Creative Leadership: Welcome to the 21st Century PDF

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Appears  in  Academic  Exchange  Quarterly,  14(4)  –  Winter  2010     Jeffrey Zacko-Smith, [email protected] Keyword – Leadership -7 Creative Leadership: Welcome to the 21st Century Jeffrey D. Zacko-Smith, Gerard J. Puccio, Marie Mance, State University of New York College at Buffalo, Buffa...

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Creative Leadership: Welcome to the 21st Century Jeffrey D. Zacko-Smith

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Appears in Academic Exchange Quarterly, 14(4) – Winter 2010   Jeffrey Zacko-Smith, [email protected] Keyword – Leadership -7 Creative Leadership: Welcome to the 21st Century Jeffrey D. Zacko-Smith, Gerard J. Puccio, Marie Mance, State University of New York College at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY Zacko-Smith, Ed.D., is Assistant Professor of Leadership; Puccio, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of Creative Studies; Mance, M.S., is Director of Leadership Development Abstract In an increasingly change-driven world, leaders are called upon to evolve their mindsets and skill-sets to reflect and serve the demands of the new millennium. A novel leadership concept, creative leadership, is introduced and defined and then placed in context within the history of the field. Additionally, skills and behaviors related to leading creatively, which are immediately applicable to leadership practice, are outlined. Creative thinking and problem solving are shown to be indispensible to leaders who want to thrive in times of complexity and change. Introduction The contexts in which leaders have to function are characterized by high levels of diversity and flux (Zacko-Smith, 2009). These post-modern environments require leaders with new mindsets and skill sets; leadership must be flexible enough to not simply permit change to occur, but to help initiate and then manage it. In this paper, we propose a new leadership paradigm, that of creative leadership, which is grounded in both the rich history of the leadership field and decades of work training professionals in creative thinking and creative problem solving (International Center for Studies in Creativity, 2010). The seemingly disparate fields of leadership and creativity are linked together by change; leadership is requiring it, and creativity helps leaders achieve it. Ultimately, creative leadership is about establishing a climate that encourages our innate creativity, and provides leaders with the skills to facilitate processes, such as problem solving, in new and useful ways. Why We Need Creative Leadership As we are more than a decade into the 21st century, it has become abundantly clear that we are experiencing change at a level never before seen in human history. A brief examination of some of the trends in the new millennium underscore this fact, such as shorter and shorter product life cycles (e.g., high tech products undergo fundamental redesign every 6 to 12 months), erosion of a stable and predictable work life (e.g., school age children today can expect to change jobs 11 times before they hit their mid-forties), and more than 30% of the US workforce now hold jobs considered to be part of the creative economy (compared to roughly 10% in 1900). Based on these trends, many national education experts and Fortune 500 company leaders now argue that creativity and innovation have become crucial 21st century skills (National Center on Education and the Economy, 2008; Trilling & Fadel, 2009). We agree and contend that leading in times and contexts that are

