Creative thinking techniques : factors that impinge the usability among Indian professionals

Abstract

Edward de Bono affirms that creativity as a skill needs to be practiced deliberately. Transfer is a key concept in adult learning theories because most education and training aspires to transfer, in that the end goals of training and education are not achieved unless transfer occurs. Therefore an important question that needs to be addressed is how can creativity as a skill be gained through training, and transferred to the workplace. It is against this background that this study was done to explore employees' views on the practical application of creative thinking tools designed by Edward de Bono and factors likely to impinge on the individual application of the tools. Therefore this research is concerned with studying 'things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to then:' This study therefore adopted a. qualitative methodology and was done in phases which included a situational analysis and in-depth interviews using an interview guide. The study was conducted in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state that serves as a broad industry base. The city is the fourth largest city in India and is the second largest exporter of software, information technology (IT) and base for car manufacturers. The data has been thematically analysed and presented. The themes emerge under the broad categories of individual and organizational factors which influence creativity, creative learning on Edward De Bono’s six thinking hats method and transfer of creativity training to the wok environment. The findings help reveal practical insights (individual perceptions) on the usefulness of the method (Six Thinking Hats) and the factors that influence and impinge on transfer of creative thinking within the organization under study. The broad themes under which this study has been analysed are Perceptions of one's own creativity, Perceptions of. Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats, usefulness and applicability of training of the use of six thinking hats at on the individual as well as work place and facilitators and barriers that influence transfer of learning post training. The study also captures suggestions on how to strengthen the existing training and promote further such training in organizations.