Thinking Creatively

Organizations tend to interpret their own realities by defining both the area of work they will focus on and how that work will be conducted. The danger is that this may limit the organization to old and ineffective ways of working and/or to conforming with received and perhaps inappropriate models. The development of analytical capacity is a way of fostering alternative ways of interpreting the world, which perhaps fit better with the reality observed. An important example of how such a ‘paradigm shift’ in development thinking has affected the ways agencies work is Amartya Sen’s work on freedoms, entitlements and capabilities22, which shifted the emphasis of human development from a concentration on economic growth to recognition of wider influences on human well-being.
Real insights can be derived from careful consideration, sharing of realities and creatively rethinking the frameworks which describe these realities.
At individual or organisational levels, there can be similar ‘paradigm shifts’ where real insights can be derived from careful consideration, sharing of realities and creatively rethinking the frameworks which describe these realities. For example, indigenous coffee producing co-operatives in Mexico were vulnerable to the fluctuation of world coffee prices and to the exploitative prices paid by the middlemen, or coyotes. However, with the help of external advisors, one co-operative began to analyse the situation differently. As a result of a market analysis they realised that they could reduce their vulnerability and increase their income by by-passing the middlemen and finding new markets for their coffee. This led to the establishment of a very successful chain of urban coffee shops which increased the income received by the co-operative by 1) adding value to the coffee beans and 2) creating a national market for coffee that had barely existed previously.
                             Creating Meaning: Section Summary
In order to interpret information, organizations need to reflect critically on the values and assumptions of different actors, start to explore the larger patterns and creatively rethink existing frameworks if these prove to be inadequate.