There has been much talk of late in the Sultanate of Oman about the benefits of flexibility in the work place. This is on the back of the recent announcement about implementing flexible office hours in the government.
While issues like easing of traffic and wider availability of staff will be the immediate benefits of such a move, other, more long term gains are of equal importance.
Management gurus have touted flexibility in the work place as leading to efficiency, work life balance and productivity, but the larger gain that needs to be focused on is how this links to cognitive flexibility.
According to behaviour scientists, cognitive flexibility is the ability of humans to switch between thinking of two different concepts or “to think about multiple concepts simultaneously”.
It is harder than it sounds, and it is not multitasking either. It can also be the ability to adjust behaviour and thought to one’s immediate surroundings and context.
Research suggests that while animals plan and innovate for survival, humans learn to approach challenges and solve problems using a variety of strategies based on their past learning.
The ability to arrive at creative solutions is often the result of flexible thinking which “allows us to come up with ways to tackle problems,” according to educationist Peg Rosen.
While time bound and outcome based projects focus on tangible and countable dividends, important concepts like empathy, curiosity and imagination are essential for any meaningful outcomes, and even their implementation.
Flexible thinking lends to creativity – not in the sense that it makes us novelists, but in that it gives us the capacity to shift from lateral thinking to creative strategies and imaginative solutions. It allows us to make unusual connections, even arrive at solutions not previously thought about.
Choosing alternative paths based on changed circumstances leads to optimal decision making. It is well known that the more freedom a person has in the workplace, the more creative the output can be.
Entrepreneurs are known to have cognitive flexibility, because, if one path does not work, another one has be created. At a personal level, being flexible also means that one is aware of their own limitations, open to others’ ideas, and willing to experiment.
In fact, cognitive rigidity is often linked to behavioural issues like obsessive-compulsive disorder or other forms of personality issues.
The good news is that cognitive flexibility can be learnt with training and practice.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), for example, helps autistic children develop better communication and empathy.
Our world today is rife with problems which are waiting for creative solutions. The time tested templates have all run out of steam. Issues of climate change, food security, and economic crises all need alternate solutions for success.
Conventional answers are inadequate in today’s world. The challenges today require thinking right outside the box, not only to find different answers to age-old questions, but even ask the questions differently. Flexible work hours may be a good place to start.
Sandhya Rao Mehta
The writer is Assoc Prof, Dept of English Language and Literature, SQU
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