A Releasing Your Unlimited Creativity discussion topic

Copyright 2008 by K. Ferlic,   All Rights Reserved

Organizational Creativity is the application of the concepts, principles and understanding relating to organizational transformation, organizational design and organizational dynamics resulting from an exploration of creativity in the workplace and subsequent exploration of our individual inherent creativity. It provides a perspective, an organizational creativity perspective, on the issues that keep individuals from creating the organizational performance they desire.

In essence, the organizational creativity perspective is the application of the creativity perspective to organization. It is a perspective which believes that one can hold the individual creativity sacred and yet meet organizational true needs and mission. This is accomplished by creating the space within the organization which allows for the harnessing the creative spirit in a way which nourishes the creative spirit and meets organizational needs.

The organizational creativity perspective realizes two things. One is an organization exists to coordinate human activities and each organization is collection of individuals. The second is that which lies in each individual what is best described as a creative spirit. It is this creative spirit which supplies the energy to accomplish any task the individual may wish to pursue. The more this creative spirit is free to unfold the greater creativity, passion, enthusiasm and energy an individual has for what they do. The less free this creative spirit becomes, there is a loss of energy and enthusiasm to act if not an experience of pain, depression and even accident and illness. The organizational creativity perspective provides an awareness to create an organizational structure where both the creative spirit is free to unfold and organizational needs are met.

The organizational creativity perspective realizes that if we could be self sufficient there would be no need for any organization. Organizations help serve some aspect of our individual and/or communal interdependence. However, rather than the organization serving the community and those within the organization, as a living entity it takes on a life of its own. More often than not, the organizations becomes an end unto itself rather that fulfilling its mission. Although it may still achieve its mission, the individuals within the organization become servants if not slaves to "the system." Even those in authority do not act because "the system" dictates otherwise.

On one hand, "the system" is extremely beneficial for it can continue to run effectively as people change. However, on the other had, "the system" is extremely dangerous because it continues to run effectively when people change. The organizational creative perspective provides a perspective as to how to make the system work both simultaneously for the individual and yet achieve the stated mission and goals.

The significant difference in the organization creativity perspective is that it recognizes each group of people is unique. It recognizes that the group of people that start an organization will leave and new people will enter. It recognizes that the environment in which the organization was created both influences the organization and also changes. Unless the organization also changes as the individuals within an organization change and the environment changes, the organization will become more and more of an impersonal system that becomes an end unto itself. It is then we need to begin to routinely look for accident precursors for we have created a accident awaiting to happen in one way or another.

The organizational creativity perspective look to the free unfoldment of the creative spirit within each individual as that proverbial canary warning of an impending problem. The proverbial canary refers to an old mining practice where miners would take canaries into the mine to warn of a lack of oxygen. The birds breathed at a faster rate than the miners so they would succumb to an oxygen deficient atmosphere much sooner than the miners. The miners seeing the canary die would then know to leave the mine.

So too the creative spirit within the individual. It will lose life much sooner than he body experiencing some type undesirable experience such as pain, depression, accident, illness and the like. In looking at the vibrancy of the creative spirit in the work environment, one can begin to see if the creative spirit is being nourished or whether it is being robbed of life. If the creative spirit is being robbed of life it is only a matter of time before the individual loses the passion for what they are being asked to do. Without that passion one can expect to lose an awareness and alertness to the details of the work resulting in poor performance, lack of enthusiasm, inattention to details and even accidents.

The creativity perspective is a perspective where we hold our creativity sacred. The organizational creativity perspective looks to see if we hold our creative sacred and that of others sacred within the organizational design, organizational dynamics and organizational transformation.

Related topics
What is Organizational Creativity
Harnessing the energy of the individual

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