Managing Creativity In Organizations: Critique And Practices

Managing Creativity in Organizations Critique and Practices Alexander Styhre and Mats Sundgren Managing Creativity in Organizations This page intentionally left blank Managing Creativity in Organizations Critique and Practices Alexander Styhre and Mats Sundgren © Alexander Styhre and Mats Sundgren 2005 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2005 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN-13: 978–1–4039–4768–0 ISBN-10: 1–4039–4768–6 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Styhre, Alexander. Managing creativity in organizations : critique and practices/Alexander Styhre, Mats Sundgren. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1–4039–4768–6 (cloth) 1. Creative ability in business—Management. 2. Technological innovations—Management. I. Sundgren, Mats, 1959– II. Title. HD53.S79 2005 658.3′14—dc22 2005045253 10 14 9 13 8 12 7 11 6 10 5 09 4 08 3 07 2 06 1 05 Printed and bound in Great Britain by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham and Eastbourne Contents List of Tables and Figures viii Foreword ix 1 Introduction: The Absence of Creativity in Practice and Management Writing 1 Introduction The knowledge society and its consequences The practical perspective: the absence of creativity The theoretical perspective: creativity and its competing concepts Outline of the book Conclusions Part I 1 4 7 14 21 21 Critique 2 What is Organizational Creativity? Introduction Creativity research: a literature review Creativity as kitsch and management fad Conclusions 3 The Epistemology of Creativity Introduction The notion of creation Creativity and the individual Creativity as process Social constructivist and material definitions of creativity Conclusions 25 25 25 32 40 41 41 42 43 47 60 64 4 Exploring Creativity in Organizations: Methodological Concerns 65 Introduction Overview of methods in creativity research I