I have been distracted by last week’s exam for a module on
creativity, innovation and change! I am so glad to have written that exam.
To top off the theories of leadership, I feel that it will
be appropriate to look at this important issue from the viewpoint of creativity
and in particular what it means to be a creative leader. B822 is full of
examples of creative leaders that have contributed so much to their
organisations from the reclusive Darwin Smith of Kimberley Clark to the
extraverted Steve Jobs. One thing is for sure, these leaders shared
determination and drive to make enduring changes in their organisations and
industry.
A number of authors have commented on the special status of
creative leaders and how they manage differently from other leaders. Kanter
(1991) argues that these individuals’ posses what she calls a ‘kaleidoscope
view’. She compares this to their ability to possess a number of viewpoints,
question assumptions, rearrange their thinking and most importantly be
comfortable with holding conflicting perspectives.
Ross (2005) articulates the concept of ‘distributed
leadership. This is in stark contrast to the traditional command and control
supervision with its emphasis on control and monitoring of staff. The author
underlines the relevance of this type of leadership in today’s knowledge
economy where the work of professionals is not amenable to traditional
supervision. Barry (1991) further cautions against what he calls ‘person
centred approaches’ of leadership and how they can undermine knowledge workers
by injecting group dynamics and politics into the workplace.
Creative leaders are however not without critics. Reich
(1989) disparages what he calls ‘heroic individual’ as the typical stereotype
of creative leadership. He calls for a different mode of leadership in this
circumstances; one based on a state of collective entrepreneurship and multi -professional
teams relying upon the talent and creativity of all employees in the
organisation. Collins and Porras (2001) caution against what they refer to as ‘great
leaders making great stories'. These authors however compare leadership using a
number of levels with the best leaders achieving a ‘level 5 leadership'. They
argue that level 5 leaders combine’ intense personal humility with extreme
professional will’. For example they use the example of how Darwin Smith turned
around the fortunes of Kimberly Clark whilst staying away from the limelight.
This was in contrast to the publicity seeking Lee Iacoca who became too
important to leave his post at Chrysler but eventually ignored the company
whilst he pursued personal fame.
Ultimately these authors underline the importance of vision,
charisma and drive in leadership but they also offer a simplified view to the
complexity of what makes a creative person provide leadership in a successful
organisation. More research is required in how this type of leadership is
different from the hard nosed notion of managing business performance and
whether this is simply a type of fad that disguises the difficult leadership
style of entrepreneurs.
References
Barry, D. (1991) ‘Managing the Bossless Team: Lessons in
distributed Leadership’, Organisational Dynamics, Vol.20, No. 1.
Collins, J.C (2001) ‘Level 5 Leadership’, Harvard
Business Review, 79, 1 (January)
Kanter, R.M (1991) ‘Change-master skills: what it takes to
be creative’ in Henry, J. and Walker, D (1991)
Reich, R.B. (1987) ‘Entrepreneurship reconsidered: the team
as hero’, Harvard Business Review, May-June.
Ross, L., Rix, M and Gold, J (2005) ‘Learning Distributed
Leadership: Part 1, Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 37, No. 3.
