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Managing the creative organization
- 1. MANAGING THE CREATIVE ORGANIZATION By ScottWhittaker
- 2. In our modern,global, knowledge-driven economy, creativity and the ability to innovate are increasingly critical factors for organizational success.
- 3. Businesses are working toharnessthe power of creativityto: • Develop new products or services, • Differentiate existing products or services, • Attract more customers, • Enter new markets and • Reduce costs.
- 4. Organizational creativity is notsimply being creative for the sake ofcreating, butrather has the aim of solving some sort ofproblem, whether it is a customer’s or that ofthe business itself.
- 5. Organizationsexist tocreate value for their stakeholders, withthe emphasisonthe word, create. Valuecreation and, hence, innovation,can occur at any phaseof the productionprocess, from resource acquisition,value transformationor outputand is not necessarily developing the “next big thing”.
- 6. Embracing creative business strategiesdoesn’t mean that managers have to now be artists, but it does require thinking, and managing,differently.
- 7. Whilewe tend tothinkof “A-Ha” moments– thatis major breakthroughs of some sort – whenwe thinkof creative endeavors, innovative progress is usually much more incremental;small,but significantchanges, rather than revolutionary. Despite this, changestilldoesn’t occur overnight and frequentfailure isa constant part of thelandscape.
- 8. Making mistakes is NOT failure, as long as the organization learns from it.
- 9. The traditionalmanagementapproachof discouraging failureis antitheticaltofosteringa business that innovates;rather “good faith”failureshouldbe rewarded. What outcomes are being reinforced by your current performance evaluationsystem?
- 10. In our increasingly connected world, thefactors most likely to affect your business willcome from a sector thatprobably has nothingto do withyour business. Conversely, innovative ideas are most likely to come thesame way. Rethinkyour business partnerships and reconsider those narrowly writtenjob requirements. Synergyand diversity are two keyingredientsfor the Creative Business.
- 11. Innovationdoesn’t require management,rather it requires facilitation.The role of managementintheCreative Business is to develop and support the type of work environmentwhich removes impedimentsto creativity; providing direction and resources whileenhancingcommunicationand resolving problems.
- 12. This is not to say that“anythinggoes”. Far from it.There still needs to be goals and deadlines. Challenging,but realistic goals are motivators. A somewhatimperfect product delivered on timeis still better thana perfect one which is never delivered.
- 13. The secret to organizational innovation is no secret. Everyone hasthe capacityto create. Our ability to imagine something which doesn’t exist and make it a reality is what haslead to our success as a species. It’s part of the human spirit. The hard part is unlearningthe old behaviors which keep this spirit locked up.
- 14. If you always do whatyou have always done, you willonly get whatyou have always gotten. There is always a better mousetrap. The questionis will youor someone else create it?
- 15. ScottWhittaker is the lead dreamer, thinker, doer, leader and teacher at IDEA Services, a consulting firm dedicated to optimizing individual and organizational capabilities. Feel free to reach me at: ascottwhittaker@hotmail.com