Creativity's importance across different job types and organizational contexts

¶ … Organizational Theory

Is creativity only important and certain kinds of jobs and organizations or is it important in most jobs and organizations? Give both points-of-view. State and substantiate your point-of-view.

The creative acumen of a particular employee can often present companies with an array of opportunities for organizational improvement, as even a single inspired idea may result in systemic refinement. When employees are encouraged to manage their responsibilities and tasks in a creative fashion, whether that be improvising improved methods of organization or integrating technological tools to modernize processes, the organization at large stands to benefit immensely from this combination of imagination and inspiration. While certain kinds of jobs and organizations place a higher degree of emphasis on creativity, including the advertising, design and construction industries, the ability to effect positive results through creative expression is highly prized in most, if not all, vocational outlets. Research on the efficacy of promoting creativity within the workplace has consistently demonstrated that "although certain individuals may be more likely than others to be creative, creativity is also more likely to occur in certain situations than in others & #8230; (and) four situational characteristics are likely to affect creativity: level of autonomy, form of evaluation, reward system, and the importance of a task or problem" (George, Jones & Sharbrough, 2002). These situational characteristics suggest that an organization is fully capable of emphasizing creative expression as an occupational skill, simply by enabling employees to maintain a certain level of autonomy, evaluating their progress fairly, providing a tangible system of reward and recognition, and properly prioritizing tasks.

Many managers may still cling stubbornly to the outmoded notion that conformity and uniformity is central to organizational success, fostering workplace environments that are neither conducive nor catered to creative expression. While there is something to be said for a highly regulated and structured systemization of task assignment and completion, today's technologically-advanced society is predicated on continual creativity. As the prevailing research on the subject has revealed, "being creative is intrinsically rewarding, but it also can be hard work & #8230; (so) creativity is enhanced when members of an organization feel that what they are working on is important" (George, Jones & Sharbrough, 2002). The process of developing a viable innovation, proposing this idea to one's superiors, and having the improvement implemented throughout the organization is supremely rewarding for nearly all employees, from educators to engineers. The benefits do not extend solely to the employee, however, as companies stand to gain a significant edge over competitors when concepts and processes are refined through internal means. The fact that "many organizations are relying on innovation labs with open spaces and comfortable surroundings to bring teams together to create new products and services" (George, Jones & Sharbrough, 2002) only serves to underscore the importance that generating and embracing novel ideas has in the modern intellectual marketplace. By encouraging every member of a company to contribute to organizational success, managers today have discovered a wealth of useful information regarding design and production, human resources, and marketing, because employees charged with performing everyday tasks tend to develop an innate understanding of their role and responsibilities. A creative workplace is one in which all employees actively contribute their ideas, and one where no idea is rejected out of hand.