On Imaginative Gridlock

On Imaginative Gridlock

More learning (data gathering and theoretical application of technique) will not, on its own, change the way people see things or how they perceive them. "There must first be a shift in the emotional processes of that institution [in our case, international education as a sector]. Imagination and curiosity are at root emotional, not cognitive, phenomena. In order to imagine the unimaginable, people must be able to separate themselves from the surrounding emotional processes before they can even begin to see (or hear) things differently. Without this understanding, it becomes impossible to realise how our learning can prevent us from learning more." (Friedman, A Failure of Nerve, 31). In the event that this doesn't make sense, consider Galileo, who offered naysayers an opportunity to utilise his telescope to observe the movement of cosmic bodies, to look for themselves. So many naysayers, in those earliest days of his efforts, refused to observe, even when offered the chance. Consider just how much longer it took for things to evolve because their "learning" got in the way of learning, of becoming something more.

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Outmoded Working Culture
Innovation, Organisational Culture Kevin Ruth Innovation, Organisational Culture Kevin Ruth

Outmoded Working Culture

We talk so much (ad nauseam, perhaps) about mindset…from this general perspective, I support Gratton’s assertion that we must catalyse a mindset revolution, as opposed to a radical revolution, if we are to move decidedly into the future of work. As she points out, quite rightly, I think, “while executive teams may continue to receive a lot of applicants from across the normal distribution (of talented candidates), they may increasingly struggle to find the quality they desire, as the ‘very talented’ seek out more forward-thinking and innovative work environments” (39).

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Why Innovation Fails

Why Innovation Fails

Innovation is a buzz-word, admittedly. People think they're cool when they use it, when they criticise schools (and other organisations and industries) for not being innovative. The truth is, though, that innovation is deeply challenging. Although we frequently hear a choir of folks sing the praises of failure, it should be pointed out, as Ben Slater of consultancy Bow & Arrow (London) does in the most recent issue of London Business School Review (2.2015), that "[i]nnovation is a complete and utter basket case in business [...]. There is no other discipline [...] that has a higher failure rate than innovation [...]. It is incredibly hard. There are multiple pain points where innovation can fail [...]."

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On Research, Evidence, and Practice

On Research, Evidence, and Practice

What if research were being undertaken, evidence of 'what works' noted and shared in public forums, yet no espousal and/or application of those results in schools? It would seem difficult to believe that such a thing could be taking place, yet that is precisely the premise of an article in the August 2014 issue of Scientific American.

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