Creative Leadership - Contexts and Prospects

Babis Mainemelis is a creativity scholar exploring creativity’s intersections with aesthetic states, social structures, and temporal dynamics. His research has been published in leading academic journals (e.g., Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Annals), and it has also been profiled in the popular press (e.g., Financial Times, Sunday Times). He is recipient of Academy of Management Review's Best Paper Award (2010) and Outstanding Reviewer Award (2009 and 2014). He is associate professor of organizational behavior at ALBA Graduate Business School at The American College of Greece, and since 2004 visiting professor at Porto Business School. From 2001 to 2009 he was assistant professor at London Business School. Prior to becoming an academic, in the mid 1990s, he worked at PictureWorks Technology, Inc., a digital imaging software startup firm in Danville, California. He has delivered several graduate courses and executive education programs in the USA, UK, South Africa, South Korea, Dubai, Oman, Kuwait, and Europe, working with leading organizations, such as AIG, Barclay’s, Boehringer Ingelheim, BT, Carrefour, Ericsson, Eurobank, Henkel, ING, Lloyd’s, Mars, NovoNordisk, Oman Oil, Sanofi-Aventis, Sonaecom, Vodafone, The Walt Disney Company, and Zain.

Abstract: Seventy years after the Simon-Selznick debate about artificial intelligence vs creative leadership, social science has moved far beyond the ‘human vs metal brains’ dichotomy. Today, academics and practitioners alike recognize that creative leadership is more important than ever before. In the last decade organizational research has identified several limitations associated with context-general conceptualizations of creative leadership. This talk will present a recently introduced multi-context metatheoretical framework about the different manifestations of creative leadership across various contexts of creative collaboration.

1. Dr Babis Mainemelis
22.5.2016
Creative Leadership: Contexts & Prospects

2. ❖A capsule-history of the evolution of the notion of creative leadership
in the last 70 years ➜ More important today than even before.
❖Conflicting or diverging views in the study and practice of creative
leadership ➜ Context-sensitive manifestations.
❖A recent meta-theoretical framework of creative leadership that
stresses the role of context ➜ Tripartite conceptualization (Mainemelis,
Kark, & Epitropaki, 2015).
3 messages about Creative Leadership

3. “Creative Leadership: Human vs. Metal Brains”
Stanley Stark, Academy of Management Journal, 1963
Herbert Simon
“Administrative Behavior”
1947
Philip Selznick
“Leadership in Administration”
1957

4. “Creative Leadership: Human vs. Metal Brains”
What’s happening in 2016?

5. ❖IBM 2010 Global CEO study with 1,500 CEOs in 60 countries and 33
industries: Creativity is the #1 leadership quality for success in business.
❖However, a battery of research studies have shown that:
❖The trait “creative” doesn’t show up in implicit leadership theories
(e.g., Epitropaki & Martin, 2004, 2005).
❖Creative individuals are less likely to emerge as leaders (e.g., Kark
et al., 2012).
❖Creative idea expression is negatively associated with the
assessment of leadership potential (e.g., Mueller et al., 2011).
Paradoxes of Creative Leadership

6. ❖Creative leadership is among the most rapidly growing research areas
in leadership research (Dihn et al., 2014; Mainemelis et al., 2015), but…
❖Academics still can’t agree on what creative leadership is (3 views)
❖Managers as well hold different views on what creative leaders do (3
views).
Paradoxes of Creative Leadership

7. John Ferrell
President & CCO, Ferrellcalvillo, New York
(in Oliver & Ashley, 2012: 342)
“Advertising is a business of big ideas. The objective of
the copywriter and art director is to develop the big
idea. The creative director’s objective is to help others
develop big ideas. I begin by explaining the potential of
an assignment to the creative people, so they’re excited
about what can be done. Then, I’ll try to take them right
to the edge of the big idea. Once they’ve begun to
generate work, my job is to help them identify the truly
big idea and bring it to the top. So I must enthuse,
energize and, when truly big ideas begin to emerge,
help to identify and nurture them."
What Is Creative Leadership?

8. Davide Scabin
Chef and owner, Combal.Zero, Turin
(in Slavich, Cappetta, & Salvemini, 2014: 37)
“A chef is an excellent artisan who is able to
create the perfect prototype for the perfect
dish, to enable those who work with him to
perfectly replicate it many times. This is crucial,
because no chef works directly on every dish
prepared in his kitchen. In order to make my
business succeed and grow, I have to
become a mentor and share my knowledge
with the people working with me.”
What Is Creative Leadership?

9. Harold Clurman
Theatrical director and drama critic
(in Dunhman & Freeman, 2000: 115)
“One might say that the director is the
author of the theatrical production,
except for the fact that in the
collaborative art of the theatre no one
can be more than a crucial
collaborator.”
What Is Creative Leadership?

