Exploring Barriers to Organizational Creativity and Innovation

The assignment explores the complexities surrounding innovation within organizations, particularly those operating in the social economy. Drawing on key academic resources, it examines how factors such as organizational culture, leadership, and external criticism affect creative processes and innovative outcomes. Students are expected to critically analyze these aspects and propose viable solutions for fostering an environment conducive to innovation.

Running Head: Creativity and Innovation
Creativity and Innovation

Creativity and Innovation 1
Executive Summary
Innovation and creativity are two different yet similar terms which positively affect the activities
of the organization if done correctly. Innovation helps the organization in creating new product
from new ideas and creativity refers to the activity of doing same task with creative ideas. Both
the aspect helps the organization in becoming competent in the competitive world. But looking at
the market scenario, it shall be noted that it is not easy for the organizations to implement such
changes in the business process, many organization faces failure and critics while implementing
such activities. So the below mentioned task discusses about the social and organization issues
affect the growth of innovation and creativity in an organization. The climate of the business
shall promote the implementation of such activities in the business. So, the task discusses about
the climate of an organization while implementing such activities by using various model and
theories in the organization.

Creativity and Innovation 2
Contents
Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................................1
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................4
Social and organizational barriers in creativity and innovation...................................................................4
Climate for development of creativity, innovation, leadership and HRM/D in organization.......................5
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................6
Recommendation........................................................................................................................................7
References...................................................................................................................................................8

Creativity and Innovation 3
Introduction
The aim of this task is to inform about the social and organizational barriers affecting promotion
of creativity in an organization. Creativity and innovation are the most important tools and
techniques which are used in an organization to achieve success in the competitive world.
Innovation helps the organization in implementing such changes in their management which not
utilized by anyone in the external market. Due to such activities, the organization gains
competences and eliminates competition from the market. So it shall be noted that such tools
have become an important requirement for the organization now days (Drucker 2014). The report
further discusses about the barriers faced by an organization while implementing innovation and
creativity in their business process. Further it also tells about the climate which an organization
shall attain in order to promote creative leadership, HRM/D, creativity and innovation in an
organization. It also provides the recommendations with the help of which an organization can
implement innovation with the help adequate models and theories. Further details about the task
are discussed below:
Social and organizational barriers in creativity and innovation
As considered in the above statements that creativity and innovation are the two most important
tools used in an organization. So in order to implement such activities the organization faces
many barriers in their course of action. Also it shall be noted that before understanding the
barriers, there should be clear knowledge about different between creativity and innovation.
Creativity refers to the art of doing things creatively and implementing creative ideas in every
action whereas innovation refers to the art of creating a new product with the help of creative
ideas (Chalmers 2013).
But the fact shall be noted that it is noted for organization now days to use such innovation in
their regular day to day business activities. Irrespective of the size of the organization, they faces
social as well as organizational problems in implementing such activities. Further the barriers
suffered by the organizations are discussed below:

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 Lack of trust and motivation: motivation and trust are the two most basic things
required in the business process so as to initiate and implement new activities. If the
employees of the organization do not trust on the activities of their leader then innovation
would not become successful in the organization. So, this is one of the most important
organizational barriers which hinder the growth of the organization in competitive world
(Siedlok, and Hibbert 2014). So, the organization needs to take the employees under their
confidence and ask them to trust on their activities and follow the path then only they can
successfully implement innovation in their organization. Further without motivation no
person in the organization will put their hundred percent efforts to complete the task.
Thus, it shall be noted that it is very important for the employees to trust on their
managers and similarly it is important for the managers to regularly boost up the morale
of their employees (Auernhammer, and Hall 2014).
 Lack of flexibility: The middle level managers who connect all the levels of
management in the organization are rigid in adopting the new and innovative activities in
the management due to which the lower level managers also becomes rigid to adopt such
changes and implement them in the organization (Autio 2014).
 Condemnation from external factors: Critics given by the external factors highly
influence the attitude of the workforce in the organization. Due to this, the whole
environment of the organization become negative due to which the efficiency of the
employees to work decreases (Caniëls and Rietzschel 2015).
Climate for development of creativity, innovation, leadership and
HRM/D in organization
Talking about the climate for the development of innovation and its measures in the
organization, it shall be noted that only positive environment can help innovation to sustain in
the workplace and show its effects. Positive in the workplace management gives a push to the
implementation of innovation and creativity in the organization. So, in order to implement such
activities, initially the leader needs to creatively initiate leadership in the organization so as to
motivate the employees and help them to trust on instincts of the company (Aldrich, and
Martinez 2015). Creative leadership shall be adopted by the leaders in the organization and
creative leadership can be implemented through transformation leadership process.

