2.

ORGANIZATIONALCREATIVITY

Vicaridefinescreativityas:
"theresultoftheconditionsthewholeorganizationisin"
(Vicari,1998)
Itisnotdeterminedbythesingleindividualcreativities
Itisnotthesumofindividualcreativities
Itisthecontext,thatexaltssynergies
Binnigdefinescreativityas:
"...theevolutiveaptitudeofasystem"(Binnig,1991)
Thisdefinitionincludes3fundamentalconcepts:
Aptitudeitisstrictlyconnectedwiththeideathatcreativityisnotjustacondition,butitisa
capabilityofmodifying,changing,innovating.Everysystemhasthisaptitudeforchanging.
Systemitisconcernedwiththesubjectofcreativity,thatistosayasystem.Notjust
individualscanbedefinedascreative,butalsosocialsystems,organizations,enterprises,as
theyallrequirethecapabilityofchanging.
Evolutionchangeisanecessary,butnotsufficientconditioninordertodefinecreativity.
Creativitymeansthatsystemsareabletoselfevolvewithoutanyexternalintervention.Thenwe
coulddefineasystemascreativeincaseitisabletoevolveinanotknown,notpredetermined
andnotdefinableway.Inotherwordsitisnotpossibletoforeseesystemsbehaviourjust
consideringitsinput.
(Whenwetalkaboutthesubjectsofcreativity,thatistosayindividuals,organizationsand
systemsingeneral,nowwewilltrytodefineorganizationalcreativityanditsrelationshipwiththe
individualone.Vicari[1]ateacheratBocconiUniversityinMilan,saysthatorganizational
creativitydoesntcorrespondtotheindividualone.Inparticularitisnotdeterminedanditisnot
thesumofindividualcreativities,butitistheresultoftheconditionsorganizationsarein.)
Forexampleapainteroraphilosopher,whoworkatartisticacademiesoratuniversities,are
creativeindividuals,buttheydontmakethoseinstitutionscreative.Whatisimportantisnotthe
quantityofcreativityinanorganization,buttherelationalandsocialcontextwhereindividuals
work.
Moreoverorganizationalcreativitymightalsoflourishfromalowlevelofindividualcreativity.For
exampleJapaneseenterpriseshaveshown,uptonow,anexcellentcreativecapabilityinseveral
industrieseveniftheyhaveanorganizationalenvironmentwhichdoesntsupportindividual
initiativebutenhancesteamcoordination.
Thenwecouldsaythatthereisnobijectiverelationshipbetweenindividualandorganizational
creativity.Andwecouldclassifyorganizationsaccordingtothepossiblecombinationsbetween
individualandorganizationalcreativity.Infactorganizationscanworkbyusingaloworhighlevel

ofcreativityandinthesamewaytheiremployeesmightbecreativeornot.
Tab.2.1Kindsofcreativity
Individualcreativity
low

high
Organizational
creativity
low

high

Organizationsbasedon
continuousdevelopment,
onsystematicresearchof
efficiency

Successfulorganizations
Highrateofinnovations

Fewinnovations,just
imitations
Noteffectiveorganizations.

Lowrateofinnovations,
sometimesradical,basedon
entrepreneurialspiritof
individuals

[1]S.Vicari,Lacreativitdellimpresa.Tracasoenecessit,Milano,EtasLibri,1998.
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