Handbook of Corporate Communication and Public ... - Blogs Unpad

CHAPTER 24
Communication for creative thinking in a
corporate context
Glenda Jacobs
It is widely recognized that organizational growth and even survival in a changing business
environment relies directly on the creative ability to question, adjust and at times
re-invent accepted processes, services and products.
This chapter argues that, given the demands of today’s business environment, both the
ability to think creatively, and a rigorous understanding of how creative thinking should
be managed and developed in organizational environments, are for corporate communication
managers not only useful talents, but also professional responsibilities. The
chapter seeks to demonstrate how a clearer understanding of the close relationship
between corporate creativity and corporate communication allows organizations to more
effectively manage creative opportunities, as well as to integrate creative thinking
processes into existing corporate structures.
The need for creative thinking in
organizations
It is only during the second half of the twentieth
century that ‘creativity’ as a concept
ceased to be perceived as the province of
the eccentric, the gifted and the artistic, and
has gained legitimacy in the realms of academic
research and effective business practice
(Drucker, 1985; Ford and Gioia, 1995;
Getzels, 1987; Isaksen, 1987; Sternberg,
1999; Wehner et al., 1991). In addition, international
surveys (by, among many others, the
American Management Association, Arthur D.
Little, Fortune 500, Digital Strategies and the
Centre for Research in Employment and
Technology in Europe) consistently reveal that
both SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises)
and leading multinational companies
recognize creativity to be an essential priority
for survival in the twenty-first century.
Consequently, the period since the 1960s
has seen an escalation of investigation into
how best to encourage, develop and manage
creativity and innovation in organizational
settings.
© 2004 Sandra Oliver for editorial matter and selection;
individual chapters, the contributors