The significance of a creative mindset is increasingly recognized as an invaluable and highly sought-after skill in today’s world, whether in entrepreneurship, scientific discovery, artistic expression, leadership, or adapting to the evolving demands of the modern workforce. Possessing a creative mindset makes you a standout contributor to any innovative project, serving both as an intentional catalyst for transformation and a responsive approach to change. Creativity is essential for tackling significant and intricate global challenges like poverty, conflicts, limited healthcare access, educational disparities, and climate change, which demand multifaceted solutions that are not always apparent through conventional approaches. If we want a better future, we need to imagine it first.
This hands-on research project is dedicated to designing a framework and training program for cultivating a creative mindset. We are working to build a solid foundation of insights on the skills, perspectives, and approaches associated with a forward-thinking mindset. How can we increase curiosity and nurture a culture that embraces a ‘beginner’s mindset’ questing for discovery? And how do we then propel that curiosity in human creativity, innovation, personal development, and societal problem solving?
The research project spans multiple years, with each year segmented into distinct research tasks distributed across semesters. This structured approach ensures that all Research Assistants (RAs) receive comprehensive exposure to the topic area and develops research skills tailored to each semester’s tasks.
In first part of the project, in-depth literature reviews on ‘curiosity’ will be made followed by ‘the art of questioning’ to build a foundation of understanding and decide research directions without repeating previous research efforts. Together, we will engage in reflective analysis to uncover novel insights into the development of a creative mindset and identify key research questions while also compiling a literature repository.
Additionally, this project will incorporate pilot studies as foundation for larger-scale investigations. Based on established literature, RAs will engage in reflective discussions leading to the formulation of interview questions and pilot surveys, as well as the identification of potential target groups for pilot studies. Pilot data will be collected and analyzed and these studies will serve as a trial phase that enables us to refine our methodologies in preparation for larger and broader-scale investigations later in the project.
Selected relevant publications
- Mangnus, A. C., Oomen, J., Vervoort, J. M., & Hajer, M. A. (2021). Futures literacy and the diversity of the future. Futures, 132, 102793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2021.102793
- Immordino-Yang, M. H. (2016). Emotions, learning, and the brain: Exploring the educational implications of affective neuroscience (First edition). W.W. Norton & Company. Abstract here
- Futures Literacy | UNESCO. (n.d.). https://www.unesco.org/en/futures-literacy
Related Discipline(s)
This course would also be of interest to the following discipline(s):Advertising, Leadership Studies, Philosophy
