Creative leadership

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Creative leadership is a style of leadership based upon the concept of working cooperatively to develop innovative ideas. [1] Those who employ creative leadership tend to do so by creating conditions which promote creativity. Creating such conditions, which are sometimes called "supportive contributions", [2] are described as psychological, material, and/or social supports that trigger, enable, and sustain creative thinking in others. [2]

Contents

The term creative leadership is commonly used in organizational studies and was first referenced in 1957. [3] In recent years, there has been a significant increase in research surrounding creative and innovation leadership [4] and the term has also been used increasingly among practitioners [5] and in the public sphere. [6] Researchers and practitioners have suggested that creative leadership is more important in the current political and economic climate than ever before. [7] It has also been suggested that creative leaders display behaviors that may contradict traditional management styles. [8]

In 2010, results from the IBM Global CEO Study indicated that according to the polled Chief executive officers, creativity was the most important quality for leaders to build successful businesses, outranking integrity and global thinking. [9] Further research has found that although organisations may claim that they value creative leadership, the majority of those organisations tend to promote leaders who do not espouse creative leadership, and instead are risk-averse and maintain the status quo. [10] [11]

Competencies

According to Stoll and Temperley (2009, 69–74), creative leaders foster conditions that can help to inspire creativity in others. These conditions include: "stimulating a sense of urgency if necessary, exposing colleagues to new thinking and experiences, providing time and space to facilitate the practicalities; setting high expectations, promoting individual and collaborative creative thinking and design, using failure as a learning opportunity, relinquishing control, and the modelling of creativity and risk-taking." [12]

Ball (2015) suggests that the five core competencies for creative leadership are: "acting with passion and purpose, applying an explorative mindset, envisioning a better future, orchestrating creative teams, and driving breakthrough change." [13] Sohmen's (2015) research argues that good creative leaders consistently develop the following characteristics in themselves: leadership styles and perceptions, understanding of different cultures, individual and team motivations, interpersonal skills, levels of creativity, ability to manage change, communication styles, listening ability, decision-making skills, and, personal ethics. [14]

Definitions

Numerous researchers have used the term creative leadership since it was first used as a concept in the 1950s. The meanings may differ across research contexts. [2]
Views on the definition and scope of creative leadership include:

Conceptualisations

In their meta-theoretical integration of creative leadership research, Mainemelis, Kark, and Epitropaki (2015) identified three different complementary conceptualisations which reflect the different contexts in which creative leadership can be applied: facilitating creativity, directing a creative vision, and integrating diverse creative contributions. [18] Subsequent research has found that creative leadership may be enacted in these different ways depending on the context [19] [20]

Facilitating

In the context of facilitating, those who employ creative leadership will support employees or individuals as primary creators, influencing their creative contributions and shaping each stage of the creative process. [2] In the context of facilitating, creative leaders lead in a way that increases employees' likelihood of generating new ideas. [1] As facilitators, creative leaders foster others' creativity and may take individuals through a process that helps them generate new ideas, such as brainstorming. [21] [16] In the context of facilitating, those who employ creative leadership are involved in the entire creative process and shape a supportive climate for creativity. [1]

Directing

In the context of directing, those who employ creative leadership are the primary creators and their vision is enacted through the supportive contributions and collaboration from others. [2] Mumford, Scott, Gadis and Strange (2002) suggest that, in directing, a leader is integral to the production of a creative concept, while others support its implementation. The degree to which others contribute creatively may depend upon the situation. This can be compared to an orchestra conductor, who provides a vision and direction for musicians who bring their own individual contributions. [22] A strong directive creative leader may inspire, elicit, and integrate high-quality contributions from his or her collaborators. [1]

Integrating

In the context of integrating, there is a focus on the creative leader's ability to integrate or synthesize his or her novel ideas with heterogeneous creative ideas from other individuals. [2] Compared to directing and facilitating contexts, there is a greater balance between the ratio of leader to follower creative contributions and supportive contributions in the integrating context. Each individual can receive credit for their distinct contribution, and successful leadership in this context depends on the leader's ability to synthesise others' creative inputs. Film directors are an example of leaders working in an integrating context, providing guidance to create a feature film that includes creative contributions from numerous people: screenwriters, actors, special effects technicians, costume designers, etc. [23]

