Creative Thinking for Senior Leaders: An Essay on Creative Thinking for Military Professionals.

摘要

This essay begins the examination of student roles as individuals and as members of executive groups including during their year at the USAWC. We expect students to apply creative and critical thinking skills to the myriad scenarios they will face during the academic year. Through a presentation of foundational concepts of creativity and then addressing individual creativity and group dynamics, we hope to increase awareness of how individual preferences and creative style may help or hinder contributions to group efforts. We will also review functions that are characteristic of effective groups and processes that support group creativity and innovation. To that end, the goal is to enhance student learning and increase their effectiveness as strategic thinkers during this year and beyond. Throughout this curriculum, we operate under the premise that the individual attributes and skills that USAWC students possess have served them well in past assignments and will also be valuable in the future. However, we caution the students to remember that they are now at the position where those skills, while necessary, may be insufficient. Executive coach, Marshall Goldsmith offered that 'what got you here, won't get you there.' The attainment of new skills and competencies, specifically in individual creativity and maintaining a creative climate, are required for success at the senior levels of our institutions.