
divergent thinking, and originality.

Check your progress 4

1. (Hint) The emphasis on creativity as the highest order of cognition (or function of
thought) has been introduced by Anderson and Krathwohl in their attempt to revise Bloom’s
Cognitive Taxonomy in 2001. You may elaborate on this.

Check your progress 5

1. (Hint) The most significant aspect of Metacognitive Knowledge is self-knowledge. When

one applies divergent thinking processes, or is capable of thinking-out-of-the-box, creativity
comes into play. You may elaborate on this.

Check your progress 6

1. Taxonomies of the cognitive have been explored by Bloom and others, where the revised
taxonomy of the cognitive domain by Anderson and Krathwohlintroduced ‘creating’ as
the highest form of knowledge. Therefore, we can say that creativity is an essential part
of the domain of knowledge. Creativity requires a balance between all domains of
learning. You may elaborate on this.

Check your progress 7

1. Three main ways of measuring creativity have been proposed by the psychologists – the
creativity quotient (CQ), psychometrics, and the social-personality approach. You may
elaborate on this.

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