What can managers learn from choreographers?

: the collective creative process

Abstract

his research sheds a new light on collective creativity by studying the dynamics of choreographic creation. Ten choreographers were interviewed about their backgrounds, choreographic processes and collaborative approaches. The interviews were semi-­‐ structured and guided by Hargadon and Bechky’s framework on collective creativity (2006). This model was thus applied to a purely creative setting, with some interesting implications for research on collective creativity and for organizations and managers. Firstly, several important issues regarding co-­‐creation were highlighted by the unique setting, including the informal and compulsory nature of collaborative creative relationships and the fact that co-­‐creativity can be implemented differently and affected by different factors depending on several distinct approaches to the creation process. In addition, this research identified a possible fifth dimension to the model: collective research. Secondly, in terms of practical implications, this study shows the importance of professionalizing creativity, the need in some creative roles to have continuum-­‐related careers, and the need to adapt creativity-­‐reinforcing actions to the particular team and task. I

Date of Award	2013
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	David Patient (Supervisor)