Research on different types of leadership

Empirical, meta-analytic, and theoretical studies have been conducted on various types of leadership. Some of the styles of leadership studied include:

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leadership</span> Quality of one individual or group influencing or guiding others based on authority

Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "lead", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creativity</span> Forming something new and somehow valuable

Creativity is a characteristic of someone or some process that forms something new and valuable. The created item may be intangible or a physical object.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brainstorming</span> Group creativity technique

Brainstorming is a creativity technique in which a group of people interact to suggest ideas spontaneously in response to a prompt. Stress is typically placed on the volume and variety of ideas, including ideas that may seem outlandish or "off-the-wall". Ideas are noted down during the activity, but not assessed or critiqued until later. The absence of criticism and assessment is intended to avoid inhibiting participants in their idea production. The term was popularized by advertising executive Alex Faickney Osborn in the classic work Applied Imagination (1953).

Creativity techniques are methods that encourage creative actions, whether in the arts or sciences. They focus on a variety of aspects of creativity, including techniques for idea generation and divergent thinking, methods of re-framing problems, changes in the affective environment and so on. They can be used as part of problem solving, artistic expression, or therapy.

Knowledge workers are workers whose main capital is knowledge. Examples include ICT Professionals, physicians, pharmacists, architects, engineers, scientists, design thinkers, public accountants, lawyers, editors, and academics, whose job is to "think for a living".

Problem finding means problem discovery. It is part of the larger problem process that includes problem shaping and problem solving. Problem finding requires intellectual vision and insight into what is missing. Problem finding plays a major role in application of creativity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Design management</span> Field of inquiry in business

Design management is a field of inquiry that uses design, strategy, project management and supply chain techniques to control a creative process, support a culture of creativity, and build a structure and organization for design. The objective of design management is to develop and maintain an efficient business environment in which an organization can achieve its strategic and mission goals through design. Design management is a comprehensive activity at all levels of business, from the discovery phase to the execution phase. "Simply put, design management is the business side of design. Design management encompasses the ongoing processes, business decisions, and strategies that enable innovation and create effectively-designed products, services, communications, environments, and brands that enhance our quality of life and provide organizational success." The discipline of design management overlaps with marketing management, operations management, and strategic management.

Design thinking refers to the set of cognitive, strategic and practical procedures used by designers in the process of designing, and to the body of knowledge that has been developed about how people reason when engaging with design problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workforce productivity</span> Concept in economics

Workforce productivity is the amount of goods and services that a group of workers produce in a given amount of time. It is one of several types of productivity that economists measure. Workforce productivity, often referred to as labor productivity, is a measure for an organisation or company, a process, an industry, or a country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Divergent thinking</span> A process of generating creative ideas

Divergent thinking is a thought process used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. It typically occurs in a spontaneous, free-flowing, "non-linear" manner, such that many ideas are generated in an emergent cognitive fashion. Many possible solutions are explored in a short amount of time, and unexpected connections are drawn. Following divergent thinking, ideas and information are organized and structured using convergent thinking, which follows a particular set of logical steps to arrive at one solution, which in some cases is a "correct" solution.

Innovation leadership is a philosophy and technique that combines different leadership styles to influence employees to produce creative ideas, products, and services. The key role in the practice of innovation leadership is the innovation leader. Dr. David Gliddon (2006) developed the competency model of innovation leaders and established the concept of innovation leadership at Penn State University.

Shared leadership is a leadership style that broadly distributes leadership responsibility, such that people within a team and organization lead each other. It has frequently been compared to horizontal leadership, distributed leadership, and collective leadership and is most contrasted with more traditional "vertical" or "hierarchical" leadership that resides predominantly with an individual instead of a group.

