Leadbeater’s (2000) metaphor of “a new economy living on thin air” gives a good idea of how to conceive of the knowledge economy. Creativity is an essential feature of the knowledge economy and has transferred from being characteristic for particular niche industries to an overarching, critical, and peculiar feature of various sectors (Pratt & Jeffcutt, 2009). Organizations have been trying to find management solutions and entrepreneurial approaches to fruitfully implement creativity and balance the innate tensions between creativity, control, and organizational structure. The essay at hand provides solutions to this dilemma and identifies starting points for implementing key characteristics and management strategies of creative organizations into creatively managing non-creative organizations. The subject matter will be discussed along the lines of the following set of interrelated questions.
• What exactly is creativity, where does it come from and what is its significance in an organizational management context?
• What constitutes creative organizations and where does innovation fit in?
• To what extend has creativity forged new forms of organizations or has been beneficially implemented by technically non-creative organizations?
• What are some innovative and collaborative approaches by organizations to take advantage of the collective nature of the knowledge economy?
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Approach
2.1 What is creativity? What is innovation?
2.2 The origins of creativity: Lone genius versus motley crew
2.3 The origins of creativity and its organizational relevance
2.4 Innovation and innovative organizations
2.5 Diversity – a key characteristic of creativity
2.6 Learning
2.7 Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
2.8 Open, flat, network-based organizations
2.8.1 Valve – Game on!
2.8.2 KIVA – Creatively facilitating opportunity
2.8.3 HOCHTIEF – High diversity, low trade-off
3. Creativity is for everyone
4. Limitations
5. Discussion
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This essay explores how creativity can be proactively managed within both creative and non-creative organizations. It investigates the tension between individual genius and collective processes, aiming to identify management strategies that foster innovation and organizational health through diversity, learning, and network-based structures.
- The differentiation between creativity and innovation in organizational contexts.
- The transition from "heroic" individual models of creativity to "structural" collective models.
- The impact of diversity and intrinsic motivation on organizational performance.
- Practical implementations of open, network-based models in diverse business sectors.
- Case study analysis of creative managerial adaptations in contemporary companies.
Excerpt from the Book
The origins of creativity: Lone genius versus motley crew
Considering management of creative organizations and managing creativity within organizations, the origins of creativity and causes for its sometimes unsuccessful or jejune implementation have been fuelling a much contested debate between two camps. At one end, the individual, creative mind is supposed to be the sole origin of valuable creative ideas that yield profitable outcomes and organizational innovation (Amabile, 1988). At the opposite end, creative teams of diverse individuals with numerous external linkages and networks were not only seen as more productive and efficient, but also as capable of augmenting genuinely creative output that facilitated more profitable, innovate outcome (Barlow, 1990). Bilton (2010) conceptualizes this discrepancy by juxtaposing an individual, “heroic model of creativity” in opposition to a collective, “structural model of creativity” (p. 4).
In philosophical terms, the conventional, heroic model of creativity allots essential importance to the individual, creative genius and its ideas. Echoing the central role of the single creative genius, Banaji and Burn (2006) mention Kant’s Critique of judgment, which classifies creativity as being a few gifted individuals’ special abilities and qualities.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Introduces the knowledge economy and the growing necessity for organizations to integrate creative managerial approaches to remain competitive.
2. Approach: Outlines the scope of the investigation, differentiating between creativity and innovation while exploring theoretical models and practical applications.
3. Creativity is for everyone: Synthesizes findings from case studies, arguing that creative management is a viable and beneficial strategy across all organizational types.
4. Limitations: Discusses the inherent constraints of the analysis due to the rapid, dynamic changes within the global knowledge economy.
5. Discussion: Critically evaluates the concept of creativity as a "brand" or label versus its role as a substantive, fruitful organizational characteristic.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes that successful organizations must balance creativity and control, favoring collective, network-based structures over traditional individualistic models.
Keywords
Creativity, Innovation, Knowledge Economy, Organizational Management, Diversity, Collective Intelligence, Lone Genius, Structural Model, Intrinsic Motivation, Adhocracy, Network-based Organizations, Group Synergy, Groupthink, Creative Industries, Business Performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research focuses on the proactive managerial implementation of creativity within organizations, examining how both creative and non-creative firms can leverage creative practices for success.
What are the core thematic fields covered?
The work covers the origins of creativity, the dichotomy between creativity and innovation, organizational management structures, and the impact of diversity and motivation on work output.
What is the central research question?
The paper asks how creativity can be fruitfully implemented within organizations while balancing the innate tensions between creativity, control, and established organizational structure.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The essay utilizes a synthesis of theoretical frameworks and an analytical examination of exemplary organizational case studies to support its arguments.
What aspects are addressed in the main body?
The main body examines the transition from individual-based "heroic" models to collective "structural" models of creativity, focusing on diversity, learning, and specific business model innovations.
Which keywords best define this work?
Key terms include Creativity, Innovation, Organizational Management, Diversity, Collective Intelligence, and Adhocracy.
How does the author define the "heroic model" of creativity?
The heroic model emphasizes the individual creative genius as the sole source of original ideas, a concept often challenged by modern organizational research.
What role does HOCHTIEF play in the case study analysis?
HOCHTIEF serves as an example of a non-creative company that successfully used a creative internal reconstruction plan, specifically by introducing high diversity to overcome groupthink.
How does KIVA illustrate creative facilitation?
KIVA leverages the collective power of the internet and crowdsourcing to create an inclusive, open, and network-based business model that facilitates loans for disadvantaged people.
What is the author's stance on creativity as a brand?
The author argues that while "creativity" is sometimes just used as a label to inflate value, in the right context, it is a truly fruitful characteristic that generates actual systemic improvements.
- Quote paper
- Christoph Rosenthal (Author), 2011, Creativity conquers the marketplace, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/269855
