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LINKS
K12 Benefits of Arts Education-US News & World Report
Investigating Causal Effects of Arts Education Experiences-Rice University
Broader Minded
Project Zero-Harvard
National Association for Music Education
National Endowment for the Arts
Americans for the Arts
Quadrant Research
Artsedge Kennedy Center
NAMM Foundation
Children's Music Workshop (Advocacy Page)
VH1 Save the Music Foundation
Music for All
Get Banded (Jupiter Instruments)
Music In Schools Today
School Music Matters (part of Music K-8)
SKILLS AND BEHAVIORS THAT DETERMINE CREATIVE ABILITY
When schools or businesses say “creativity,” what do they really mean? What skills are required by the corporate environment? Which lessons and areas of concentration will prepare students to be part of a creative workforce?
Employers who replied to the survey believe creativity has less to do with finding solutions than with the ability to spot problems or patterns others cannot see.
When asked to choose three qualities from a list of 11 attributes of creativity, business respondents selected problem identification or articulation (47 percent) and ability to identify new patterns of behavior or new combinations of actions (46 percent) as their top two. More than one-third of corporate respondents also characterized creativity in the workplace as the integration of knowledge across different disciplines, the ability to originate new ideas, and being comfortable with the notion of “no right answer.” Only 24 percent of employers identified problem solving as a critical element of creativity.
By contrast, 48 percent of superintendents gave problem solving their highest ranking for any of these attributes— reversing the divide in the problem identification category.8 The next top two indicators of creativity for super- intendents—integration of knowledge across different disciplines (42 percent) and ability to identify new patterns of behaviors or new combinations of actions (40 percent)— are aligned with those of employers.
A GROWING NEED FOR CREATIVITY
Both the superintendents (99 percent) and employers (97 percent) agreed that creativity is of increasing importance in the workplace. And while not all employers were concerned with finding creative people—28 percent reported that finding creative individuals was not a primary concern in the hiring process—85 percent of employers seeking creative employees said they were having difficulty finding qualified applicants with the right characteristics.
What kinds of changes are making creativity more important in business? Both superintendents (54 percent) and employers (78 percent) pointed to the demand for customized products and services. (Both groups named talent shortage one of the least important influences on the rising demand for creativity.) But school superintendents focused more on an emphasis on continuous innovation (77 percent) and globalization (71 percent), while employers emphasized a rise in consumer power (53 percent) and pressure due to disruptive innovation (47 percent).
The reasons behind these differences in emphasis are not clear from either the survey results or related research. Since both groups overwhelmingly acknowledge the increased importance of creativity, it is likely that different perspectives drives the disparities (e.g., the processes of continuous innovation are a logical and necessary response to disruptive innovation). To bridge these gaps, both groups should engage each other more to comprehend the other’s perspectives and priorities.
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