INNOVATIVE PEDAGOGY
answers, polished arguments and common patterns, reducing the cognitive effort required to think independently. When students rely on AI to replace sense-making rather than support it, learning risks becoming more superficial, not more creative. At the same time, a growing group of students see AI as a thinking partner rather than an answer machine. They challenge outputs, explore alternative framings, test assumptions and push beyond obvious solutions. The difference is not the technology itself, but the level of innovation literacy applied when using it. I have seen how small shifts in pedagogy can have disproportionate effects. When students realise that questioning is expected rather than penalised, their engagement changes. When ambiguity is framed as a feature rather than a flaw, confidence grows. When experimentation is embedded in the curriculum, fear of failure decreases. The result is not less discipline, but more adaptive thinking. Rethinking education for innovation The claim that school kills creativity is outdated and misleading. Education builds the deep knowledge that creativity depends on, while at the same time strengthening functional fixedness if unaddressed. For business schools and universities, this is not a criticism but an opportunity. By explicitly addressing functional fixedness and fostering innovation literacy, they can equip students not only to understand the world as it is, but also to reshape it responsibly. In a time defined by technological acceleration, sustainability challenges and systemic uncertainty, this capability is no longer optional; it is central to leadership. The future of innovation does not lie in rejecting education, but in evolving how we teach thinking within it. Business schools must be at the centre of that transformation.
When this expertise is combined with constant time pressure and urgency, it creates ideal conditions for functional fixedness to take hold. Over time, this can limit their willingness or ability to imagine alternatives that fall outside established logic. The same applies to business students who are trained to optimise existing systems, but not always to question their underlying assumptions. This distinction matters because it shifts responsibility. The issue is not that students are uninspired, nor that education is failing. The issue is that innovation requires additional cognitive skills that are rarely taught explicitly. This is where innovation literacy comes in. A core leadership capability Innovation literacy is the ability to recognise when established knowledge needs to be applied, adapted or deliberately challenged. It includes the capacity to question assumptions, tolerate uncertainty, experiment safely and integrate diverse perspectives. These are not personality traits or talents reserved for the few. They are learnable skills that can be developed alongside deep expertise. [ For a step-by- step guide to building innovation literacy at business school, please refer to the boxout on page 26 .] This challenge is becoming even more visible in the context of digital tools and the rapid adoption of generative AI tools. Used passively, AI can accelerate functional fixedness by providing ready-made
Barbara Salopek is a lecturer at BI Norwegian Business School and the founder & CEO of Vinco Innovation, a consultancy helping companies build sustainable innovation cultures. She is also the author of Future-Fit Innovation , published by Practical Inspiration Publishing
Business Impact • ISSUE 1 • 2026
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