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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

    • 2022
    • Academy of Management Collections

    The Turn Toward Creative Work

    By: Spencer Harrison, Elizabeth D. Rouse, Colin M. Fisher and Teresa M. Amabile
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    What Do I Make of the Rest of My Life? Global and Quotidian Life Construal across the Retirement Transition

    By: Jeff Steiner and Teresa M. Amabile
    • August 2021
    • Academy of Management Perspectives

    The Undervalued Power of Self-relevant Research: The Case of Researching Retirement While Retiring

    By: Teresa M. Amabile and Douglas T. (Tim) Hall
More from the Author
  • The Turn Toward Creative Work By: Spencer Harrison, Elizabeth D. Rouse, Colin M. Fisher and Teresa M. Amabile
  • What Do I Make of the Rest of My Life? Global and Quotidian Life Construal across the Retirement Transition By: Jeff Steiner and Teresa M. Amabile
  • The Undervalued Power of Self-relevant Research: The Case of Researching Retirement While Retiring By: Teresa M. Amabile and Douglas T. (Tim) Hall
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