Call for Papers

Creativity is a dynamic and multifaceted force that permeates various aspects of human life, from the arts and sciences to business and everyday problem-solving. While the initial burst of inspiration, commonly known as the creative spark, is often celebrated, the sustained cultivation of creativity over the long term is pivotal for an organization’s enduring success (Lua et al., 2024). However, this journey is characterized by paradoxes, dilemmas, and challenges that organizations must face. The paradoxical nature of pursuing long-term creativity is often associated with the tension between the exploitation for efficiency and profitability prioritized by organizational actors and the contrasting exploratory nature of creative practices, whose returns are both uncertain and not limited to economic results (DeFillippi et al., 2007).
 
Dilemmas also come from the inherent differences between the creatives and the receivers of creativity, whose perception, appreciation, and eventual adoption of creative ideas needs to be constantly cultivated (Calabretta et al., 2017; Zhou et al., 2019). Additional challenges emerge from the producers’ own drive to sustain distinctiveness over the course of their trajectories, which requires them to sustain a balance between conformity and deviance in their work (Coman & Opazo, 2020; Slavich & Castellucci, 2016). This becomes increasingly challenging in the digital era, in which the convergence of AI and social media are triggering new pressures in developing and maintaining a distinctive identity. Consequently, ensuring that creativity transcends the ‘creative spark’ and becomes a sustained collective practice remains a debated organizational challenge (Jeong & Shin, 2019).
 
This sub-theme aims at exploring the nuanced dimensions of creativity beyond its inception, delving into the complexities that individuals and organizations face as they navigate the intricate landscape of long-term creative endeavours. We are interested in studies on individuals or organizations that have successfully navigated the complexities and paradoxes of long-term creativity, identifying key strategies and lessons learned. Also, we welcome submissions that explore the tensions and dilemmas in combining different logics and examine hybrids that span artistic, business, scientific, and social domains. We welcome contributions relying on different disciplines and methodological approaches that include, but are not limited to, the following questions:

• How do organizations navigate the dilemmas faced by individuals and teams, when trying to maintain creative momentum over an extended period and sustain distinctiveness over time?

• What are effective strategies and practices to manage the paradoxes and dichotomies inherent in the creative process, such as the tension between adapation and creative freedom, familiarity and novelty, tradition and innovation, and individualism and collaborations?

• How can new types of leadership and/or social interactions break creative resistance and solve creative frictions?

• What are the challenges and struggles encountered during the creative journey, ranging from creative blockages and burnout to the impact of external pressures and expectations?

• What work practices allow creatives to navigate the tensions between creative and business cultures, legacies and processes while innovating in organizational settings?

• How do design-driven practices enable collective and long-term creativity?

• What are the challenges of crafting products that can consistently be recognized by the public, while remaining fresh and original?

• What are the tensions emerging from intermediaries (critics, ratings, consumers) in sustaining creativity over time?

References

• Calabretta, G., Gemser, G., & Wijnberg, N.M. (2017): “The interplay between intuition and rationality in strategic decision making: A paradox perspective.” Organization Studies, 38 (3–4), 365–401.

• Coman, S., & Opazo, M.P. (2020): “A canon of one’s own: A comparative analysis of cultural production in gastronomy and the visual arts.” Poetics, 82; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2020.101474.
• DeFillippi, R., Grabher, G., & Jones, C. (2007): “Introduction to paradoxes of creativity: managerial and organizational challenges in the cultural economy.” Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28 (5), 511–521.
• Gemser, G., Calabretta, G., & Quint, E. (2023): “Leadership to Elevate Design at Scale: balancing conflicting imperatives.” California Management Review, 65 (3), 48–72.
• Jeong, I., & Shin, S.J. (2019): “High-performance work practices and organizational creativity during organizational change: a collective learning perspective.” Journal of Management, 45 (3), 909–925.
• Lane, C., & Opazo, M.P. (2023): “From ethnic to high-end cuisine: Recategorization and status change in restaurants in global cities.” Cultural Sociology, first published online on June 14, 2023; https://doi.org/10.1177/17499755231172825.
• Lua, E., Liu, D., & Shalley, C.E. (2024): “Multilevel outcomes of creativity in organizations: An integrative review and agenda for future research.” Journal of Organizational Behavior, 45 (2), 209–233.
• Opazo, M.P. (2016): Appetite for Innovation. Creativity & Change at elBulli. New York: Columbia University Press.
• Slavich, B., & Castellucci, F. (2020): “Stir it up: how master–apprentice relationships affect product offerings’ similarity in high-end restaurants.” Industrial and Corporate Change, 29 (2), 459–483.
• Slavich, B., Svejenova, S., Opazo, M.P., & Patriotta, G. (2020): “Politics of meaning in categorizing innovation: How chefs advanced molecular gastronomy by resisting the label.” Organization Studies, 41 (2), 267–290.
• Svejenova, S., Slavich, B., & AbdelGawad, S.G. (2015): “Creative Entrepreneurs: The Business Models of Haute Cuisine Chefs.” In: Jonces, C., Lorenzen, M., & Sapsed, J. (eds.): The Oxford Handbook of Creative Industries. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 184–199.
• Zhou, J., Wang, X.M., Bavato, D., Tasselli, S., & Wu, J. (2019): “Understanding the receiving side of creativity: A multidisciplinary review and implications for management research.” Journal of Management, 45 (6), 2570–2595.
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