| CODE | IOT2704 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Creativity and Innovation for Public Policy | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | The Edward de Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Part one: This study-unit is designed specifically for Public Policy students and workshops which address topical issues in Public Policy will be conducted. Part one of this study-unit will provide public policy students with new tools to develop creative thinking skills. Students will learn how to apply the de Bono Six Thinking Hats to situations which require analysis, problem solving, conflict resolution, dealing with change and designing policy and strategy. Students will, moreover, learn to utilise techniques from the de Bono DATT (Direct Attention Thinking Tools) Programme and some Lateral Thinking Techniques. Creative thinking is constructive as it is linked to inventiveness and to the ability to look at things in new and unconventional ways. Creativity techniques and improved thinking skills are assets in today's global society and can be utilised as a catalyst for change. Creativity involves going beyond analysis, judgement and argument - it sensitises the human mind to 'what can be' as opposed to 'what is'. Interactive workshops will be conducted. The study-unit will conclude with a discussion of the application of creative thinking skills to issues that arise in public policy. At the end of this study-unit public policy students will have grasped the importance of making use of a number of techniques to improve their creativity and broaden their perception. They will better comprehend the importance of searching for alternative and improved frameworks and methods where decision making, problem solving and policy design are concerned. Part two: Part two of this study-unit will focus on innovation within organisations - public, private and NGOs. Questions will be addressed include: What is it that makes an organisation innovative? Can innovation thrive within organisations concerned with public policy? What is it that distinguishes an organisation that fosters creativity from another where the status quo is taken to be acceptable? Can specific barriers to organisational creativity and innovation be identified? What is it that turns creative ideas into innovations? Why should all organisations, regardless of whether they are privately or publicly owned, strive to be both creative and innovative in today's global scenario? These questions and others will be discussed in this unit where students will be encouraged to investigate and analyse the existing level of innovation in particular organisations, with particular emphasis on those concerned with public policy. Students will be expected to learn how to recognise the conditions which facilitate organisational creativity and innovation, to understand how they can be implemented and, vice-versa, to identify obstacles to innovation which may exist at various levels within an organisation. Reading List: - Buzan, Tony, Make the Most of your Mind, (1977, 1988) - de Bono, Edward, Serious Creativity, 1996, Harper Collins - de Bono, Edward, Sur/Petition - de Bono, Edward, The Six Thinking Hats - de Bono, Edward, Lateral Thinking for Management - de Bono, Edward, Teach Your Child How to Think - de Bono, Edward, Conflicts, A Better Way to Resolve Them, 1985, 1991, Penguin - Goodman, Malcolm, Creative Management, (1995) - Lumsdaine, Edward and Lumsdaine, Monica, Creative Problem Solving: Thinking Skills for a Changing World - Majaro, Simon, The Creative Gap - Tidd, Joe, Bessant John, and Pavitt, Keith, Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organisational Change. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Workshop | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Sandra M. Dingli David Pulis |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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