Week 13 Post 2

Name five cultural barriers to creativity. Why do you think these would keep a group from being creative? Have you experienced any of these personally? Explain.
The five cultural barriers involve conformity, expectation of practicality and efficiency, situations for competition or cooperation, expectation of politeness, and relying on expert knowledge. These barriers prevents a group from being creative because people are more used to following set rules which places them on equal footing with everyone else. Ever since starting school, students are taught to raise hands, stand in line, listen carefully to the teacher, and abide by other specific rules. Because of this, we often develop the habit of following too close to the book. We put too much reliance on book concepts which prevents us from developing our own ideas. As a result, people do not notice many things from a different perspective. There are times where individuals need to branch out and think of new examples, thoughts, and solutions.
I have experienced the requirement to be polite and following rules for social order. In Chinese culture, we are expected to treat adults with respect, especially our parents. There was a moment where I disagreed on my dad’s ideas on raising the prices in the menu. I thought the current prices were fine, and did not need to go any higher. I told him that it would not be a good idea, since customers might not be pleased with it. There is the possibility that this might turn them away from eating at our successful restaurant. After hearing what I had to say, my father was not too pleased. He mentioned that it was his decision only, and he believed the food was too cheap. My father was disappointed that I would go too far in arguing with his idea. From that time on, I realized that it was the wrong course of action. There were many customers that still came, even though there was a raise in prices. Since my dad has led the business for many years, I should have trusted his instincts. Even though I had my doubts, it was inconsiderate of me to argue with my father.