• Demonstrate thorough knowledge of practices and principles common to arts- and design-based innovation processes.
• Demonstrate knowledge of leadership decisions of strategic importance regarding the application of arts and design-based methods to innovation objectives.
• Demonstrate thorough knowledge of principles for how organisational conditions for arts- and design-driven creativity can be provided.
• Demonstrate thorough knowledge of how the dynamics between management, leadership and entrepreneurship matters for the art of organisational innovation.

Artful and designerly ways of creating new business have become increasingly relevant in the current competitive business environment that favours novelty and originality as sources of value. Arts- and design-based practices provide organizations with powerful methods for innovating products, services, systems and experiences. In this course, we investigate these practices in order to learn how to provide organisational conditions for artful processes that lead to competitive advantage. We build our knowledge dynamically in class through course literature-based analyses of cases (art, design, entrepreneurship, innovation), in order to develop a more precise understanding of the organisational conditions for arts- and design-based creativity/entrepreneurship and innovation. This includes an emphasis on understanding the special conditions and capabilities that enable groups to engage in collaborative creativity, what leadership that is required as well as approaching entrepreneurship as an organisation-creation process.
 
The pedagogical approach is highly interactive and discussion based, driven by cases from art- and design intensive entrepreneurial companies. By engaging in Harvard Business School-style case discussions, students will learn how to make decisions regarding the organisational conditions for artful innovation practices in organisation-creation and innovation. See "Teaching Methods" for further information.

Literature (preliminary list, subject to change, final list will be published on Learn):

Austin, R., Hjorth, D., and Hessel, S. (2017) “How aesthetics and economy become conversant in creative firms,” Organization Studies, online first, Oct. 2017.

Austin, R. and Devin, L. (2004) “Successful Innovation through Artful Process,” Leader to Leader, Spring: 48-55.

Castañer, X. and Campos, L. (2002). The determinants of artistic innovation: Bringing in the role of organizations. Journal of Cultural Economics, 26, 29–52.

Catmull, E. (2008) “How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity,” Harvard Business Review, September: 1-11.

Guillet de Monthoux, P. (2000) “Performing the Absolute. Marina Abramovic Organizing the Unfinished Business of Arthur Schopenhauer,” Organization Studies, 21: 29-51.

Goodwin, C. and Mucha, R. (2010) “Aesthetic Intelligence: what business can learn from the arts,” Rotman Magazine, Spring: 53-57.

Hargadon, A. B., and Bechky, B. A. (2006) “When collections of creatives become creative collectives: a field study of problem solving at work,” Organization Science, 17(4): 484-500.

Hennessey, B. A. and Amabile, T. M. (2010) “Creativity,” Annual Review of Psychology, 61: 569-598.

Jones, C., Svejenova, S., Strandgaard Pedersen, J, and Townley, B. (2016). Misfits, Mavericks and Mainstreams: Drivers of Innovation in the Creative Industries. Organization Studies. Special issue introduction, 37(6): 751-768

Khaire, M. (2017). Doing Their Job: The Functions of Intermediaries (Chapter 4). Culture and Commerce the Value of Entrepreneurship in Creative Industries. Stanford University Press.

Lampel, J. and Meyer, A. D. 2008. Field-Configuring Events as Structuring Mechanisms: How Conferences, Ceremonies, and Trade Shows Constitute New Technologies, Industries, and Markets. Journal of Management Studies, 45(6): 1025-1035.

Obstfeld, D. (2012).  Creative Projects: A Less Routine Approach toward Getting New Things Done,  Organization Science, 23(6): 1571–1592.

Patriotta, G. and Hirsch, P. (2016). Mainstreaming Innovation in Art Worlds: Cooperative links, conventions and amphibious artists. Organization Studies, 37(6): 867-887.

Ramirez, R. and Arvidsson, N. (2005) “Aesthetics of business innovation: experiencing ‘internal process’ versus ‘external jolts’,” Innovation: management, policy & practice, 7(4): 373-388.

Styhre, A. and Eriksson, M. (2008) “Bring in the Arts and Get the Creativity for Free: A study of the artists in residence project,” Creativity and Innovation Management, 17(1): 47-57.

Schüßler, E., Grabher, G. and Müller-Seitz, G. (2015). Field-configuring events as arenas for innovation and learning. Industry and Innovation 22 (1), 165-172.

Svejenova, S., Mazza, C. and Planellas, M. (2007). Cooking Up Change in Haute Cuisine: Ferran Adrià as an Institutional Entrepreneur. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28(5): 539-561.

Svejenova, S., Strandgaard Pedersen, J., and Vives, L. (2011). Projects of Passion: Lessons for Strategy from Temporary Art, in G. Cattani, S. Ferriani, L. Frederiksen, and F. Täube (ed.) Project-Based Organizing and Strategic Management (Advances in Strategic Management), 28: 501-527.

Wijnberg, N.M. and Gemser, G. (2000) Adding Value to Innovation: Impressionism and the Transformation of the Selection System in Visual Arts. Organization Science, 11(3):323-329. 

Cases

e-types: Austin, R. D., O’Donnell, S., and Friis, S. K. (2006), N9-606-118 (Harvard Business School case)

BMW: Bangle, C. (2001) How BMW turns art into profit, R0101B (Harvard Business School case)

Paul Robertson and the Medici String Quartet: Austin, R. D. and O’Donnell, S. (2007) “Paul Robertson and the Medici String Quartet,” 9-607-083 (Harvard Business School case)

Camper: Mitchell, J. and Velamuri, R. (2007) “Camper: Imagination is not expensive,” E-105-E, 2-607-008 (Harvard Business School case)

How to kill creativity: Amabile, T. M. (1998) “How to kill creativity,” Harvard Business Review, October: 76-87.

teamLab: Farhoomand, A. (2015) “Creativity in design: experimenting and innovating at teamlab Japan,” The Asia Case Research Centre, and Harvard Business School case.