Creativity is a skill that is relevant in almost every role; certainly, it is not one that is restricted to the creative industries. Creativity is the ability to produce novel and useful ideas[1] and possession of this capability is linked to the ability to identify problems, gather and interpret data and generate alternative ideas[2].
Whilst typically considered as the ability to succeed in creative pursuits such as the arts, it is now clear that creativity is a skill critical in many applications, from corporate environments through to blue-collar workforces. The future workforce is one that will be driven by innovation and the ability to think creatively, develop new solutions to new problems and examine situations to derive new efficiencies will be more valuable than ever.
It is for these reasons that creativity has been included as one of the key capabilities in the Human Capabilities Framework. It is important to be able to quantify this skill to identify creativity in individuals beyond their ability to create something that is aesthetic or delivers entertainment value.
The creativity standard at the first three levels of proficiency is very much focused on how an individual working alone or with others actively contributes to turning ideas or novel solutions into reality. The later levels span both higher-order individual creativity and the fact that proficiency may be tied to enabling or leading others in a creative team.
The hallmarks of creativity in the context of the Human Capability Framework are as follows:
- Uses imagination to see things differently
- Flexibility in thinking and approach
- Is an original thinker and can think ‘outside the box’
- Embraces new ideas or practices
- Harnesses personal insights and intuition
- Imagines what can be and seeks to explore outside the existing or known space
- Encourages others to share creative inspiration and ideas
In the future of work is will be critical that we are able to identify individuals who possess these soft skills such as creativity, empathy, adaptive mindset and lifelong learning. As VeriSKills continues to assess courses and programs to determine the human capability outcomes of each, we can build a greater understanding of where these skills lie in the talent pool and the extent to which individuals exhibit each skill as more and more individuals complete VeriSkills verified courses.
To learn more about the Human Capabilities framework please contact us at info@veriskills.com or via our Contact page.
[1] Benedek, M., Jauk., E., Sommer, M., Aerndasy, M. & Neubauer, A. (2014). Intelligence, creativity and cognitive control: The common and differential involvement of executive functions in intelligence and creativity. Intelligence, 46, 73-83.
[2] Biet Ngo, L., Phong Nguyen, N., Lee, J., Andonopoulos, V. (2020). Mindfulness and job performance: Does creativity matter? Australiasian Marketing Journal, 23 (3), 117-123.