Gone are the days when excellent academic result was the major determining factor for success in the corporate world. In this technology-based and highly-connected world, good thinking skills, particularly creative thinking is the most prized asset for success. Yet, many people are still not aware of this and they hold on to the obsolete idea of success based purely on academic excellence. It is disturbing to see that many people in various fields become merely a reproduction of the materials they read and memorize. This is becoming a very serious issue. It is highly possible that in the not-too-distant future, machines can even be programmed to take over highly-technical skills from human beings thus augmenting the importance of Creativity. But skills like Creativity are unique to humans and therefore, considerable possession and appropriate application of these skills would definitely provide a competitive edge in the marketplace. To quote the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed in “Malaysia: The Way Forward (1991)”, “In our desire to move vigorously ahead, nothing is more important than the development of human resources.... It is blindingly clear that the most important resource of any nation must be talents, skills, creativity, and will of its people”.
To survive and compete in today’s fast-growing global marketplace, organizations need people who aren’t "boxed-in" by traditional modes of thinking. We need people who can devise innovative and appropriate solutions and dare to explore uncertain terrain. More and more companies and major corporations around the world understand this and have taken steps to develop their human resources, particularly in the field of Creativity. Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates said, “We use tools in the past to leverage our muscles. We use tools today to leverage our minds”. And one of the tools he meant is Creativity. Dr. Edward De Bono, the author of ‘Lateral Thinking’ said, “There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without Creativity there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.” Successful companies that achieve and sustain impressive growth and profits tend to be characterized by a corporate culture in which innovation thrives at all levels. Incidentally, the first step in innovation is Creativity.
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