Organisational creativity and innovation : crisis management or sustainable development?

Abstract

The impetus for the present research is a growing awareness of two issues, both of which I consider to be important in organisations today. Both issues are closely linked to the 'creative climate' which is considered as an essential element within organisations that foster the creativity of their employees in an attempt to translate it into better processes, services or products. The first issue concerns the contradiction that is often evident in organisations that play lip service to the importance of organisational creativity and innovation, yet fail to design any strategic plan to implement measures that sustain organisational creativity and innovation. The second issue concerns another inconsistency. It questions why organisations generally fail to reap the benefits and value gained from staff training in spite of a strong awareness of its importance, in particular where so-called 'soft' skills such as communication, motivation and creativity are concerned. Unfortunately it seems as though the benefits of such staff training may at times simply fizzle away within a day or two when staff return to work. [excerpt]