CREATIVITY AND THE LEARNING CULTURE
by Martha G. White
The creation of a learning culture and the enhancement of human creativity are two
preeminent topics in the world today. Leaders in business and government world-wide know
that the solutions to pressing economic, social and political problems lie not in
yesterday's thinking and behavior, but in entirely new ways of seeing, perceiving and
behaving. Learning and creativity are inseparable components of any successful enterprise.
So, how do we go about "being creative"? And how do we find a blueprint with
which to build a learning culture - in our business organizations, our political and
educational systems - in ourselves? Creativity, clearly,
will not flourish in an environment which is not dedicated to change. Learning,
therefore, is a critical issue.
Before we can begin to even think about building an environment conducive to learning,
we need to ask some important questions. Questions such as: What does it mean "to
learn"? What is a learner? How does a learner feel, think, behave? What is it that we
are seeking to learn? Why are we seeking to learn? We need to ask these questions of
ourselves, individually, and of our organizations.
Webster's defines learning as "knowledge acquired by systematic study in any field
or fields of scholarly application" or "the act or process of acquiring
knowledge or skill". Such definitions of learning may have served us well in the
past, but these evolutionary times require new and expanded understanding. We cannot wait
for new knowledge to appear in scholarly form so that we can study in a systematic
fashion. Learning, now, must mean a greater ability to
process and synthesize new information -
information that leads, not backward to data, but forward to understanding and wisdom. The
accelerated rate at which change is occurring requires that human beings somehow become
capable of handling increasing complexity with a fluidity and appetite for constant
discovery instead of a need to categorize and control.
A learner, then, understands the paradox that, in order to know, we
must suspend what we think we know in honor of what we might learn. Mature
learners are able to hold a hypothesis, to explore new territory and entertain new ideas
without immediate and constant judgment. And they are able to feel ambivalent and
ambiguous without becoming frightened and angry. They have the intelligence, courage and
grace to try something new, to appreciate and build on favorable outcomes and to celebrate
the new knowledge generated by what they once referred to as mistakes or failures. All of
this requires a tremendous adjustment in our ways of thinking, behaving and relating.
Now that we have some understanding of what a learner is, the next question we must ask
is: What is it that we want to learn? In the past, learning has centered around individual
study and research related to specific subject areas. So, do we want to learn more about
the specifics of running our business, doing our work? If so, then historically what we
really have been talking about is training, not creative learning. Job training has been,
is now, and will continue to be important, but we must not confuse the two. Training has
to do with the "what" of special case phenomena, such as becoming computer
literate or becoming an accountant.
Creative learning, however, has to do with the "why" of general case
phenomena and learning how to question and how to learn. Why does a chaotic system also
contain its own order? Why do people behave as they do? How can one predict change and
what that change will entail? Why do we need to learn how to learn? Creative
learners, with their expanded vision, have a larger "window" through which they
view their work and their world. They know that new knowledge and insight
can come from a myriad of subject areas and, sometimes, from the most surprising sources.
They want to learn and understand the dynamics of creativity in order to be able to
participate in the world in a more meaningful and powerful way.
Creative learners recognize that no one individual, regardless of his or her
intelligence, education or dedication to learning, can hope to deliver all the kinds of
insights, actions and answers necessary for participation in today's rapidly changing
world. They find that the greatest learning takes place collaboratively, that the whole is
greater than the sum of its parts, and that synergy, the energy generated by the
interaction of individuals and groups, is one of the most powerful forces available to
humankind. Synergy is a hugely creative force. It takes all of our personal attributes and
cultural agreements and artifacts and produces completely unexpected, higher-order
knowledge, understanding, opportunities and outcomes. This means that within an
organization, the fastest, most reliable and useful knowledge and information come from
the exceptional clarity, energy and wisdom born of collaborative exploration and
participation.
The hardest work of all is at hand. Now we are called upon to learn, understand and
value differences, because it is in the union of differences
that true brilliance and creativity are born. Historically, differences
have been understood as "the enemy", something to conquer. Differing and
opposing voices within us cause great discomfort. Differences between us cause great
impatience. Our refusal to learn from these incongruities and oppositions, and our
unwillingness to integrate them into our common intelligence, sabotage our ability to
create lasting solutions to our mutual problems. They rob us of beneficent new ways of
experiencing abundant and joyful life. The union of differences is the foundation, the
seed bed from which new ideas and creations are generated. Only when we can truly honor,
appreciate, use and incorporate our differences will we be heir to the creative power and
synergy we so desire. Therein lies the secret to
collaborative intelligence. It is the unification of differences unavailable to individual
intelligence.
Learning to learn, individually and collaboratively, becomes, then, the answer to the
question: "What are we seeking to learn?" We seek to learn how to learn,
together and separately, so that our combined intelligence and wisdom will be available
for our constant use. And this means that not only must we become masters at creating
collective intelligence and synergy, we must also discover the means to communicate with
one another in the simplest and most meaningful ways and to disseminate new knowledge
throughout the culture on a continuous basis. Thanks to an ever-increasingly global
culture, businesses and organizations are multi-national, multi-cultural and multi-lingual
and it will take more than good computer technology to
effectively communicate with and understand one another.
Having answered the question, "what?", learners find that they are forced to ask a much deeper question, "why?" Why do we want to learn? The answers usually have much more to do with the heart than with the logical mind. Learning and creativity always have to do with something new and, in the end, are seen as one and the same. The study of creativity inevitably leads to the desire to know and understand human consciousness and the possibilities open to humanity for participation in the evolution of our species and the life of the universe. If we keep asking ourselves why we want to learn, we will eventually answer in the most fundamental way, from the essence of our being. The urge to discover, to learn and to create anew is an innate part of every living thing. We want to learn because we are here, because we must learn and grow or we will cease to live in the most complete sense of being alive and never fulfill our true destinies as individuals or as a species. When, and only when, our culture becomes truly creative and and open to learning will we be able to grow and thrive. Once we have become wide-eyed learners aware of the unlimited potential which openness and collaborative learning provide, we will fall in love with life and with one another in a new way. Finally free, unashamed and unafraid, we can embark on a journey toward our true nature and identity: powerful, beneficent co-creators of our lives, our work and our world.
This article appeared in the September, 1994 issue of the British
publication, The Learning Organization ©
1997
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