Read Online You Majored in What? by Katharine Brooks - Free Book Online
Authors: Katharine Brooks
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employees, including their standard of living; the source of its products, including whether and how animals are used; geographic locations and climate; political conditions; shareholders; customers, and so forth.
How You Can Develop or Use the Systems Mindset
• You have already begun using a systems mindset : you used it when you created your Wandering Map in Chapter 2. Chaos theory is an example of a systems perspective.
• Begin noticing connections . How do seemingly disparate parts of your life connect to and influence one another? How do your classes connect? Why is what you learned in psychology helpful in your history class? How did observing your coach settle a rivalry within the team teach you a way to settle a conflict in your residence hall? Why is it important for you to understand someone else’s perspective or viewpoint?
• Look at the systems surrounding you . What organizations do you belong to or where have you worked? What kind of systems interact at your college or university? How many different departments or groups exist within the system? What are the outside influences? How could you apply a systems approach to better explain and understand conflicts or problems as well as apply new solutions?
• Take courses that allow you to study complex systems such as anthropology, economics, sociology, or political science, or interdisciplinary courses such as American studies, Asian studies, women’s studies, and so on, where you will examine societal problems like poverty or immigration. You know that topics like these can’t be studied from only one perspective and why it’s silly when a politician proposes a “simple” solution to a complex problem.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rank your use of the systems mindset?
If you were going to tell an employer about your strength in systems thinking, what example(s) would you use?
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MINDSET 2: THE CREATIVE MINDSET
Quick—answer this question: Are you creative?
How did you answer?
Why?
When I ask this question in classes, about 50 percent to 75 percent of the students raise their hands. When I ask the others why they don’t think they’re creative, they usually mention their lack of talent in music, writing, or the arts. But this is a myth and an extremely limited view of creativity. The truth is everyone is, and can be, creative. Creativity like any other mindset can be cultivated. You may recall the quote about creativity in Chapter 2 that said, “Creativity connects the unconnected.” Creativity is not only talent in the arts, it’s also the ability to view circumstances in a new way, to see what others don’t see, find a new solution to a problem, or develop a new product or idea. People who are creative question the status quo and wonder how it could be changed or improved. They ask questions such as What if . . .? or What else . . .? or How can we . . .?, any of which can lead to new ideas.
Another myth about creativity is the belief that we have to have unlimited time and/or money to be creative. We conjure up notions of the wonderful creative projects we could do if only we had all the time and money we needed. But research has shown that creativity actually thrives with moderate limitations (like deadlines or budgets) and decreases when unlimited resources of time and money are provided.
Why Would an Employer Care About Creative Thinking?
• Organizations need to grow and move forward to keep up with change, and creative people are invaluable to growth.
• Creative thinkers will help organizations stay ahead of the competition.
• Creative thinkers are the greatest source of innovation and new products.
• Creative thinkers will see solutions
How You Can Develop or Use the Systems Mindset
• You have already begun using a systems mindset : you used it when you created your Wandering Map in Chapter 2. Chaos theory is an example of a systems perspective.
• Begin noticing connections . How do seemingly disparate parts of your life connect to and influence one another? How do your classes connect? Why is what you learned in psychology helpful in your history class? How did observing your coach settle a rivalry within the team teach you a way to settle a conflict in your residence hall? Why is it important for you to understand someone else’s perspective or viewpoint?
• Look at the systems surrounding you . What organizations do you belong to or where have you worked? What kind of systems interact at your college or university? How many different departments or groups exist within the system? What are the outside influences? How could you apply a systems approach to better explain and understand conflicts or problems as well as apply new solutions?
• Take courses that allow you to study complex systems such as anthropology, economics, sociology, or political science, or interdisciplinary courses such as American studies, Asian studies, women’s studies, and so on, where you will examine societal problems like poverty or immigration. You know that topics like these can’t be studied from only one perspective and why it’s silly when a politician proposes a “simple” solution to a complex problem.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rank your use of the systems mindset?
If you were going to tell an employer about your strength in systems thinking, what example(s) would you use?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
MINDSET 2: THE CREATIVE MINDSET
Quick—answer this question: Are you creative?
How did you answer?
Why?
When I ask this question in classes, about 50 percent to 75 percent of the students raise their hands. When I ask the others why they don’t think they’re creative, they usually mention their lack of talent in music, writing, or the arts. But this is a myth and an extremely limited view of creativity. The truth is everyone is, and can be, creative. Creativity like any other mindset can be cultivated. You may recall the quote about creativity in Chapter 2 that said, “Creativity connects the unconnected.” Creativity is not only talent in the arts, it’s also the ability to view circumstances in a new way, to see what others don’t see, find a new solution to a problem, or develop a new product or idea. People who are creative question the status quo and wonder how it could be changed or improved. They ask questions such as What if . . .? or What else . . .? or How can we . . .?, any of which can lead to new ideas.
Another myth about creativity is the belief that we have to have unlimited time and/or money to be creative. We conjure up notions of the wonderful creative projects we could do if only we had all the time and money we needed. But research has shown that creativity actually thrives with moderate limitations (like deadlines or budgets) and decreases when unlimited resources of time and money are provided.
Why Would an Employer Care About Creative Thinking?
• Organizations need to grow and move forward to keep up with change, and creative people are invaluable to growth.
• Creative thinkers will help organizations stay ahead of the competition.
• Creative thinkers are the greatest source of innovation and new products.
• Creative thinkers will see solutions
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