What is creative leadership?

Creative leaders attract a great deal of attention in business, politics, sport, and education. There seems to be a widespread belief that creative leadership is a good thing and that more you can get the better. How far are we from a rigorous understanding of an under-researched topic? Creativity and leadership have various characteristics in common. Both have attracted attention across a wide range of professional, educational, and socio-political fields. Both have defied easy definition. Furthermore, there are few convincing answers to questions such as: How might creative leadership be distinguished from non-creative leadership? In what way might this distinction help anyone? A personal view A few years ago I collaborated with Susan Moger on a practitioner text, Handbook for Creative Team Leaders. We have used it in different countries and with many different kinds of team. In the book, we point to two different sets of beliefs about creativity. The first is the rare gift view, and the second is the universal human capability view. Our commitment to the latter can be traced to ideas of creativity derived from Carl Rogers, and developed within the creative problem-solving movement. Our audiences have tended to take for granted the notion that teams need creativity. When asked for definitions or explanations we tend to say something like Creativity is a process through which individuals and groups discover new and useful ideas. Creative leaders are people who help that process come about. A confession They say you make progress when you realize how much you dont know. If thats the case, Ive made progress recently. Ive reached the conclusion that I have no well-grounded answer to the question what is creative leadership?.

My dissatisfaction comes from the knowledge that the approach outlined above has tended to favour the lived experience over the abstract concept. The focus is on creating rather than reflecting on the creative process. This need not be the case. Chris Argyris has called the primary discovery processes single-loop, and reflective one double-loop learning. Argyris has made significant contributions to theorizing of Organisational Behavior. His proposal can be understood as implying that Double loop theory is based upon a theory of action perspective outlined by Argyris & Schon This perspective examines reality from the point of view of human beings as actors. Changes in values, behavior, leadership, and helping others, are all part of, and informed by, the actors theory of action. An important aspect of the theory is the distinction between an individuals espoused theory and their theory-in-use (what they actually do); bringing these two into congruence is a primary concern of double loop learning. Typically, interaction with others is necessary to identify the conflict. Pressure for results My belief remains that projects engaging teams in creative activities are promising opportunities for learning about learning (double-loop learning). The most promising opportunities are those with extended projects. These have been found to occur when they are part of lengthier educational processes. Even then, pressures for results tempt a majority of teams to stick too closely to concerns for short-term performance outcomes and course grades. With appropriate mentorship the teams are better able to confront the ambiguities of their situations. Creative leadership is the concept that leaders who exhibit imaginative and inventive qualities are better able to impact individuals who work underneath them or who look to them for guidance. The concept also maintains that more creative leaders are better equipped to find unique solutions to complicated problems. In addition, this style of leadership is often driven by the notion that people can become more effective leaders if they are able to think and perform in original and innovative ways. In recent years, creative leadership development has been extended to managers and other leaders within companies. Some companies have embraced the idea of creative leadership, believing that it will ultimately improve employee productivity and drive bottom lines. Many of these companies have invested in courses or activities that will help produce more leaders who are able to think outside the box. For example, some companies promote corporate leadership by sending managers and supervisors to leadership training courses and leadership coaching programs. Other companies use team building exercises to promote creative leadership and better communication skills. Defining whether a person has creative leadership skills can be difficult, as it can vary depending on the situation. As a general rule, however, creative leaders are skilled at generating a great deal of ideas. Some of these ideas may be original while others may simply be different ways to

reinvent the wheel. These leaders usually seek out ways to test their ideas, and they are open to suggestions for improvement.
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By and large, creative leaders are considered passionate people who are able to think imaginatively about a situation while still maintaining a realistic outlook. This type leadership typically requires a leader to motivate others and to be sensitive about the needs of colleagues, team members, and subordinates. Most creative leaders have exceptional problem-solving skills. Intelligence and confidence are other characteristics that creative leaders typically possess. Many creative leaders have a sound sense of judgment and do not make decisions without thoroughly understanding the consequences. Despite this, they can be characterized as dreamers. This is likely because they have the ability to imagine multiple ways of solving a single problem or of marketing and promoting a new idea. Usually, creative leaders are independent people who do not require approval from others. Although they do not require others to approve of them, creative leaders typically have strong communication skills. In addition, they commonly possess a great deal of insight about themselves. The combination of good communication skills and self-awareness allows them to more effectively encourage and inspire other people around them.
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ORGANIZATIONAL CREATIVITY

Vicari defines creativity as:

"the result of the conditions the whole organization is in" (Vicari, 1998)

It is not determined by the single individual creativities It is not the sum of individual creativities It is the context, that exalts synergies

Binnig defines creativity as: "...the evolutive aptitude of a system"(Binnig, 1991)

This definition includes 3 fundamental concepts:

Aptitude; it is strictly connected with the idea that creativity is not just a condition, but it is a capability of modifying, changing, innovating. Every system has this aptitude for changing. System;it is concerned with the subject of creativity, that is to say a system. Not just individuals can be defined as creative, but also social systems,organizations, enterprises, as they all require the capability of changing. Evolution; change is a necessary, but not sufficient condition in order to define creativity.

