Creativity: The Rest of the Workforce

I've been discussing what I think business leaders mean when they talk about needing creative and innovative workers. Reports from advanced technology companies suggest the theory that a bigger pool of STEM professionals and more STEM literacy = more innovation. My post linking to the Poynter Institute highlights the tension between creative technology experts and content creators. Then there is the recognition that artistic creativity is a community development tool—but that does not seem to be significantly linked to arts education.

Finally, what about people in manufacturing, sales, and services—the automotive worker who finds an innovative way to speed up production, the customer service representative or salesperson who thinks creatively when prospects have questions or customers have problems, the nurse who finds a better way to monitor patients or improve their morale? Do businesses recognize that kind of creativity as valuable? Do they feel that schools should be preparing all students to use creative thinking in just about whatever job they do?