José-Rodrigo Córdoba-Pachón – författare

To many individuals and organisations, situations generated by the world coronavirus pandemic have posed challenges and opportunities. We need to rethink how we interact with each other and with our natural environments. This book offers a way forward by proposing the use of rituals insight: semi-encoded patterns of thinking or actions to help us rebuild a sense of community, which, integrated with insights of applied systems thinking, and in contrast to a dominant pragmatist orientation of thinking and action, could help us further cope with work or education situations in which we still want to pursue our authenticity as human beings.

This book offers ways to help make sense of how we could systemically and compassionately slow down and cope with work or education during and after the world coronavirus pandemic. It does so by integrating ideas about ritual with current research and practice on applied systems thinking. The author establishes a dialogue for co-existence between individuals and the knowledge disciplines of creativity and applied systems thinking, using the mediation of rituals to help us appreciate our world with others. This conversation is much needed given our sense of uncertainty during and after the world coronavirus pandemic and the challenges or opportunities offered by hybrid work and education. Throughout the book, the conversation explores new directions for research and practice beyond “futureaction” perspectives or orientations and the inclusion of electronically mediated spaces.

The insights provided in this book offer a vital resource for management researchers and upper-level students, particularly those researching and studying applied systems thinking and creativity.

To many individuals and organisations, situations generated by the world coronavirus pandemic have posed challenges and opportunities. We need to rethink how we interact with each other and with our natural environments. This book offers a way forward by proposing the use of rituals insight: semi-encoded patterns of thinking or actions to help us rebuild a sense of community, which, integrated with insights of applied systems thinking, and in contrast to a dominant pragmatist orientation of thinking and action, could help us further cope with work or education situations in which we still want to pursue our authenticity as human beings.

This book offers ways to help make sense of how we could systemically and compassionately slow down and cope with work or education during and after the world coronavirus pandemic. It does so by integrating ideas about ritual with current research and practice on applied systems thinking. The author establishes a dialogue for co-existence between individuals and the knowledge disciplines of creativity and applied systems thinking, using the mediation of rituals to help us appreciate our world with others. This conversation is much needed given our sense of uncertainty during and after the world coronavirus pandemic and the challenges or opportunities offered by hybrid work and education. Throughout the book, the conversation explores new directions for research and practice beyond “futureaction” perspectives or orientations and the inclusion of electronically mediated spaces.

The insights provided in this book offer a vital resource for management researchers and upper-level students, particularly those researching and studying applied systems thinking and creativity.

As a collection of ideas and methodologies, systems thinking has made an impact in organizations and in particular in the information systems field. However, this main emphasis on organizations limits the scope of systems thinking and practice. There is a need first to use systems thinking in addressing societal problems, and second to enable people involved in developing the information society to reflect on the impacts of systems and technologies in society as a whole. Thus, there are opportunities to review the scope and potential of systems thinking and practice to deal with information society-related issues.

Systems Practice in the Information Society

As a collection of ideas and methodologies, systems thinking has made an impact in organizations and in particular in the information systems field. However, this main emphasis on organizations limits the scope of systems thinking and practice. There is a need first to use systems thinking in addressing societal problems, and second to enable people involved in developing the information society to reflect on the impacts of systems and technologies in society as a whole. Thus, there are opportunities to review the scope and potential of systems thinking and practice to deal with information society-related issues.

Systems Practice in the Information Society

For over a century, creativity has unfolded as a valuable field of knowledge. Emerging from disciplines like psychology, management and education, the field of creativity is making strides in others including the arts and engineering. Research and education in this field helped it establish an identity as evidenced by a growing number of courses and specialised journals. However, this progress has come with a price. In a domain like management, institutionalisation of creativity in learning, research and practice has left creativity subordinated to concerns with standardisation, employability and economic growth. Values like personal fulfilment, uncertainty, improvement and connectedness which could characterise systemic views on creativity need to be rescued to promote more and inclusive dialogue between creativity stakeholders.

The author aims to recover the importance of creativity as a systemic phenomenon and explores how applied systems thinking, or AST, can further support creativity. This demonstrates how creative efforts could be directed to improve quality of life for individuals as well as their environments. The book uses the systems idea as an enquiring device to bring together different actors to promote refl ection and action about creative possibilities. The chapters offer conceptualisations, applications and refl ections of systems ideas to help readers make sense of the field of creativity in academia and elsewhere.

Complemented by the author’s own personal, conceptual and practical journey, the insights of the book will act as a vital toolkit for management researchers, career-driven students, practitioners and all creators to define and pursue creative ideas and thrive through their journeys to benefit themselves, other people and organisations.

For over a century, creativity has unfolded as a valuable field of knowledge. Emerging from disciplines like psychology, management and education, the field of creativity is making strides in others including the arts and engineering. Research and education in this field helped it establish an identity as evidenced by a growing number of courses and specialised journals. However, this progress has come with a price. In a domain like management, institutionalisation of creativity in learning, research and practice has left creativity subordinated to concerns with standardisation, employability and economic growth. Values like personal fulfilment, uncertainty, improvement and connectedness which could characterise systemic views on creativity need to be rescued to promote more and inclusive dialogue between creativity stakeholders.

The author aims to recover the importance of creativity as a systemic phenomenon and explores how applied systems thinking, or AST, can further support creativity. This demonstrates how creative efforts could be directed to improve quality of life for individuals as well as their environments. The book uses the systems idea as an enquiring device to bring together different actors to promote refl ection and action about creative possibilities. The chapters offer conceptualisations, applications and refl ections of systems ideas to help readers make sense of the field of creativity in academia and elsewhere.

Complemented by the author’s own personal, conceptual and practical journey, the insights of the book will act as a vital toolkit for management researchers, career-driven students, practitioners and all creators to define and pursue creative ideas and thrive through their journeys to benefit themselves, other people and organisations.

This book proposes a new way to consider creativity in management education, inviting educators to rediscover themselves in the process.  To date, creativity in management is a valuable skill, but one which has been institutionalized and subordinated to metrics such as economic growth, knowledge disciplining and employability. 

After a critical analysis using Foucault’s governmentality to identify how creativity is being organized in management education, this book examines diverse initiatives intended to nurture creativity.  Then, and through a systemic recontextualization of governmentality and other notions like play, it provides conceptual and practical guidance derived from the author’s own self-narratives (games) as student and educator.  The book concludes with important reflections, implications and guidelines for the nurturing in creativity in management education and life in general.

This book will be a valuable reading for creativity and innovation scholars, academics working in management education and students in general.