The leadership literature is abundant and is increasing every day. Periodically publishers and the media bring us the news of a new best-selling author on the subject. However, after reading the classic texts on the subject, by such well-known authors as Bennis, Kouzes, Posner and others, we discover that much has been said about leadership and that recent publications tend to repeat what was pointed out years ago. Perhaps the task of those interested in the subject should be to delve into those little-discussed angles of the issue. Among these issues, one that stands out is the relationship between leadership and creativity. For example, can the leader of a group or organization be the promoter or promoter of creativity in that group? Or is the role of leader an automatic trigger for creativity in your community?
If we go to the heart of the problem, we must say that yes, the leadership or influence that a respected leader exerts over a human group can be a trigger for the creativity of those who accompany him. However, not all leadership styles are equally beneficial to the creativity of the collective. That is, while recognizing the leading role of the leader over the performance of the group, it should also be noted that only that provocative leadership that nurtures the creativity of the group will be the most effective in this regard.
The best leadership as far as creativity is concerned will be the one that is conducive and respectful of the ideas of others. Whoever seeks new initiatives to be decided and perfected. Likewise, pro-creative leadership will seek to implement the material and social (or psychological) conditions that help the production of ideas, their experimentation and their implementation.
The cultivation of creative sources is not possible in markedly vertical and autocratic work climates, in which the restriction of communication and resources prevail. Or in strongly centralized organizations with a monopoly in decision-making.
More importantly, creativity at work is the daughter of ethics. It is the companies in which workers feel treated ethically that generate the most benefits per employee and overall.
Por supuesto, no es tarea sencilla gestionar la creatividad en el trabajo. La creatividad debe tener como punto de partida a trabajadores bien capacitados. Sólo el personal con dominio de sus tareas puede interesarse por nuevos procedimientos y soluciones más rentables. Aquella empresa que, por ahorrar, recluta al talento más barato del mercado de trabajo para mantenerlo así está amputándose la posibilidad de innovar. La creatividad es una inversión que implica riesgo, maduración y seguimiento.