10. ❖Creativity in organizations is predominantly collaborative (not solitary).
❖Creative in collaborative contexts requires both:
❖Creative contributions (e.g., generating and developing new ideas); and
❖Supportive contributions (e.g., providing material, psychological, and
social support for creative pursuits).
❖Supportive contributions are not perceived as creative themselves but they
play a crucial role in enabling creative and innovative behaviors in the
workplace.
“Creative Leadership: A Multi-Context Conceptualization”
Mainemelis, Kark, & Epitropaki, Academy of Management Annals, 2015

11. Followers’ Creative Contributions
Leader’s Creative Contributions
Facilitating
IntegratingDirecting
Low High
High
Leading by fostering the
creativity of others in the
work context.
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.
Leading by materializing
one’s own creative vision
through others’ work.
“Creative Leadership: A Multi-Context Conceptualization”
Mainemelis, Kark, & Epitropaki, Academy of Management Annals, 2015

12. Followers’ Creative Contributions
Leader’s Creative Contributions
Facilitating
IntegratingDirecting
Low High
High
Leading by fostering the
creativity of others in the
work context.
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.
Leading by materializing
one’s own creative vision
through others’ work.
Leader Support
Follower Support
Creative Synergy
“Creative Leadership: A Multi-Context Conceptualization”
Mainemelis, Kark, & Epitropaki, Academy of Management Annals, 2015

13. Facilitating
IntegratingDirecting
Leading by fostering the
creativity of others in the
work context.
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.
Leading by materializing
one’s own creative vision
through others’ work.
“It’s management’s job to
play defence, it’s the team’s
job to play offence.”

14. Facilitating
Leading by fostering the
creativity of others in the
work context.

15. Variation Selection Retention
Facilitating
Leading by fostering the
creativity of others in the
work context.

16. Followers’ Creative Contributions
Leader’s Creative Contributions
Facilitating
IntegratingDirecting
Low High
High
Leading by fostering the
creativity of others in the
work context.
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.
Leading by materializing
one’s own creative vision
through others’ work.
“Creative Leadership: A Multi-Context Conceptualization”
Mainemelis, Kark, & Epitropaki, Academy of Management Annals, 2015

17. Facilitating
IntegratingDirecting
Leading by fostering the
creativity of others in the
work context.
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.
Leading by materializing
one’s own creative vision
through others’ work.
“It’s management’s job to
play defence, it’s the team’s
job to play offence.”
“You have to control the
project through to the end,
really control the
goddamned thing, because
it’s your design. Nobody else
knows how to do it.”

18. •In some organizational contexts authenticity is much more
important than volume and quantity.
•Authenticity can be claimed through:
• Tradition/heritage, or/and
• Creativity
•In many cases the image of authenticity is very closed tied to or
even fully embodied by the leader. This tends to give rise to
directive forms of creative leadership.
Directing
Leading by materializing
one’s own creative vision
through others’ work.

19. Followers’ Creative Contributions
Leader’s Creative Contributions
Facilitating
IntegratingDirecting
Low High
High
Leading by fostering the
creativity of others in the
work context.
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.
Leading by materializing
one’s own creative vision
through others’ work.
“Creative Leadership: A Multi-Context Conceptualization”
Mainemelis, Kark, & Epitropaki, Academy of Management Annals, 2015

20. Facilitating
IntegratingDirecting
Leading by fostering the
creativity of others in the
work context.
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.
Leading by materializing
one’s own creative vision
through others’ work.
“It’s management’s job to
play defence, it’s the team’s
job to play offence.”
“You have to control the
project through to the end,
really control the
goddamned thing, because
it’s your design. Nobody else
knows how to do it.”
“There’s a sensual satisfaction in working
in close union with strong, independent,
and creative people: actors, assistants,
electricians, production staff, props
people, makeup staff, costume designers,
all those personalities who populate the
day and make it happen. “

21. •In some organizational contexts the final creative product
integrates the heterogeneous creative contributions of
diverse professionals.
•Such context tend to give rise to integrative forms of
creative leadership, be it in a single, dual, or collaborative
form.
Integrating
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.

22. Integrating
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.

23. Integrating
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.

24. Integrating
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.

25. Integrating
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.

26. Facilitating IntegratingDirecting
Goal Maximize Variation Authentic Creative Identity Creative Synthesis
Social Structure Stable / positions High institutionalization Temporary / roles
Key Learning Aspect Separation Codification, teachability Recombination
Key Leader Behaviors
Encouragement, Support,
Idea Evaluation, Networks
Creative Vision, Inspiration,
Communication
Creative Vision,
Integration, tertius iugens-
tertius gaudens
Key Follower Behaviors Idea Generation
Idea Implementation,
Impeccable Execution
Idea Generation &
Idea Implementation
Leader’s tensions Encourage-Reject Live up to expectations Negotiate
Follower’s tensions Resistance & rejection Creative entrapment Negotiate

27. Followers’ Creative Contributions
Leader’s Creative Contributions
Facilitating
IntegratingDirecting
Low High
High
Leading by fostering the
creativity of others in the
work context.
Leading by synthesizing
heterogeneous creative
contributions.
Leading by materializing
one’s own creative vision
through others’ work.
“Creative Leadership: A Multi-Context Conceptualization”
Mainemelis, Kark, & Epitropaki, Academy of Management Annals, 2015