Can B-Schools breed creativity?



“But out of limitations, comes creativity-Debbie Allen”

Creativity, a word that can lead you to a mystical world of possibilities wherein the thoughts transcends the artificial barriers created by mankind to scale down the universe to a level that is comprehensive to them. Though I strongly believe that creativity is not something that can be taught. It is rather an assimilation of individual experiences over a period of time, and in some cases a lifetime. 

Most Indian B-schools are known to be rigorous and filled with academic and non-academic curricula. The breeding grounds of potential managers test critical thinking, time management skills, ability to work in teams and so on. This poses a big roadblock to creativity as creativity by itself breeds from non-conformism, and divergence from the status quo. An increasing number of the students that join a B-school come with an aim of starting their own venture. Engulfed in the plethora of assignments and examinations, they box themselves in a conformist culture of their institutes which can deter them from gaining other proficiencies that they require to make their own venture succeed. 

Henry Ford once said “If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said, a faster and a more reliable horse.” The knowledge that is being imparted in B-schools is based on various frameworks and models which are centered on asking customers about what they want and based on those insights products and services are created. Rather it should focus on experimentation and thinking out of the box. The two years in a B-School should provide a safe environment equivalent to a simulation of real time business scenarios wherein the students have the freedom to come up with ideas however weird or lateral they may be.

Can our B-schools beat the rubber band theory of personality, propagated by the bestselling author Susan Cain? How do Indian B-Schools who want to keep the values of diversity at their core, create an experience which is relatable to students from each walk of life and who can develop the ability to think in a creative and an innovative manner? Indian B-Schools have to tread a long path in imparting a balance of critical and creative thinking skills to its students. Rather than focusing on developing the most optimum solution and working on “ideal” business solutions, they should focus on developing a worldview which can help create new and out of box ideas.

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