Managing Creativity in Organizations addresses the notion of organizational creativity and innovation in general, and explores in some detail how it is achieved. The first part of the book critically reviews the literature on creativity. The second half explores the management of organizational creativity in the pharmaceutical industry. Here issues such as technology, cognition and leadership are introduced as central resources and practices in the management of organizational creativity and innovation. The research is based on management practices in four companies, all of whom have demonstrated a significant ability to exploit their organizational creativity.
Hiring an all-star workforce and keeping it in place is a challenge for any organization. Packed with hands-on tips and tools, Hiring and Keeping the Best People offers managers comprehensive advice for hiring more effectively and increasing retention. Book jacket.
This edited volume from a conference held at Northwestern University concerns the latest research on creativity and innovations in groups. It represents research from three different camps: group, cognitive processes, and organizational behavior.
In this volume three of the key figures in the field set out to establish some parameters for the study of creativity. After examining the earlier works on the subject, they present their current research findings, and then attempt to project where the field is likely to go in the decade ahead. Gardner, the proponent of biological aspects of creativity, ranges widely as he examines Freud's Vienna and the features of medicine that both constrained and challenged his revolutionary idea. Csikszentmihalyi, with his exploration of genes and memes, examines individual issues as well as broader contextual concerns. Feldman concentrates on the notions of coincidence and the transformational imperative. These essays point to the rejuvenation of the field of creativity research, and suggest where the field is likely to move in the future. This work is a major synthesis of value to advanced researchers as well as students and all those concerned with creativity.
Issues such as organization learning, knowledge management and creativity in organizations are increasingly of interest to academics and practitioners. Few books offer an integrated critique and evaluation of the recent discussions on organizational creativity. Written for academics, managers and consultants, this book fills that gap and investigates what organizational creativity is in practice.
Innovation is an undisputed catalyst for company growth, yet many managers across industries fail to create a climate that encourages and rewards innovation. Managing Creativity and Innovation explores the manager's role in sparking organizational creativity and offers insight into what managers and leaders must do to increase successful innovation. Contents include: Generating new ideas and recognizing opportunities Moving innovation to market Removing mental blocks to creativity Establishing a strategic direction for profitable product development Brainstorming and fostering creative conflict within groups Creating an innovation-friendly culture Plus, readers can access free interactive tools on the Harvard Business Essentials companion web site. Series Adviser: Ralph Katz Dr. Katz is professor of management at Northeastern University's College of Business and in the Management of Technology Group of M.I.T.'s Sloan School of Management. He has carried out extensive management research on technology-based innovation with emphasis in the management of technical professionals and project teams. Harvard Business Essentials The Reliable Source for Busy Managers The Harvard Business Essentials series is designed to provide comprehensive advice, personal coaching, background information, and guidance on the most relevant topics in business. Drawing on rich content from Harvard Business School Publishing and other sources, these concise guides are carefully crafted to provide a highly practical resource for readers with all levels of experience. To assure quality and accuracy, each volume is closely reviewed by a specialized content adviser from a world class business school. Whether you are a new manager interested in expanding your skills or an experienced executive looking for a personal resource, these solution-oriented books offer reliable answers at your fingertips.
A clash between the ideology of growth and the growth of ideas, between control and creativity, between measurement and the immeasurable, between predictability and the fickle muses of inspiration in engulfing our boardrooms. In this scathing swipe at the institutionalised idiocy that is stifling creativity just at the time the world needs it most Gordon Torr draws from the leading lights of creativity research to demolish the myths that surround the generation of ideas in the modern organisation. The curse of the brainstorm, the commoditisation of creative talent, the deskilling of the imagination, the startling inadequacies of management theory – these and the many other horrors of idea-assassination that run rampant in creative sector companies are dissected and disembowelled in this hilarious expose of the drama that unfolds every time a new idea slides across the boardroom table. This book sets out to address the black hole that surrounds the management of creative people, debunking many myths of creativity, and outlining a revolutionary approach to the pressing issue of creative productivity in the contemporary creative sector company. A handbook of tools, techniques, methods and practical ideas whose USP is a framework for thinking about efficient creative management – how to extract value from creative time. Gordon Torr presents a logical argument that puts in place the building blocks of the author’s knowledge and experience towards the final architecture. “We need them as never before. And we know that they’re somehow different. Yet the productive management of creative people is an almost totally neglected science. I doubt if there’s a single industry that wouldn’t gain immediate advantage from Gordon Torr’s scrupulous and enlightening detective work.” - Jeremy Bullmore
This bestselling text brings a fresh and unique approach to managing organizational change, taking the view that change, creativity and innovation are interconnected. It offers a strong theoretical understanding of change, creativity and innovation along with practical guidance and ideas for organizational change and development. The fourth edition comes with: lots of brand-new case studies and examples from around the world extra content on innovation and technology extended discussion and an additional chapter on the people aspects of change that includes culture, sensemaking and temporality Written in an engaging and accessible style, this books is essential for those studying organizational change management or creativity and innovation.
The creative industries are a growing economic as well as cultural force. This book investigates their organizational dynamics and shows how companies structure their work processes to incorporate creative employees' needs for autonomy while at the same time controlling and coordinating their output. Research in television and radio broadcasting, publishing, advertising, the recorded music industry and the performing arts is used to show the variety of ways in which organizations respond to the creative imperative. The authors help to answer a larger question which has been neglected in theories of management and organizational behaviour, namely: what should replace the management principles and practices inherited from industrial society in the types of organization which predominate in post-industrial society? The arguments and evidence are made accessible to a multidisciplinary audience of students and researchers with an interest in the study of organizations as well as to managers in the creative industries.