Appears in Academic Exchange Quarterly, 14(4) – Winter 2010   increasingly complex require leaders to adopt new and more creative mindsets and skillsets (Puccio, Murdock & Mance, 2007). A recent major study by IBM (IBM Corporation, 2010) found that the complexity manifest in today’s world is only expected to increase, and that a primary concern of CEO’s globally lies in their ability to initiate and manage change. According to the over 1500 CEO’s that participated in the study, “creativity is the most important leadership quality” (p. 8). This finding is echoed in a recent article by Newsweek (Bronson & Merryman, 2010) which reinforced the fact that not only is creativity a “part of normal brain function”, but “that lack of creativity – not having loads of it – is [a] real risk factor” (p. 6) when it comes to initiating and managing change, a key 21st century leadership skill. The author’s go on to indicate that “creativity has always been prized in American Society, but it’s never really been understood” (p. 7). This is an assertion that is both true and false at the same time. It is true in that, we believe, creativity is often not fully understood by the general public, which would, of course, include leaders. It is false in that, at the International Center for Studies in Creativity, part of the State University of New York College at Buffalo, we’ve been studying creativity for decades, and not only understand it, but have become skilled at developing it (International Center for Studies in Creativity, 2010) and helping leaders at all levels embrace, initiate and manage change. It is not our intention to portray the need for creativity in leadership as something new (see Friedman, 2006; Mumford, Zaccaro, Harding, Jacobs, & Fleishman, 2000; Nussbaum, Berner & Brady, 2005; and Sternberg, 2005 for a selection of works exploring the leadership-creativity connection), but to acknowledge that creativity is both being seen as increasingly important to leadership practice, and to showcase the fact that leading creatively involves a learnable skill-set that is available to everyone. Indeed, many contemporary descriptions of leadership, such as transformational leadership (Gardiner, 2006), adaptive leadership (Heifetz, Grashow & Linsky, 2009), Constructionist Leadership (Zacko-Smith, 2009) and leadership at the top (Iacocca, 2008), have all, perhaps in response to the increased complexity in the world, drawn on ideas, qualities, skills and strategies that have been well-known in the field of creativity studies for many years. Given the apparent trend to implicitly invoke creativity-related skills and concepts, we contend that it makes sense to more deliberately forge these fields of study, creativity and leadership, in order to leverage the more than 50 years of insight gained with respect to creative behavior. Doing so will result in individuals who are better prepared to lead in the 21st century. Creative Leadership Defined At the most basic level, creativity can be defined as the production of something “novel and useful” (Puccio, Murdock & Mance, 2007, p. 21). This definition can be applied to products, policies or processes. If we understand leadership as being about “positively influencing people, contexts and outcomes” (Puccio et al, 2007, p. xvi), we can more specifically define creative leadership in the following manner: The ability to deliberately engage one’s imagination to define and guide a group towards a novel goal—a direction that is new for the group. As a consequence of

Appears in Academic Exchange Quarterly, 14(4) – Winter 2010   bringing about this creative change, creative leaders have a profoundly positive influence on their context (i.e., workplace, community, school, family, etc.) and the individuals in that situation. (Puccio, Mance & Murdock, 2011) This definition fits well with evolving ideas about the skills that leaders need moving through the new millennium; leaders need to be comfortable with ambiguity, embrace risktaking, and be able to influence and inspire others in new ways and directions (IBM Corporation, 2010). Based on these demands, we see creative leadership very specifically as the relational process of bringing ideas into being to accomplish positive change (Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 2007; Rost, 1991; Zacko-Smith, 2007), a view of leadership that harnesses a recognized and basic understanding of creativity, stresses the relational and influence aspects of leading, and specifies outcomes compatible with and important to the 21st century. Prior to making this definition operational, however, it would be beneficial to place creative leadership within the context of the history of the leadership field. Where, exactly, does creative leadership fit relative to other kinds of leadership? Creative Leadership in Context Creative Leadership, as described above, is a new concept, though one that, as with most leadership theories, is related to multiple others. In our rapidly changing world, skill in leading creatively is a crucial part of any leader’s toolbox (Zacko-Smith, 2010); we should be ready to access it when necessary. Creative leadership offers leaders a distinct mindset and skill set, each well matched with contexts that necessitate utilizing diversity, possessing a high tolerance for ambiguity, and having the ability to initiate and manage change to meet personal, organizational and societal goals. When discussing methods to effectively teach leadership theory, Zacko-Smith (2010) outlined the Three-T’s Framework, which is based on the work of Gardiner (2006) who implicitly described leadership theory and practice as existing along a continuum. Starting with transactional leadership (Weber, 1947), which is anchored in the beginning of the formal study of the field, and is associated with productivity and the exchange of work for reward, the 3 parts of the framework build upon one another. The second part of the framework, transformational leadership (Burns, 1978), makes leadership more relational, and is concerned with the empowerment of the leader and constituents; the level of relationship between the leader and constituents is deepened. Finally, the last and most recent concept, that of transcendent leadership (Aldon, 2004; Larkin, 1995), necessitates full and authentic relationships between those involved in the leadership relationship, and asks that they “transcended self into compassionate being and action” and demonstrate a “leadership of service above self” (Gardiner 2006, p. 3). In the simplest terms, transactional leadership is about the individual, transformational leadership is about individuals in relationship, and transcendent leadership is about the leaders and constituent’s relationship with the larger community and world. As Zacko-Smith (2010) has shown, most leadership theory can fit into one or more parts of the Three-T’s Framework. For example, the behavioral theory of leadership can be seen as falling under the second “T”, transformational leadership, because it stresses the impact of

