BU5961: PEOPLE, CREATIVITY AND CHANGE (2015-2016)

The course opens with a consideration of the emergence of creativity and creative industries as a key area of innovation and change in relation to today’s competitive business landscape. In evaluating the importance of creative industries and explaining what constitutes the new creative economy we also discuss the concept of creative regions/cities and the debates surrounding creative regions/cities. The course then turns attention to an evaluation of the literature on creativity and the individual and the knowledge process (explicit and tacit) as well as motivational factors that support and contribute to critical thinking and creativity. The differences between a group and a team and the processes by which creativity can be encouraged and nurtured are examined and various techniques, such as, the influence of brainstorming on the generation of new ideas are discussed. Leadership, as a central element to the management of, creativity and change, is critically assessed through a number of research-based case studies. The course also examines the internal characteristics of an organization in relation to the less visible elements, such as, the culture and sub-cultures present within organizations (‘the way we do things around here’) and the more visible aspects, such as, structure, systems and resources, that all come into play in constraining and enabling peoples’ creative engagement. We use a range of examples to illustrate how the procedures and structures of an organization as well as the norms, values and collective beliefs of employees (whether on the shopfloor, within middle level management or among senior executives), all serve to shape and influence processes of creativity and change. Throughout the course a number of case studies/exercises are used to encourage students individually and within groups to reflect on their own experiences (and those of others) and to apply these to the theories they have learnt. The course concludes with a piece of individual reflective assessment in identifying and evaluating some of the key factors that need to be taken into account in developing insight and understanding of processes of creativity and change.

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

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100% continuous assessment, comprising: i) one 2000 word individual essay (50% of the course assessment); and ii) group-based assessment (25%) and individual-based assessment (25%) based on students’ critical reflection. Resit: If a student fails to reach a pass mark of CAS 9 overall, they may be permitted to undertake a resit of the substantive assignment. Overall, students resubmitting will have a course mark capped at CAS 9.

There are no assessments for this course.

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