Bounded Creativity: Understanding the Restrictions on Creative Work in Advertising Agencies

The theme of creativity has gained prominence among practitioners and academics, and the emergence of creative industries, which combine creativity and commercial logic, has rendered the topic even more relevant. Creativity is frequently associated with the existence of flexible organizational str...

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Main Authors: Alexandre Anderson Romeiro, Thomaz Wood Jr.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração (ANPAD) 2015-01-01
Series:BAR: Brazilian Administration Review
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.anpad.org.br/periodicos/arq_pdf/a_1567.pdf
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author Alexandre Anderson Romeiro
Thomaz Wood Jr.
author_facet Alexandre Anderson Romeiro
Thomaz Wood Jr.
author_sort Alexandre Anderson Romeiro
collection DOAJ
description The theme of creativity has gained prominence among practitioners and academics, and the emergence of creative industries, which combine creativity and commercial logic, has rendered the topic even more relevant. Creativity is frequently associated with the existence of flexible organizational structures and organizational cultures that favor autonomy and freedom of action. However, organizations commonly impose limits on the actions of creative professionals because of the timescales, budgets, and business and customer demands inherent to the organizational context. Knowledge of creativity in academia has advanced considerably in recent decades. However, empirical studies investigating the restrictions imposed on creative work in organizations are lacking. This study addresses this gap in the literature. Our objective was to investigate creativity within advertising agencies, a creative industry sector. The results reveal that creativity in such environments is marked by collective work, conditioned by time pressures for performing tasks, and influenced by the tension that originates from the interaction between two dimensions: the search for originality and the need for acceptance. On the basis of this research, we propose the concept of bounded creativity, which reflects the weakening of the creative experience in organizations.
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spelling doaj.art-5d929cb974e24ad5a1ae5af5b86d5e072023-01-02T10:53:58ZengAssociação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração (ANPAD)BAR: Brazilian Administration Review1807-76922015-01-01121121http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1807-7692bar2015140007Bounded Creativity: Understanding the Restrictions on Creative Work in Advertising AgenciesAlexandre Anderson Romeiro0Thomaz Wood Jr.1Fundação Getulio Vargas – FGV/EAESPFundação Getulio Vargas – FGV/EAESPThe theme of creativity has gained prominence among practitioners and academics, and the emergence of creative industries, which combine creativity and commercial logic, has rendered the topic even more relevant. Creativity is frequently associated with the existence of flexible organizational structures and organizational cultures that favor autonomy and freedom of action. However, organizations commonly impose limits on the actions of creative professionals because of the timescales, budgets, and business and customer demands inherent to the organizational context. Knowledge of creativity in academia has advanced considerably in recent decades. However, empirical studies investigating the restrictions imposed on creative work in organizations are lacking. This study addresses this gap in the literature. Our objective was to investigate creativity within advertising agencies, a creative industry sector. The results reveal that creativity in such environments is marked by collective work, conditioned by time pressures for performing tasks, and influenced by the tension that originates from the interaction between two dimensions: the search for originality and the need for acceptance. On the basis of this research, we propose the concept of bounded creativity, which reflects the weakening of the creative experience in organizations.http://www.anpad.org.br/periodicos/arq_pdf/a_1567.pdfcreativity; social psychology of creativity; creative industries; advertising agencies.
spellingShingle Alexandre Anderson Romeiro
Thomaz Wood Jr.
Bounded Creativity: Understanding the Restrictions on Creative Work in Advertising Agencies
BAR: Brazilian Administration Review
creativity; social psychology of creativity; creative industries; advertising agencies.
title Bounded Creativity: Understanding the Restrictions on Creative Work in Advertising Agencies
title_full Bounded Creativity: Understanding the Restrictions on Creative Work in Advertising Agencies
title_fullStr Bounded Creativity: Understanding the Restrictions on Creative Work in Advertising Agencies
title_full_unstemmed Bounded Creativity: Understanding the Restrictions on Creative Work in Advertising Agencies
title_short Bounded Creativity: Understanding the Restrictions on Creative Work in Advertising Agencies
title_sort bounded creativity understanding the restrictions on creative work in advertising agencies
topic creativity; social psychology of creativity; creative industries; advertising agencies.
url http://www.anpad.org.br/periodicos/arq_pdf/a_1567.pdf
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