Appears in Academic Exchange Quarterly, 14(4) – Winter 2010   the relationship between leader and constituents, is more deeply interactive, and is intended to produce results that are about both personal and skill development. We would contend that creative leadership, because it is highly relational, grounded in process, utilizes diversity, is self-reflective and is focused on accomplishing positive change, resides between the transformational and transcendent approaches (Zacko-Smith, 2010). This means that creative leadership is positioned similarly to global, situational, relational and authentic leadership, among others. As will be shown, however, it introduces a unique approach and practice that draws upon decades of research on creativity, creative problem solving and innovation. A Brief Overview of the Creative Leader’s Mindset and Skill-Set What separates a creative leader from other types of leaders? How is it that some leaders are at the cutting edge of a particular field, or always seem able to bring out the creativity of others in an organization? The creative leader has a particular mindset that encourages creative thought and engages in some specific behaviors that support creativity. The good news, as alluded to earlier in this article, is that these can be learned, becoming a skill-set and adding something valuable to the leader’s toolbox. If we examine the creative leader we find that, first of all, creative leaders value creativity. That may seem obvious, but in fact, the same double talk (do as I say, not as I do) that threatens other workplace initiatives interferes with creative thinking. Modeling creative behavior is a fundamental action of creative leaders. Taking risks and trying out new approaches sends a clear message to others that not only is novelty tolerated, it is encouraged. As we know, the leader helps set the tone for the organization (Fox & Fox, 2010); and therefore, the creative leader is instrumental in creating an organizational culture and climate for creativity. Researchers such as Amabile and Gryskiewicz (1989) and Ekvall (1999), have demonstrated the degree to which an organization’s environment predicts levels of creative output, and they have also highlighted the extent to which leadership behavior shapes the culture and climate. As the Boston Consulting Group’s 2007 Innovation Report concluded: At the end of the day, a company’s innovation efforts will succeed or fail depending on the quality of its leadership. A strong, committed leader will create an environment that supports innovation and drives it forward. (p. 26) Some of the behaviors leaders can engage in to develop a culture that supports creativity include: . . . being open to change, involving others in problem solving efforts, being responsive to new ideas, being supportive of new ideas , encouraging debate and entertaining different perspectives, allowing freedom and autonomy- not being controlling, encouraging risk-taking and accepting failure. (Puccio, Murdock, & Mance, 2007, p. 231)

