The Ontology of Creativity in Industrial Cleaning
Authors: Frederik Hertel, Michelle Wicmandy
Issue: 2017, Vol. 3
Abstract
Creativity is (e.g. Gadner, 1993) often associated with the arts, science, technology, high-end products developed (cf. Plucker, Beghetto & Dow, 2004) by a genius working through long, complicated, isolated, arduous and mythical procedures. But, what about ordinary people doing ordinary work in their everyday organizational life? Would it make sense to describe them as creative as well? Would it e.g. make sense to claim that industrial cleaners are regularly being creative? In this article, we will analyze a case study that examines industrial cleaning workers in the food-industry services. The article belongs to (Clark II & Fast, 2008) qualitative economics and is based on ideographic methodology. This analysis collected data though participatory observation, formal and informal qualitative interviews during a period of three years. Based on analyses, we conclude that industrial cleaners regularly produce everyday creativity, also known as small “c”. We also conclude that it is rare to find examples of big “C,” creativity leading to radical change. In this study, only one example of creativity outside of small “c” was observed. This creative act was produced by an external consultant rather than the industrial cleaners being studied.
Keywords: creativity, assessment of creativity, organizational sociology, everyday organizational life and qualitative case studies.
To download the article, please click on the PDF file or read on this page below:
Authors: Frederik Hertel, Michelle Wicmandy
Issue: 2017, Vol. 3
Abstract
Creativity is (e.g. Gadner, 1993) often associated with the arts, science, technology, high-end products developed (cf. Plucker, Beghetto & Dow, 2004) by a genius working through long, complicated, isolated, arduous and mythical procedures. But, what about ordinary people doing ordinary work in their everyday organizational life? Would it make sense to describe them as creative as well? Would it e.g. make sense to claim that industrial cleaners are regularly being creative? In this article, we will analyze a case study that examines industrial cleaning workers in the food-industry services. The article belongs to (Clark II & Fast, 2008) qualitative economics and is based on ideographic methodology. This analysis collected data though participatory observation, formal and informal qualitative interviews during a period of three years. Based on analyses, we conclude that industrial cleaners regularly produce everyday creativity, also known as small “c”. We also conclude that it is rare to find examples of big “C,” creativity leading to radical change. In this study, only one example of creativity outside of small “c” was observed. This creative act was produced by an external consultant rather than the industrial cleaners being studied.
Keywords: creativity, assessment of creativity, organizational sociology, everyday organizational life and qualitative case studies.
To download the article, please click on the PDF file or read on this page below:
| The Ontology of Creativity in Industrial Cleaning by Frederik Hertel and Michelle Wicmandy.pdf |
Frederik Hertel, Ph.D. Associate Professor in Organization Studies, Philosophy of management and organizational communication. Main research fields and teaching areas are Organizational Anthropology, Learning, Communication, Creativity, Philosophy of Management, Theory of Science and Methodology. Member of the Research group named ORCA (Organizational Renewal Creativity Applied). Coordinator for the top-up program and coordinator of several essential part of the EBA program.
Michelle Wicmandy, ABD Marketing Lecturer. Main teaching areas are Principles of Marketing, Marketing Strategy, and Integrated Marketing Communications. Under her guidance, students have been recognized and won awards for contests sponsored by Halliburton and America’s Natural Gas Alliance. She is also enrolled in the Doctorate of Business Administration Program at the University of Liverpool.
