Reflections on Pink

Wow...the learning environment would have to change A LOT to support design, symphony, and innovation in general.  It is hard to picture schools doing this (realism, not skepticism).  We would have to really commit to encouraging creativity, divergent thinking, and we would need to have a much more student-centered, human approach.  The best place to begin is at the beginning...with preschool and kindergarten.  Unfortunately, the trickle-down of accountability takes its worst toll at these levels, where we penalize children who can't memorize fast enough, who speak languages other than English, and those who are not auditory learners.  Maybe instead of initiating young learners into a culture of conformity, we could create environments where children can explore their world using all of their senses, and delight in learning, guided by their own interests, wonder and curiosity.

For adults in the workplace to develop these skills, there needs to be a work environment of trust, safety and collaboration.  So as a leader, it is important to create a climate where people feel comfortable taking risks, voicing innovative ideas, trying new things, etc.  Clearly the climate of fear created by external accountability measures is detrimental to creating such a climate.

What do people need to be motivated to care about symphony and design in the workplace?  People will be more motivated if they have ownership--so delegating responsibility for decision-making and honoring everyone's contributions is important. In my work, we hold a lot of meetings and events for students and families, and I think we need to look at their experience from an aesthetic, design-oriented perspective. Often, because we are working with a very limited budget, we do not pay much attention to how the environment looks--however, we could probably improve the experience without spending much more money.  One place to start, I think, is to work on our organizational skills.