Appears in Academic Exchange Quarterly, 14(4) – Winter 2010  

In reviewing contemporary theories of leadership, Northouse (2010) concluded that one of the four commonly held views is that leadership is a process. The creative leader is particularly effective at engaging in a process that deliberately brings about creativity. Rather than waiting for inspiration to strike, the creative leader actively fosters creative thinking by using proven methods, such as Creative Problem Solving, to clarify complex problems, generate ideas, select and evaluate ideas and take action. Creativity is a process that leads to change; therefore, it is important for leaders who want to bring about change in organizations to be skilled in facilitating creative thinking, their own and others. Moreover, some have argued that effective leadership performance today is founded on an ability to solve complex problems; challenges for which there are no immediate and easy solutions. In the face of such novel, emerging and wicked problems (Camillus, 2008), leaders must be effective at coming up with breakthrough solutions. And, therefore, leadership scholars such as Mumford and his colleagues (2000) concluded, “The available evidence indicates that creative problem solving may indeed represent an important influence on leader performance” (p. 18). We have cited only a few examples of skills that exemplify creative leadership. There are many others we could have easily chosen to focus on, including forecasting, providing developmental feedback to constituents, and exhibiting intrinsic motivation. Engaging in the kinds of creative behaviors described here can help individuals to become more creative leaders, and as a consequence, enable them to call on imaginative possibilities that result in positive and creative change for their teams, organizations and communities. A recent study by Gumusluoglu and Ilsev (2009) lends support to this argument. These researchers found that among all variables measured, it was the leadership behaviors measured by the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes & Posner, 2002) that were the strongest predictors of organizational innovation for executive officers across the world. Many of the specific behaviors included in the Leadership Practices Inventory are directly related to the kinds of creativity skills we described above. We live in complex times, and in the near term this complexity is likely to do nothing but grow. To sustain success during such times, leaders need to be creative and to tap into the creativity of others. The good news is that the many years of research and practice in the field of creativity have clearly demonstrated that creativity-skills can be enhanced through training (e.g., Scott, Leritz, & Mumford, 2004). In general our schools do poorly at developing creative-thinking skills (Trilling & Fadel, 2009) and, according to the Conference Board (2009), the number one skill organizations are ill-prepared to develop is creativity. Business schools, the training ground for future leaders, have been criticized for their over reliance on analytical thinking to the detriment of creative thinking (Zaleznik, 1998), and recent analysis of nationwide MBA Programs shows a distinct lack of creative thinking and problem solving material in graduate curricula (Yudess, 2010). So, the challenge is not whether the much needed creativity skills for leadership success in the 21st century can be developed, but the dilemma would appear to be where individuals

Appears in Academic Exchange Quarterly, 14(4) – Winter 2010   can go to systematically and deliberately develop these much needed skills. And here, we would argue, is where we need educational, business and political leaders to come forward to compel educational institutions, primarily, but other organizations as well, to focus greater attention on promoting creative-thinking skills. Final Thoughts We have shown how our 21st Century world is demanding leaders with mindsets and skillsets that allow them to initiate and manage change. As an emerging paradigm, creative leadership offers us the ability to approach many facets of leading, such as solving problems and facilitating change processes, in ways that are compatible with the demands of contemporary contexts. Anchored in transformational and transcendent leadership theory and practice, creative leadership can help leaders establish organizational climates that encourage and facilitate every person’s innate creative ability. In addition, it can provide leaders with the tools they need to actually facilitate change processes, allowing them to have a profoundly positive influence on their personal contexts, and, thus, the world. Ultimately, it is not a matter of whether creativity can inform the field of leadership; it is increasingly evident that it is capable of doing so. The question that remains is how to embed creative mindsets and skillsets more firmly within our organizations and educational institutions to bring about meaningful and lasting change.

Appears in Academic Exchange Quarterly, 14(4) – Winter 2010   References Aldon, L.J. (2004). Transcendent leadership and the evolution of consciousness. London: Lightening Source U.K. Ltd. Amabile, T. M. & Gryskiewicz, N. D. (1989). The creative environment scales: Work environment inventory. Creativity Research Journal, 2, 231-253. Bronson, P., Merryman, A. (2010). The creativity crisis. Newsweek, retrieved July 27, 2010 from http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html Burns, J.M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper & Row. Camillus, J. C. (2008). Strategy as a wicked problem. Harvard Business Review, 86, 98101. Conference Board (2009). The ill-prepared U.S. workforce: Exploring the challenges of employer-provided workforce readiness training. New York: The Conference Board. Ekvall, G. (1999). Creative climate. In M. A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Creativity, Volume I, A-H. (pp. 403-412). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Fox, J.M. & Fox, R.L. (2010). Exploring the nature of creativity. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. Friedman, T. (2006). The world is flat: a brief history of the 21st century (updated and expanded edition). New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Gardiner, J.J. (2006). Transactional, transformational and transcendent leadership: Metaphors mapping the evolution of the theory and practice of governance. Leadership Review, 6, 62-76. Gumusluoglu, L., & Ilsev, A. (2009). Transformational leadership, creativity, and organizational innovation. Journal of Business Research, 62, 461-473. Heifetz, R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). Lea...