In
light of the Global HR Forum 2014, which will take place in Seoul from November
4 to 6, 2014, The Korea Economic Daily had e-mail interviews with several
distinguished speakers on various subjects. Below, we highlight one of our forum
speakers, Hezki Arieli, the Founder of Global Excellence. Based in Israel,
Global Excellence focuses on promoting management excellence and strategy
development in the business world... Ed.
Reporter:
Lim Ki Hun
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The
topic of my presentation is : Creative education- How to ask questions the smart
way?
I
will be introducing the secrets behind successful Jewish education (for children
as well as for adults..)and the wisdom and power of creative education for
preparing our students and employees to become creative entrepreneurs and global
leaders.
2. What
do you think is the key factor in cultivating creative Human
resources?
First
of all it is not one factor but rather a total environment which must be created
in the company or the organization, which supports and allows for creativity to
flourish.
High
motivation and happiness, freedom to think, effective interaction of the minds
(Havruta), and curiosity are essential to allow for cultivating creativity in
the company on all levels.
3.I
heard that the core of the Israeli education is participation. Why is
participation so important?
When
the person (child or adult) is personally engaged, the mind is much more active
and involved and therefore the cognitive results (the thoughts) are much
brighter, creative, original and productive. The best way to understand this is
by comparing the thinking process to athletics. only when you are "in the game"
you get the most out of yourself. Same thing must be adopted to schools as well
as to any professional training. Passive learning does not involve all you
senses and is therefore not enabling the student to fully exercise his abilities
and fulfill his potential.
4.
How can we grow the trust and integration of the human resources
through the participation in education?
Trust
is a key factor for creating in our employee a sense of partnership and bond
between him or her and the company, in other words- If we wish to get the most
out of our human resources we need to have them feel as if they are share
holders in the company and not just employees. The most effective way to
demonstrate to them our trust is by inviting them to be engaged in a higher
challenge and a more sophisticated project in the company. The more active and
engaged the person is, the more the person will grow and develop and be able to
deal with higher challenges. To be invited to take part in "the next big
project" should be perceived by the employee as a reward and not as punishment,
it needs therefore to be introduced in the most dignified and rewarding
attitude.
5.
Do you think having various experiences outside of a student’s chosen field is helpful for students?
In
the "New world" which we live in today, there is no such thing anymore as
"chosen field". We live in an era in which multi-disciplinary, is a key factor
in our reality. Narrow mindedness belongs to the "old world". For example; in
the past a student could have chosen biology to be "his field", this is not
relevant any more today as biology is not a standalone subject. It is totally
connected with technology- biotech or with medicine- biomed or Biomedical
engineering or other fields which comprise our new world. Education today must
provide a wide spectrum of concepts and skills so that our student is equipped
with the most relevant tools towards the 'real life' situation awaiting him/her
outside of the school's doors.
6. Many of the Jews were Nobel laureates and world-class company
CEO. What do you think the reason is?
The
Jewish people are known to be 'the people of the book', I say that this is
referring to the fact that a Jewish child is educated not only to honor and
respect the books of the elders (the Bible , the Talmud etc, ) but also to write
your own book, namely to create your own creation. This can be in art or in
science, in music, in technology or any other field. This way of educating has
lead to a culture of entrepreneurship and independent thinking. These are
critical ingredients for creating major scientific breakthroughs which are
eventually leading to prestige awards such as Nobel.
Another
key factor in the Jewish culture is the concept of Chutzpah. This concept
actually means to dare or to take risks and not be afraid to think out of the
box. This way of thinking is critical for originality thinking and for coming up
with new discoveries and inventions. If you only follow the route of your
predecessors you will probably end up with similar results which definitely will
not grant you with prizes or international recognition.
7.
What is the Jewish element of success?
Be
the best you can be and be happy with what you have achieved. Happiness is a
must for achieving you goals and fulfilling your own potential. In Jewish
education there is a key principal which we follow and that is – " educate each
child in his/her own path" meaning , find out what interests your child or your
student and let him/her flourish in it. This could be art or music or science or
sports. Not all children are the same and not all must achieve great
achievements in fields that are not part of their interest and liking.
The
Talmud says "Who is rich? The one who is happy with what he/she has".
8.
Could you share one of Israel’s unique teaching approaches?
A
key factor in advance teaching methodologies today is to provide students with
skills rather than with information. Skill education focuses on the HOW and not
on the WHAT. The what, changes every day and the student will find out about it
in his own way, however the HOW are the cognitive tools which the student needs
to advance in this world.
