Collaboration and Creativity

One of the largest contributors to increased creativity in individuals and in society is collaboration. Collaboration comes in several forms. It can come in the form of one-on-one collaboration where two or more people work together to make something new, another form of collaboration comes from the broader influence from other works in the same field as your own. This form of collaboration has been prevalent in every field imaginable, academics, the arts, and in all professions. One could point to anything ever created and find it had at least some influence from the work of a peer or the past work in their given field.

Creativity is described, in an academic journal studying the brain’s anatomy and its link to creativity by Zhu et al., as “commonly considered to be a cornerstone of human of human progress” (125). This description of creativity explains the overall importance of creativity everywhere. It also shows that human progress is something that is built up from generation to generation, which shows the influence and collaboration that has been needed for all of history. One place that creativity leading to innovation is dependent on collaboration is on the college campus. Creativity in the college setting is incredibly important for several reasons, but all of these reasons come back to one, the fact that creativity leads to innovation. Collaboration is needed to make consistent and important development in colleges, which is done day after day, through professors and faculty constantly learning from the day to day interactions with students and each other. Through a relationship of students and faculty interacting, then significant and important change can come to campus. This relationship calls for the professors and faculty to listen to their students’ ideas, concerns, and plans. When professors and other faculty give their attention and full collaborative efforts to ideas in regard to the betterment of their university and the student experience then it encourages the student body to do the same. This encouragement prompts the students to be proactive and engaged in their university and looking to make it a better place, not just a place to serve them their degree. To accomplish this the students must be willing participants in class and give feedback to their teachers in the classroom day-to-day, and help come up with solutions to problems facing campus, by being involved with the campus outside of the classroom. Improved communication between students and their superiors will lead to innovation on individual campuses. Innovation such as the new and improved UNF MyWings website for students, or UNF providing new and exciting majors that keep the university ahead of the curve in the academic world, such as the business college’s International Business program or the Financial Services majors. Professors, students, and faculty working together in this way will result in the increased respect and success of the University.

Collaboration will always hold an important position in creativity and the progress of humanity. It provides methods and ideas to those building off of past works. It also allows for two or more individuals to work as a more productive and dynamic group. It holds an important place on the college campus since without collaboration students and faculty would never be able to communicate to find ways to make their universities a better place. Collaboration may seem rudimentary and something that anyone can do, and that is true, and that is why it is so great. Any can do it, and anyone who wants to create or improve anything almost has to.