Followership is the actions of someone in a subordinate role. It may also be considered as particular services that can help the leader leadership, a role within a hierarchical organization, a social construct that is integral to the leadership process, or the behaviors engaged in while interacting with leaders in an effort to meet organizational objectives. As such, followership is best defined as an intentional practice on the part of the subordinate to enhance the synergetic interchange between the follower and the leader.

Psychological safety is the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. In teams, it refers to team members believing that they can take risks without being shamed by other team members. In psychologically safe teams, team members feel accepted and respected contributing to a better "experience in the workplace". It is also the most studied enabling condition in group dynamics and team learning research.

Marino (Min) Sidney Basadur is a teacher, consultant and researcher best known for his work in applied creativity and as the developer Simplexity Thinking System for improving workplace innovation & creativity. He is president of Basadur Applied Creativity and professor emeritus of organizational behavior and innovation at McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Business.

In computer supported brainstorming, team members contribute their ideas through electronic means either synchronously or asynchronously. The brainstorming software selected by the team mediates the individual interactions and helps to organize and shape the products of the brainstorming session. Computer supported brainstorming can be implemented using a wide variety of electronic technologies.

Creative education is when students are able to use imagination and critical thinking to create new and meaningful forms of ideas where they can take risks, be independent and flexible. Instead of being taught to reiterate what was learned, students learn to develop their ability to find various solutions to a problem. Coming up with various out-of-the box solutions is known as divergent thinking and there is no one way of cultivating this skill - largely due to the newness of the concept and the limited scientific information on creativity.

Design culture is an organizational culture focused on approaches that improve customer experiences through design. In every firm, the design culture is of significance as it allows the company to understand users and their needs. Integration of design culture in any organisation aims at creating experiences that add value to their respective users. In general, design culture entails undertaking design as the forefront of every operation in the organisation, from strategy formulation to execution. Every organisation is responsible for ensuring a healthy design culture through the application of numerous strategies. For instance, an organisation should provide a platform that allows every stakeholder to engage in design recesses. Consequently, employees across the board need to incorporate design thinking, which is associated with innovation and critical thinking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronit Kark</span> Organisational psychologist and academic

