Creative thinking for social interventions : if social workers are taught Dr. de Bono's six thinking hats technique will they be more creative in the social work interviewing process?

Abstract

This exploratory qualitative research study endeavors to shed light on whether social work practitioners who are exposed to creative thinking techniques will be more creative in their everyday practice interventions and what can be done to enhance their creative potential. In an attempt to understand and explain creativity a comprehensive literature review is presented on the differing major theoretical perspectives on creativity. The implicit relationship between creativity and social work practice interventions is then highlighted. Creativity is established as one of the main ingredients for effective social work practice. This research study suggests that special steps need to be taken to enhance social work practitioners' ability to perform more creatively during the interviewing process. It is suggested that teaching creativity techniques is simply not enough. If social work practitioners are to transfer their creative knowledge and skills to practice situations a number of organisational barriers that hinder creativity need to be addressed. Ultimately, this research study attempts to draw attention to those factors that will either encourage or hinder social service practitioners from being creative in the interviewing process. The findings that emerge from this research study suggest that there is a link between the organisational environment, intrinsic motivation and creativity. The dissertation concludes by proposing recommendations that would help promote the fostering of creativity in social work practice interventions.