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Creative thinking for the workplace

In this course you'll learn how creative professionals in various fields apply creativity in their daily practice and working lives. You'll learn how creativity starts with you, your mindset and understanding, in order to help you reflect about the way you think. Creativity can be reactivated within yourself and your colleagues to better solve business and personal challenges through practical and actionable creative techniques. You'll reflect on your creative journey so far, whilst learning new tools, skills and approaches to add value to your teams and organisations. This course is suitable for individuals, entrepreneurs and managers in any enterprise or industry sector, seeking to boost creativity at the individual or team levels.

Standalone study only

You will not be awarded credits for studying this course. It is available for standalone study only and cannot be counted towards an OU qualification.

Short course

Short course code

BGXS009

Credits

This is a non-credit bearing course.

Study method

Short course cost

Entry requirements

What you will study

The course comprises four units. 

Unit 1: Background to creativity
What is creativity exactly and why is it an essential skill that you can lose over time? Here we look at the fundamentals of creativity and how it is linked to personal and professional development, organisational culture and team problem-solving performance. In this unit you will: 

  • learn what creativity is and is not
  • understand how creativity is linked to innovation
  • develop skills and practices to enhance your capacity for creative thinking and doing. 

Unit 2: Personal creativity
How can you reawaken your creativity? Being creative starts with you, your mindset, traits and habits. During this unit, you will understand how your personal traits, characteristics and view of the world impact your creativity and how you can unlock your mind to be more creative. In this unit you will: 

  • learn from leading creative practitioners in the field how they maintain a creative and curious mindset about the world around them
  • uncover your personal limiting beliefs and traits regarding your creative potential
  • reflect on your subconscious biases that limit your creative impact. 

Unit 3: Creativity in practice
How can you bring more creativity into your professional and personal lives? Being creative involves understanding a variety of practices and techniques to help you build more creative confidence and bring creative thinking and problem-solving skills to your organisation. We look at practical tools and methods you can apply in your day-to-day tasks and challenges. In this unit you will: 

  • learn how to use four practical creative tools, methods and techniques to increase creative thinking and doing
  • discover tips and tricks for how to facilitate creativity in your workplace
  • learn how to be a creative thinking champion and share practices with others. 

Unit 4: Analysing creativity in action
How do you measure your creative impact in relation to your goals? Now that you understand what creativity is, how it impacts you personally and how you can apply it day to day, it is time to reflect and understand the wider value of creativity, including evaluating its contribution to organisational outcomes. In this unit you will learn how to: 

  • evaluate creativity using key techniques and tools in your work
  • keep track of creative progress and contribution to business goals
  • spot and prevent key creative limiting behaviours within your working teams. 

You will learn

By studying this course, you will be able to: 

  • communicate a definition of creativity and creative thinking 
  • analyse and understand the meaning and impact of a creative culture within organisations 
  • employ methods for changing work and behaviour patterns to inspire new ways of thinking creatively 
  • engage with creative techniques and understand the creative potential of others with confidence 
  • reflect on key learnings and applications within professional practice.

Learner support

This course was designed to be independently studied with no tutor support. StudentHome is a dedicated website that provides general study support and there is a computing helpdesk. 

Teaching and assessment

Assessment

There an end-of-course quiz to test your knowledge and understanding. Once completed and successfully passed you will receive a digital badge and a course completion certificate which you can download as a record of your learning.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.


Entry requirements

There are no formal academic requirements.

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact us.

Course length

The course will require around 10 hours to complete.

You can begin at any time during the life of the course and study at your own pace.

Register

Start End England fee Register
At anytime before registration end date Jan 2025 - see Entry requirements for more detail £150.00

Registration closes 31/07/2024

Register

Ways to pay

Credit/Debit Card – We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.

Sponsorship – If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.

The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2024/25 academic year. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.

Can you study an Access module for free?

In order to qualify, you must:

  1. be resident in England
  2. have a personal income of less than £25,000 (or receive qualifying benefits)
  3. have not completed one year or more on any full-time undergraduate programme at FHEQ level 4 or above, or completed 30 credits or more of OU study

How to apply to study an Access module for free

Once you've started the registration process, either online or over the phone, we'll contact you about your payment options. This will include instructions on how you can apply to study for free if you are eligible.

If you're unsure if you meet the criteria to study for free, you can check with one of our friendly advisers on +44 (0)300 303 0069 or you can request a call back.

Not eligible to study for free?

Don't worry! We offer a choice of flexible ways to help spread the cost of your Access module. The most popular options include:

  • monthly payments through OUSBA
  • part-time tuition fee loan (you'll need to be registered on a qualification for this option)

To explore all the options available to you, visit Fees and Funding.

What's included

All learning materials, exercises, study support and end of course quiz are delivered entirely online. 

If you have a disability

The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet you are advised to contact us about support which can be given to meet your needs.

The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying BGXS009 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.