Creativity as a Learnable Skill for Development and Management
Saturday, 03 September 2011 08:42
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Our desire not be boxed in has lead to us being one of the first organisations to promote creativity as a learnable skill. We are unashamedly fans of Edward De Bono. De Bono and other champions of creativity feel that critical thinking within Western education often overshadows creative thinking. Gamos has observed that in participatory programmes, there is a prevailing assumption that if poor communities are encouraged to analyse their situations through reflection tools such as group discussion, mapping, wealth ranking, seasonal calendars, etc, that a creative solution will arise from within the community. There is a prevailing assumption that a natural creativity will rise to the surface if the situation is analysed to a sufficient level. And yet creativity is a learnable skill. Communities trained in analysis AND creativity implement actions that are more innovative and have a greater degree of anticipation about future contextual changes resulting in more sustainable actions.

We advocate comprehensive thinking, both critical (analytical) and creative. Our desire not to box specific tools has lead to us being one of the first organisations to move De Bono's six-colour hat thinking from the human resources box out into fieldwork. Gamos now undertakes training of organisations at every level (management to field workers to volunteers) in creativity as a learnable skill.