Sub-theme 59: Paradoxes, Practices, and Potential of Creatives in Organizational Innovation
Call for Papers
In the past years, the rise of digital technologies and the urgency of addressing societal grand challenges have generated
opportunities for creatives to play a role in processes of organizational change and innovation (Calabretta & Kleinsmann,
2017; Jones, Lorenzen & Sapsed, 2015; Pedersen, Slavich & Khaire, 2019; Svejenova, Slavich & Abdel Gawad, 2015).
Creatives include a broad category of professionals, such as architects (Jones et al., 2012), designers (Fayard, Stigliani
& Bechky, 2017), video game developers (Cohendet & Simon, 2016), chefs (Slavich et al., 2020; Slavich & Castellucci,
2020), artists (Sgourev, 2013) and in some cases entrepreneurs (Svejenova, Slavich & Abdel Gawad, 2015). What these actors
have in common is that they are comfortable in ambiguous realms (Lingo & O’Mahony, 2010), have the skills to translate
abstract ideas into some sort of materiality (Stigliani & Ravasi, 2012) and are accustomed to use their imagination to
think out of the box and identify new business directions (Stigliani & Ravasi, 2012).
While organizations
generally recognize the importance of creatives for innovation, they often find it hard to kickstart and embed creative processes
in their way of operating. This might be due to a legacy of organizational values, processes, and logics anchoring innovation
to a more analytical and linear approach (Choi et al., 2011) where imagination and intuition are only used to a certain extent
and/or diluted along the process. For example, it is common among creatives not to know the output of their work beforehand
and as such their processes are riddled with inherent unknowability (Jones et al., 2015). Therefore, creative processes require
a degree of experimentation and openness, and can perish in too close monitoring (Harrison & Rouse, 2014). While the unpredictability
associated with creatives’ work is embedded in the functioning of creative contexts, it is different in business, in which
work is often structured around certainty, or at least efforts to reduce unpredictability and manage risk (Townley, Beech
& McKinlay, 2009).
Furthermore, in helping organizations to embrace creativity, creative professionals
might face the challenge of translating creativity-related individual abilities into organizational capabilities. For example,
they should be able to transfer their ability to balance intuition and rationality to the level of organizational practices
(Calabretta, Gemser & Wijnberg, 2016). They should also make sure that people do not only feel comfortable with ambiguity
on an individual level, but are able to deal with such openness on an organizational level (Laurey et al., 2017). Finally,
they should transform their individual curiosity and appetite for innovation into an organizational characteristic.
This triggers the question of how we can better understand the role and value of creatives in organizational innovation.
In answering this question, taking a practice-perspective is useful. A focus on work practices or ‘what people actually do’
(Strauss, 1988) can offer a complex and detailed picture of one particular type of work, including the role of interactions
with materiality, technology and people in shaping work (Nicolini, 2012). Further, the practice perspective allows to contextualize
work activities and shed light on the larger organizational structures, such as organizational logics (Eikhof & Haunschild,
2007), in which a particular work is embedded (Bechky, 2011). Together this allows for a deeper understanding and opportunities
for theorizing not only the work of creatives but also for the relationship between work, identity and occupation in the specific
context of organizational innovation.
This sub-theme aims at discussing the potential of this stream of research
and advancing the discussion on the role of creatives in creativity and innovation processes more in general. Questions that
may be addressed include, but are not limited to, the following:
What work practices allow creatives to navigate the tensions between creative and business cultures, legacies and processes, logics and cultures while innovating in organizational settings?
What strategies do creatives use to stimulate the translation of individual creative abilities to the organizational level, and by doing so contributing to organizational learning?
How can creatives leverage old and new forms of materiality (e.g., virtual and augmented reality, digital manufacturing) to help organizations manage the legacy/novelty tension when innovating?
How can creative work practices help employees at different levels to engage with innovation and processes of change while still leveraging organizational legacy?
What strategies do creatives develop to communicate and enhance the value of their work in organizational settings?
How do creatives promote new forms of collaborations within and beyond organizational boundaries in order to steer innovation efforts towards societal wellbeing?
How do the work practices of creatives shift when stimulating organizational innovation? How do shifts in work practices trigger larger changes in the occupations of creatives?
How can creative practices support organizations in integrating disruptive technologies in their innovation processes and outcomes?
How can creatives support organizations in balancing the tension between business and societal goals in their innovation strategy?
References
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- Calabretta, G., Gemser, G., & Wijnberg, N.M. (2017): “The interplay between intuition and rationality in strategic decision making: A paradox perspective.” Organization Studies, 38 (3–4), 365–401.
- Calabretta, G., & Kleinsmann, M. (2017): “Technology-driven evolution of design practices: envisioning the role of design in the digital era.” Journal of Marketing Management, 33 (3–4), 292–304.
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