IJMB Journal – Abstracts
International Journal of Management and Business
IJMB Volume XI, Issue 1
How Does Leadership Motivate Creativity?
Steven H. Appelbaum, Léa Bélanger, Debanjan Biswas, Simon Branco-Pratt, Anthony Lalande, Akshay Shripathi
John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
E-mail:steven.appelbaum@concordia.ca, lea.v.belanger@gmail.com, dev.dilip.biswas@gmail.com, dev.dilip.biswas@gmail.com, simonbpratt@gmail.com, anthony.lalande@gmail.com, akshayshripathi@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Leadership research has demonstrated that it has impact on creativity. Considering each leadership style has unique qualities and approaches, the variables that mediate the relationship between leadership and creativity can differ quite a bit. This review of the literature systematically examined various leadership styles and their effects on creativity. In order to provide a holistic view, negative leadership styles were also taken into consideration. To gain competitive advantage, it is essential for organizations to foster creative thinking in employees and teams. Thus, the article also provides recommendations that managers can follow to create an environment that stimulates creativity.
In terms of the design and methodology, multiple empirical studies were examined for each leadership style and the findings from each of these studies were used to undertake this literature review. The empirical studies considered were performed in different countries and varied across a broad range of industries. It is clear from the review that there isn’t a single leadership style that influences creativity the most. As each leadership style has unique qualities, the mediators that impact the relationship between leadership and creativity vary.
Managers can follow specific techniques based on their leadership style(s) to foster creative thinking in employees and teams. Fostering creativity not only provides competitive and strategic advantages for organizations but also increases employee satisfaction. Creativity encourages collaboration and motivates employees to work with each other.
This literature review uncovered solid theoretical frameworks on which to build models but suffers from a few limitations. As with any social science research, it can be difficult to identify causation from a web of correlated variables. These limitations of the current methodology provide open questions to be answered by further research efforts.
Keywords: Full range leadership, Moral leadership, Motivating leadership, Negative leadership, Management, Creativity.
Click for full manuscript (PDF) or back to Volume 11-1, Table of Content.