Ronit Kark is a full professor of leadership and organizational psychology in the Department of Psychology at Bar-Ilan University, Israel, and the founder and former director of the 'Gender in the Field' Graduate Program at the Gender Studies department of Bar-Ilan. She is a distinguished research professor at the University of Exeter Business School and an affiliate scholar at the Center For Gender in Organizations (CGO) at Simmons University, Boston.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Mumford, Michael D; Scott, Ginamarie M; Gaddis, Blaine; Strange, Jill M (December 2002). "Leading creative people: Orchestrating expertise and relationships". The Leadership Quarterly. 13 (6): 705–750. doi:10.1016/S1048-9843(02)00158-3.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mainemelis, Charalampos; Kark, Ronit; Epitropaki, Olga (January 2015). "Creative Leadership: A Multi-Context Conceptualization" (PDF). Academy of Management Annals. 9 (1): 393–482. doi:10.5465/19416520.2015.1024502.
  3. ↑ Selznick, P. (1984). Leadership in administration. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press (Originally published 1957).[ page needed ]
  4. ↑ Dinh, Jessica E.; Lord, Robert G.; Gardner, William L.; Meuser, Jeremy D.; Liden, Robert C.; Hu, Jinyu (February 2014). "Leadership theory and research in the new millennium: Current theoretical trends and changing perspectives" (PDF). The Leadership Quarterly. 25 (1): 36–62. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.11.005.
  5. ↑ Nikravan, L. (2012). Why creativity is the most important leadership quality. Chief Learning Officer. Retrieved from http://www.clomedia.com/articles/why-creativity-is-themost-important-leadership-quality%5B%5D
  6. ↑ Chernin, Peter (1 February 2002). "Creative leadership: The strength of ideas: The power of the imagination". Vital Speeches of the Day. 68 (8): 245–249.
  7. ↑ Sternberg, Robert J. (2007). "A systems model of leadership: WICS". American Psychologist. 62 (1): 34–42. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.62.1.34. PMID   17209678.
  8. ↑ Hunter, Samuel T.; Thoroughgood, Christian N.; Myer, Adam T.; Ligon, Gina Scott (February 2011). "Paradoxes of leading innovative endeavors: Summary, solutions, and future directions". Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. 5 (1): 54–66. doi:10.1037/a0017776.
  9. ↑ Nikravan, L. (2012). Why creativity is the most important leadership quality. Chief Learning Officer. Retrieved from http://www.clomedia.com/articles/why-creativity-is-themost-important-leadership-quality%5B%5D
  10. ↑ Basadur, Min; Basadur, Tim (February 2011). "Where are the generators?". Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. 5 (1): 29–42. doi:10.1037/a0017757.
  11. ↑ Mueller, Jennifer S.; Goncalo, Jack A.; Kamdar, Dishan (March 2011). "Recognizing creative leadership: Can creative idea expression negatively relate to perceptions of leadership potential?" (PDF). Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 47 (2): 494–498. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2010.11.010.
  12. 1 2 Stoll, Louise; Temperley, Julie (February 2009). "Creative leadership: a challenge of our times". School Leadership & Management. 29 (1): 65–78. doi:10.1080/13632430802646404. S2CID   145515100.
  13. ↑ Ball, Rajiv. "The Paradoxes of Creative Leadership." Innovation Management, 7 Aug. 2015, http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2015/07/08/cl-the-paradoxes-of-creative-leadership/. Accessed 14 August 2017. Archived 19 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ Sohmen, Victor S (June 2015). "Reflections on Creative Leadership". International Journal of Global Business. 8 (1): 1–14. ProQuest   1680769091.
  15. ↑ Puccio, G., Murdock, M., & Mance, M. (2011). Creative leadership: Skills that drive change (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.[ page needed ]
  16. 1 2 Basadur, Min (February 2004). "Leading others to think innovatively together: Creative leadership". The Leadership Quarterly. 15 (1): 103–121. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2003.12.007.
  17. ↑ "The Complete Creative Leadership Guide (5 parts)". EBZ-Coaching. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2021-07-18.
  18. ↑ Mainemelis, Charalampos; Kark, Ronit; Epitropaki, Olga (January 2015). "Creative Leadership: A Multi-Context Conceptualization" (PDF). Academy of Management Annals. 9 (1): 393–482. doi:10.5465/19416520.2015.1024502.
  19. ↑ Mainemelis, Charalampos; Epitropaki, Olga; Kark, Ronit, eds. (2019). Creative leadership: contexts and prospects. Routledge studies in leadership research. New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN   978-1-138-55986-8.
  20. ↑ Mainemelis, Charalampos; Epitropaki, Olga; Kark, Ronit (2021). "Creative leadership across contexts.". In Zhou, Jing; Rouse, Elizabeth D. (eds.). Handbook of research on creativity and innovation. Research handbooks in business and management series. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 105–128. ISBN   978-1-78897-726-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  21. ↑ Rickards, Tudor; Moger, Susan (December 2000). "Creative Leadership Processes in Project Team Development: An Alternative to Tuckman's Stage Model". British Journal of Management. 11 (4): 273–283. doi:10.1111/1467-8551.00173.
  22. ↑ Hunt, James G.(Jerry); Stelluto, George Edward; Hooijberg, Robert (February 2004). "Toward new-wave organization creativity: Beyond romance and analogy in the relationship between orchestra-conductor leadership and musician creativity". The Leadership Quarterly. 15 (1): 145–162. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2003.12.009.
  23. ↑ Simonton, Dean Keith (July 2002). "Collaborative Aesthetics in the Feature Film: Cinematic Components Predicting the Differential Impact of 2,323 Oscar-Nominated Movies". Empirical Studies of the Arts. 20 (2): 115–125. doi:10.2190/rhq2-9uc3-6t32-hr66. S2CID   145376473.
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