Also,
never give the student the "right answer"; give him the tools to come up with
the answer himself. Remember, one day the student is going to be out there in
the real world alone and will not have you by his side, that's why you need to
educate him to be an independent thinker and learner- today !
And
lastly, the best teaching technique is the Havruta way. This is when you and
your students are studying together, not as a teacher and a student but rather
as two learners who are creating an intellectual bond of the minds. It is the
most effective way for deep learning , for focus and high concentration and
definitely for coming up with the most creative thinking and originality. The
HAVRUTA WAY is also very effective and recommended for adults and colleagues in
a company setting as well.
9.
Many people in Korea are interested in The Talmud nowadays, what is the best way
to study Talmud?
Allow
me to separate the question into two parts:
A-
The content of Talmud
B-the
learning method and technique
As
for the content of Talmud, the best way to study it is with a qualified Talmudic
teacher in the Havruta way.
Talmud
is an amazing book and master piece. In Jewish culture Talmud is always learned
at first with a qualified learned Talmudic scholar.
The
way to study Talmud is only through the Havruta way. That means when two people
are studying together and creating between them a harmonic intellectual dance.
The Havruta way has a number of rules and techniques which can be learned and
adopted to be used not only for learning Talmudic text but also other subjects
and for life in general.
10.
What does the word creativity mean to
you? Why creativity is important in education?
Creativity
means to construct a new and original idea which is practical and contributing
to the challenge you face. It is like when you are standing on one side of a
field that has no paths and roads and you wish to get safely to the other side.
You now need to create your own path using all the skills and wisdom that you
have acquired thus far in your life. The more creative your thinking is the more
colorful, short and effective your road will be.
Creativity
in our new world is a key for success as we are constantly faced with new
challenges every day. Challenges that require new and original solutions. If we
are not creative than we are becoming observers from the side and we are not
active players in the actual game. Observers will never achieve global
recognition and respect and will not become global leaders. If one wishes to
become a global leader he/she must "get in the game" and become active players.
The name of the game is CREATIVITY !
11. What would be the vision and direction of future education? If any innovation/change is needed,
how do we reach them?
Future
education will not take place in a four wall classroom which is detached from
the real world. It will happen either when the school is going to move outside
of its walls into the 'real world' or when it will allow the world to enter into
the school campus.
Today
education is very much behind and old fashioned. I like to say that –We are
educating today the children of tomorrow to a world of yesterday.
Future
education is going to focus on skills and tools rather than on information and
data.
Class
education is going to become much more similar to sports education and teachers
are going to become coaches.
The
way to make these changes is by open-mindedness of the decision makers. It is
really not that difficult to actually make the change and succeed in the
transformation, however it requires a great deal of courage, Chutzpa and open
minded leaders to allow the change to happen.
12.
Many global companies now concentrate on recruiting/educating smart and creative
employees like Steve Jobs. What is the key point to be a successful company with
human-centered strategy?
The
key is NOT to seek to recruit creative employees but rather to seek to train
your employees to become creative thinkers.
I
believe that creativity is not a chip in your mind that you are born with but
that it is an acquired skill and habit which most people can seek to adopt.
Companies
should adopt two major strategies that will become their routine culture:
Creative
environment and a happy work place.
Creativity
can only be achieved if the over whole environment is supporting creativity. If
the management wishes to have creative employees it has to become an "enabling
creativity management". This means that the management needs to provide the
training , the tools, the time, the freedom, the mental support and other
elements which are the ingredients comprising a creativity culture.
At
the same time happiness is a must and essential reality for creativity to be
developed. Sad people are not creative – fact ! Also you wish to have your
creative employees stay with you and not leave to a better company- they will
stay if they are happy !
A
good example of this approach can be found in the Google
philosophy.
13. In
many countries, including Korea, it has been always a
challengeto recruit and retain good human-resources. What kinds of strategies are required for companies to attract talented
people?
People
like to be treated as people and not as parts of a big machine.
There
are usually four things that quality and talented employees are looking for when
they look for a new job (especially if they can afford to be selective...)
1.
A good salary and benefits
2.
A respectful and respecting work place
3.
A challenging job
4.
Happiness and satisfaction
The
order of the above might change for some people but in most cases these 4
elements are always there.
Sometimes
companies take it for granted that just because they provide a good salary and
retirement plan, talented workers will run over to them. That is not the case as
they are missing the other 3 elements.
Every
worker wishes to wake up in the morning with a big smile and RUN to work with
passion and high motivation for another fun, challenging and rewarding day.
Unfortunately that rarely happens.
Can it happen? Sure it can ! All that is required is for the management to seek to create the right environment and organizational culture, it pays back very quickly. Stability and profits are soon to follow.
