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  • January 1996
  • Background Note
  • HBS Case Collection

Creativity and Innovation in Organizations

By: Teresa M. Amabile
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:15
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Abstract

Creativity, the production of new and useful ideas by individuals or teams, can appear in many forms and many functions within firms of all kinds--from entrepreneurial start-ups to well-established enterprises. This note describes the varieties of creativity in organizations, and dispels common myths about what creativity is. Proposes a method for recognizing creativity, outlines the necessary components for individual creativity, and introduces a model of how organizational influences can affect creativity. Critiques some common methods for enhancing creativity, and discusses how creativity can result in innovation.

Keywords

Change Management; Entrepreneurship; Collaborative Innovation And Invention; Management Analysis, Tools, And Techniques; Organizational Design; Situation Or Environment; Creativity

Citation

Amabile, Teresa M. "Creativity and Innovation in Organizations." Harvard Business School Background Note 396-239, January 1996.
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About The Author

Teresa M. Amabile

Entrepreneurial Management
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More from the Author

    • January–February 2021
    • Harvard Business Review

    How to Help (Without Micromanaging)

    By: Colin M. Fisher, Teresa M. Amabile and Julianna Pillemer
    • September 2020
    • Academy of Management Discoveries

    Creativity, Artificial Intelligence, and a World of Surprises

    By: Teresa M. Amabile
    • 2020
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    Consensual Assessment

    By: B. A. Hennessey, J. S. Mueller and T. M. Amabile
More from the Author
  • How to Help (Without Micromanaging) By: Colin M. Fisher, Teresa M. Amabile and Julianna Pillemer
  • Creativity, Artificial Intelligence, and a World of Surprises By: Teresa M. Amabile
  • Consensual Assessment By: B. A. Hennessey, J. S. Mueller and T. M. Amabile
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