Page 83 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 02 11/20/02 11:37 AM Page 72
72 The Creative Training Idea Book
solutions to organizational issues. This is often the result of their belief that there is
opportunity for implementation and reward of such efforts. On the other hand, if there
is an atmosphere of strict control where supervisors or others dictate content and de-
livery style, then creativity is usually limited.
Another potentially inhibiting factor within the organizational culture is the percent-
age of left- and right-brain thinkers. As you read in Chapter 1, people with right-brain
dominance often tend to think more about the bigger picture and are more abstract in
their thinking whereas left-brain dominance often leads to focus on specifics and
minutia. For that reason, organizations that traditionally have a large number of linear
thinkers (e.g., accounting, some associations, certain government agencies, legal firms,
and some types of technical companies) may be more prone to follow existing guidelines
or maintain the status quo. Although creativity does exist within such organizations,
and predominantly left-brain thinkers are capable of creative thinking, their efforts are
often directed at activities and processes that satisfy an issue or need that arises rather
than an unstructured attempt to spontaneously redesign training or other system. When
such attitudes carry over into your training sessions, participants may be hesitant to think
outside the box unless given specific directions or promised individual rewards.
Speaking of rewards, although they can encourage creativity (e.g., during brainstorm-
ing), they can also limit it. For example, if you provide small incentives for participant
responses or to the first person to offer and idea in your sessions, you may encourage
participation. If such rewards are not fairly and equitably distributed to many people,
however, the impact might be negative and counterproductive (see Chapter 10).

PUTTING YOUR BRAIN TO WORK: ACTIVITY
What are you currently doing in your organization or client organizations to ensure that training is a fluid
function where learning and exploration is encouraged?

What else could you do to encourage a creative learning environment?

Who can you enlist to assist you in increasing the creativity quotient in the organization and how will you
go about doing so?

Participant Attitude
Another factor potentially inhibiting creativity is the attitude that each participant
brings to the training environment. If your participants arrive excited about their im-
pending learning opportunity, they are more likely to become actively involved. On the
other hand, if participants are forced to attend training, or have not been adequately