We need to teach leaders creativity

Radical creativity is a skill that all leaders need, says Nana Salin from Aalto University Executive Education and Professional Development (Aalto EE).

She says that it is a transformative skill that urges individuals to think big and break free from old patterns. It is not about small fixes, but about pioneering entirely new concepts.

It’s more than just thinking outside the box, it’s about reimagining the box itself. When the usual methods don’t work, radical creativity steps in.

“Radical creativity is about charting a path to futures unbound by tradition. For enterprises, the aim is to unlock new potential despite the field they work in. What’s best is that anyone can adopt this skill,” says Nana Salin, Director of Alternative Funding at Aalto EE.

Ville Eloranta, a senior lecture at Aalto, adds that artificial intelligence can actually boost human creativity, especially when people from different fields work together.

She says that we need to think of generative AI as a creative partner that can whip up new concepts by sifting through tons of data to spot trends humans might miss.

“Generative AI is not about replacing human creativity but enhancing it, offering new perspectives that we might not consider. It can be a game-changer in interdisciplinary creative teams, bringing together varied perspectives and fostering a rich breeding ground for innovation and empathy,” Eloranta explains.

Aalto EE, working hand in hand with Aalto University, has stepped up to this challenge with the Leading Radical Creativity in Ecosystems initiative, which was launched in fall 2023.