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Transformation leadership refers to the process of understanding the needs and requirements of
the employees present in the organization; and work in such a way so as to help them to achieve
their personal target along with organizational goals. With such climate innovation can be
implemented in the organization (Anderson, Potočnik, and Zhou 2014).
Also positive human resource in the organization supports the creative activities in the
organization. If the human resource in the organization would be competent enough to manage
such innovation then the climate of the workplace would automatically adjust according to the
innovation. But if human resource of the organization is not qualified enough to initiate such
activities in the organization, then the leaders would not be able to sustain the innovation
practices in the organization. With respect to the human resource, the human resource wheel
shall be initiated in the organization to develop and train the employees to work better. With
such development the employees would become efficient to understand and positively adopt
such measures to practice innovation in their regular business activities (Somech, and Drach-
Zahavy 2013).
Conclusion
Thus in the limelight of above mentioned events the facts that shall be noted that innovation and
creativity are two most important tools which shall be practiced by all types of organization in
order to attain competitive advantage in the target market. Without using such tools no
organization would sustain their growth in the target market. Thus, now a days organization shall
become competent to adopt such measures in their regular day to day business activities to gain
advantage in the target market and earn more profit (Ren, and Zhang 2015). Further innovation
and creativity are two different tools which shall be utilized in the organization; such tools can be
easily implemented in the organization by the way to creative leadership. Further the above
mentioned report talks about the social and organization barriers affecting the promotion of
creativity and leadership the organization and the climate for implementation of such practices.
The report adequately supports the notions given in the task. Concluding to the above statement
it shall be noted that innovative practices can be implemented in the organization if the
employees in the organization are competent enough to understand the innovation and work on
them and the leaders are efficient enough to help the employees to achieve the organizational

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objective by implementing creativity in their work. The leaders shall use adequate models and
theories to support and initiate their activities in the organization.
Recommendation
The below mentioned are a few recommendation which shall be used by the organization in
order to use the innovation and creativity practices in the organization.
 In order to eliminate the social and organization barriers, the organization shall initially
develop a clear vision according to which they shall work in the organization. Vision will
help the leader to creatively implement new practices in the organization which can help
them to achieve their targets with full confidence. The defined goal will also help the
organization to not get distracted from the path (Avolio, and Yammarino 2013).
 Further the organization shall also work on their communication skills so that growth of
new and innovative ideas shall be emerged in the organization. Efficient communication
will help the employees to share their view and ideas with each other and develop
innovative measures to complete the task. Also with the help of communication, the
leaders can also initiate to eliminate negative critics from the organization. Thus in this
way communication can help and support the organization to achieve their respected
target innovatively (Van Knippenberg, and Sitkin 2013).
 Training and development are the most important ways with the help of which the leaders
can improve the skills of employees in and motivate them to work efficient and
effectively. Human resource wheel can help the organization to develop measure to train
the employees according to the requirement of the activities of the organization. This will
help the employees to understand the business process in a better way and support the
organization in achieving their goals by inputting their efficiencies.

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References
Aldrich, H.E. and Martinez, M., 2015. Why aren’t entrepreneurs more creative? Conditions
affecting creativity and innovation in entrepreneurial activity. Oxford Handbook on Creativity,
Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, pp.445-456.
Anderson, N., Potočnik, K. and Zhou, J., 2014. Innovation and creativity in organizations: A
state-of-the-science review, prospective commentary, and guiding framework. Journal of
Management, 40(5), pp.1297-1333.
Auernhammer, J. and Hall, H., 2014. Organizational culture in knowledge creation, creativity
and innovation: Towards the Freiraum model. Journal of Information Science, 40(2), pp.154-
166.
Autio, E., Kenney, M., Mustar, P., Siegel, D. and Wright, M., 2014. Entrepreneurial innovation:
The importance of context. Research Policy, 43(7), pp.1097-1108.
Avolio, B.J. and Yammarino, F.J. eds., 2013. Introduction to, and overview of, transformational
and charismatic leadership. In Transformational and Charismatic Leadership: The Road Ahead
10th Anniversary Edition (pp. xxvii-xxxiii). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Caniëls, M.C. and Rietzschel, E.F., 2015. Organizing creativity: Creativity and innovation under
constraints. Creativity and Innovation Management, 24(2), pp.184-196.
Chalmers, D., 2013. Social innovation: An exploration of the barriers faced by innovating
organizations in the social economy. Local Economy, 28(1), pp.17-34.
Drucker, P., 2014. Innovation and entrepreneurship. Routledge.
Ren, F. and Zhang, J., 2015. Job stressors, organizational innovation climate, and employees’
innovative behavior. Creativity Research Journal, 27(1), pp.16-23.
Siedlok, F. and Hibbert, P., 2014. The organization of interdisciplinary research: Modes, drivers
and barriers. International Journal of Management Reviews, 16(2), pp.194-210.

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Somech, A. and Drach-Zahavy, A., 2013. Translating team creativity to innovation
implementation: The role of team composition and climate for innovation. Journal of
Management, 39(3), pp.684-708.
Van Knippenberg, D. and Sitkin, S.B., 2013. A critical assessment of charismatic—
Transformational leadership research: Back to the drawing board?. Academy of Management
Annals, 7(1), pp.1-60.