The creative platform: a didactic approach for unlimited application of knowledge in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups

In interdisciplinary or intercultural groups, it is highly important that the members of the group are able to apply and share knowledge across the standard boundaries that exist around disciplines and practices. Often, a lot of effort is required to avoid pitfalls such as misunderstandings, judgemental discussions or just the inability to understand each other's professional, social or cultural way of thinking. This paper introduces the creative platform as a didactic approach for enabling a group to apply and share their knowledge without limitations coming from professional, social or cultural patterns of thinking and doing. In that sense, the creative platform is a mental meeting place where people with different professional, social and cultural backgrounds can meet and create new thoughts and actions together. The key in developing the creative platform as a learning environment is the use of 3D cases, which are learning exercises where the simultaneous use of brain, body and attitude constitutes a 3D access to learning. The core of a 3D case is an uncompromising use of three fundamental principles: parallel thinking, task focus and no judgement. At the end of the paper, we give examples of implementing the creative platform using 3D cases.