Hi fellow bloggers,
Even though I have not read Ken Robinson's book yet, I studied an excerpt from Amazon.com and I would like to comment on one idea that he has that creativity issues in the business place are a downstream product of inflexible schooling which deadens creativity in young people.

My daughter, Samantha is completing her first year as a teacher aide in Newton's public elementary schools. She has worked in many of the grades, but has focused most of her time in fourth grade. She is assigned usually to work with those kids who have trouble in math and she is really creative at helping them grasp the concept in the worksheets. Her observation, after one year of working in this setting, is that the schools have deadened the students' interest, individuality, creativity and curiosity with a highly structured, repetitive schedule that is focused on passing the MCAS tests. She, for example, has requested of the teacher and of the principal, permission to introduce a natural science unit to the students, an origami unit, a journal writing project, a renaissance unit--all to a resounding "no"--we cannot give you even 30 minutes a week to do such a thing. She has become a champion for the gifted students in her class who are shamelessly ignored and understimulated in the classroom. She has worked with them during lunch and recess and other moments she can steal from the day.

I find this perhaps a typical indictment by the idealistic 23 year old, but it is worth examining in the context of stifling creativity and enthusiasm for learning that Robinson raises in his intro.
NNR