Narrative Creativity Training: A Case Study from the US Army

ABSTRACT: Though integral to thinking about causality, narrative—in particular narrative thinking—has been overlooked in traditional approaches to creativity studies and creative problem solving. Emphasizing the intrinsically speculative and causal aspects of narrative, this study investigates the effectiveness of narrative creativity training as a means of fostering innovative problem-solving skills within the US Army. Through two experiments conducted at the US Army Command and General Staff College, this research compares the outcomes of narrative training against conventional associational creativity training. Our results suggest that specifically narrative capacities are cognitively distinct, can be directly trained, and substantially improve problem solving. This research contributes to scholarship on the practical and empirical applications of narrative theory, as well as scholarship in creativity studies and creative problem solving, evincing the specific utility of narrative thinking in addressing complex, open-ended challenges.