Creativity means that systems are able to self-evolve without any external intervention. Then we could define a system as creative in case it is able to evolve in a not known, not predetermined and not definable way. In other words it is not possible to foresee systems behaviour just considering its input.
(When we talk about the subjects of creativity, that is to say individuals, organizations and systems in general, now we will try to define organizational creativity and its relationship with the individual one. Vicari [1] a teacher at Bocconi University in Milan, says that organizational creativity doesnt correspond to the individual one. In particular it is not determined and it is not the sum of individual creativities, but it is the result of the conditions organizations are in.)

For example a painter or a philosopher, who work at artistic academies or at universities, are creative individuals, but they dont make those institutions creative. What is important is not the

quantity of creativity in an organization, but the relational and social context where individuals work.
Moreover organizational creativity might also flourish from a low level of individual creativity. For example Japanese enterprises have shown, up to now, an excellent creative capability in several industries even if they have an organizational environment which doesnt support individual initiative but enhances team coordination. Then we could say that there is no injective relationship between individual and organizational creativity. And we could classify organizations according to the possible combinations between individual and organizational creativity. In fact organizations can work by using a low or high level of creativity and in the same way their employees might be creative or not.

Tab. 2.1 - Kinds of creativity Individual creativity low

high

high Organizational creativity

Organizations based on continuous development, on systematic research of efficiency Few innovations, just imitations Not effective organizations.

Successful organizations High rate of innovations

low

Low rate of innovations, sometimes radical, based on entrepreneurial spirit of individuals

KEYS to Creativity and Innovation is a team and organizational assessment that measures the climate for creativity and innovation that exists in a work group, division or organization. It assesses the work environment; specifically the management practices, resources, motivations and interactions. It can be used to jump start creativity, to communicate the importance of creativity and innovation within an organization and as an assessment preceding any type of innovation or change intervention. Similar to a leader who receives 360-degree feedback to gain self-awareness, work groups and organizations need to assess their environment before implementing a development plan to improve the climate. KEYS to Creativity and Innovation can also be highly useful when organizational restructuring has been unsuccessful to bring about desired change.

Results

Reveals pockets of excellence as well as areas with critical development needs when comparing categories such as departments, functions, or locations. Identifies the most important factors that support or inhibit innovation and creativity. Provides suggestions for improving the climate for creativity and innovation. Provides hard data needed to develop the innovative culture within and across business.

Special Features

Quantifies the most important factors that support or inhibit creativity and innovation Designed to collect feedback on employees' opinions of the work environment Internet-based administration and data collection Provides comparison with the overall normative group or one of 17 industry normative groups Reveals pockets of excellence and critical development needs using demographic and comparison reports Includes debrief presentation templates to help you guide the analysis of results with others and set a plan of action Available in English only

Frequently Asked Questions

Is KEYS to Creativity and Innovation a 360-degree assessment? No, KEYS is a team and organizational assessment and not a 360. Think of KEYS as an employee opinion survey based exclusively on research about the climate for creativity and innovation. Do I have to be certified to use KEYS to Creativity and Innovation? Facilitators need to complete the Facilitator Qualification form to use KEYS. What organizations are in CCL's normative database? The KEYS norm group consists of 186 groups from a variety of functions and departments in over 200 different organizations. These organizations represent industries such as high technology, biotechnology, and electronics; chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and health products; traditional research and development, traditional manufacturing; banking; and consumer products. CCL uses a very selective process when choosing organizations for the norm group. Can CCL compare our data to organizations in a similar industry? Yes, for the 17 industries listed below. You can choose the norm group to be used in the report.
Industry 1. Automotive 2. Chemicals Sub-Industry 12. Computer Software & Services 13. Personal Care

3. Computers & Office Equipment 14. Drug & Research 4. Conglomerates 5. Consumer Products 6. Electrical & Electronics 7. Food 8. Healthcare 9. Manufacturing 10. Nonprofit 11. Service 15. Government 16. Advertising & Printing 17. Consulting

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