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Creative Management

Module description

This module examines the management of creativity and creative approaches to project and team management. During this module you will focus on the challenges of managing creative people: What motivates and drives creative talent? How do you inspire and lead talent? How do managers block, stymie and kill creativity? How do individuals and teams play critical roles in the promotion of ideas, development, and value capture process? You will research and explore these issues through the analysis of case studies and you will be encouraged to relate these challenges to the industry you wish to work in, on successful completion of this MA. The module will focus on both failure studies and success stories, drawing on leadership and organisational theory and practice. You will be encouraged to explore how cultures and territorial differentiation impact on creative activities, decision making, processes, attitudes, business behaviours, outputs and measurement. The assessment for this module encourages you to identify opportunities for adding value to the organisation in which you (hope to) undertake an industry placement or assignment. By developing an enhanced understanding of a range of management challenges, you will also enhance your approach to responding to creative briefs, which you will then apply to your own creative campaign or portfolio.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims:

• To identify, discuss and debate a range of leadership approaches and business perspectives and strategies for managing change.
• To critically evaluate key factors that enable or prevent successful creative development of individuals and organisations.
• To develop self-efficacy in relation to managing a variety of working relationships and work-based challenges.
• To develop practical skills and understandings in relation to developing creative campaigns,

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the academic and industry debates in the areas of creativity, management and leadership.
• 2. Demonstrate the ability to identify and critique strategies employed by organisations to enhance creativity and innovation.
• 3. Demonstrate the ability to assess models of creative management and leadership.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Conduct research and engage in critical discussion and debate
• 5. Develop group cooperation skills, including the ability to give and receive constructive critical feedback, and to improve communication skills and advanced analytic abilities in discussions.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Demonstrate advanced research and bibliographic skills, construct a coherent, substantiated argument and write clear and correct prose
• 7. Through research for campaign/portfolio/business plan, retrieve and analyse information at an advanced level
• 8. Through research, discussion and portfolio/business planning, writing at an advanced level develop the ability to question assumptions, distinguish between fact and opinion, and critically reflect on your own learning process
• 9. Develop confidence in approaching prospective employers/collaborators and demonstrating initiative in capitalising on networking and other opportunities.

Syllabus plan

In developing your project or campaign portfolio, you will need to identify a challenge, business opportunity or perceived lack within an organisation you would like to work for one which you would like to develop/launch. This can be linked to an online or live work placement but this is not a requirement, as you may wish to conduct a desk-based report on your chosen organisation or business.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

·         Alsted, J. (2019). Psychodynamic Organisational Theory. London: Routledge. See especially, pp.89-129.

• Altstiel, T., Grow, J. and Jennings, M. (2019). Advertising Creative: Strategy, Copy, and Design. London: Sage.
• Amabile, T. M. & Khaire, M. (2008). ‘Creativity and the role of the leader’.  Harvard Business Review.  86(10): 100-109.
• Amabile, T. (2006) ‘How to kill creativity’, in Henry, J. Creative Management and Development. (3rd Edition). London, Sage.
• Anderson, N. PotoÃ?��Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½nik, K. & Zhou, J. (2014) ‘Innovation and creativity in organizations: A state-of-the-science review, prospective commentary and guiding framework’ in Journal of Management.  40(5): 1297-1333.
• Barton, G. (2016)  Don't Get a Job... Make a Job: How to make it as a creative graduate. Laurence King.
• Brindle, M. and DeVereaux, C. (2011). The Arts Management Handbook. M.E. Sharpe: London.
• Byrnes, W.J. (2014). Management and the Arts. 5th edition. Elsevier: Oxford.
• Catmull, E. (2008). ‘How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity’. Harvard Business Review, September 2008
• Dawson, P., and Andriopoulos, C. (2014). Managing Change, Creativity and Innovation. London: Sage Publications.
• de Bono, E. (2016). Six Thinking Hats, London: Penguin.
• Goffin, K. and Mitchell, R. (2017). Innovation Management: effective strategy and implementation. (3^rd Edition). Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
• Howkins, J. (2013). The Creative Economy: How People Make Money from Ideas. London: Penguin Books.
• Kessels, Erik (2016). Failed it! London: Phaidon.
• Kolb, D. (2014). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development, Prentice Hall, New Jersey. See chapter 2 - 'The process of experiential learning', pp.31-61. Pearson.
• Martin, L. and Wilson, N. (2018). The Palgrave Handbook of Creativity at Work. London: Palgrave.
• Pedler, M. (2016). Action Learning for Managers. London: Routledge.
• Perkins, G. (2019). ‘Exploring the mechanisms through which strong ties impact upon the development of ideas in SME contexts’.  Journal of Small Business Management.  57(4): 1464-1484.
• Smiers, J. (2003). Arts Under Pressure: Promoting Cultural Diversity in the Age of Globalization. London: Zed.
• Sweeney, C.  and Bothwick, F. (2016). Inclusive Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Developing and Executing an Impactful Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Summary. Prentice Hall.
• Taylor, B. (2017). ‘How Coca-Cola, Netflix, and Amazon Learn from Failure’ - https://hbr.org/2017/11/how-coca-cola-netflix-and-amazon-learn-from-failure
• Thomas, D.C. and Peterson, M.F. (2014). Cross-Cultural Management: Essential Concepts. London: Sage.
• Townley, B. and Beech, N. (2009). Managing Creativity: Exploring the Paradox. Cambridge University Press.
• Williams, M. and Penman, D. (2001). Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World. Piatkus

Key words search

Creative management, management and leadership, creative development