What is creativity?

1. The Challenge of Organizing for Creativity in ResearchStefan KuhlmannDirector, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI), Karlsruhe, Germany Professor, Utrecht University, Copernicus Institute, Innovation Studies Group, The Netherlands “The future of research: New players, roles and strategies”,Six Countries Programme Conference,20/21 April 2005, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

2. What is creativity? Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

3. Overview • Frontier research • The CREA project • What is creativity? • Organizing for creativity: Hypotheses • Consequences for research policy Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

4. Pasteur’s Quadrant, according to Donald Stokes (1997) Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

5. Frontier Research (HLEG on ERC, 2005) • The term ‘Frontier Research’ reflects the fact that: • it is at the leading edge in developing new knowledge • it is intrinsically risky, in that it is often not yet clear which approach may eventually prove most fruitful; • there are no boundaries between disciplines, nor between basic and applied research; frontier research is concerned both with both new knowledge about the world and with generating potentially usefulknowledge at the same time, and • by its very nature, it transcends national borders. Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

6. http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/future/pdf/hleg_fullreport_frontier_research_april2005.pdfhttp://europa.eu.int/comm/research/future/pdf/hleg_fullreport_frontier_research_april2005.pdf Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

7. CREA: A NEST project • "Creativity capabilities and the promotion of highly innovative research in Europe and the United States" (CREA) (2005-06); (http://www.cordis.lu/nest) • Project sponsored by EU FP6 NEST (Anticipation of scientific and technological needs) • Basic assumption: Institutional factors have a serious impact on creativity in research  Supportive factors? • Team • Stefan Kuhlmann; Thomas Heinze - Fraunhofer ISI, Karlsruhe • Philip Shapira & colleagues – Georgia Tech, Atlanta • Jacqueline Senker & colleagues – SPRU, Brighton Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

8. CREA: Project goals • Identify creative researchers and research groups in two fields • human genetics • nano S&T • Study their work environment systematically • bibliometric profiles • in-depth interviews • Understand institutional factors either supporting or impeding creativity in research • e.g. work group environment • e.g. organisational structure • Make tentative recommendations for policy instruments in and beyond NEST Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

9. What is creativity? "Creativity is the ability to produce work that is novel (original, unexpected), high-quality, and appropriate (useful, meets task constraints)." "Creativity (..) is largely something that people show in a particular domain." "At a societal level, creativity can lead to new scientific findings, new movements in art, new inventions, and new social programs. The economic importance of creativity is clear because new products or services create jobs." Source: Sternberg (2003) Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

10. What is creativity in research? (1 of 3) • Incremental or radical steps • Within or across knowledge domains • Exploration or exploitation • Tensions and resistance Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

11. What is creativity in research? (2 of 3) CREA definition: "Highly creative, current research is conducted by individual researchers or groups undertaking novel work with major implications or potential". Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

12. What is creativity in research? (3 of 3) Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

13. Creativity at the individual level Social personality approaches point to: • Knowledge base • deep domain-relevant knowledge and know-how • knowledge of heuristics for generating novel ideas • Motivation base • intrinsic goal-orientation • need for achievement • high energy level and self-confidence • Creativity skill base • cognitive style that welcomes complexity • spontaneity • risk taking • ability to be selective and persistent, and to concentrate effort Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

14. CREA unit of analysis A research group is the smallest independent unit undertaking research in a specified problem area within a formal organisation. Research groups can be departments or sub-units of university institutes, non-university institutes, industrial research facilities or other free-standing types of research organisations. Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

15. Organizational features conducive to creativity in research (1 of 3) • Scientific Diversity • moderate variety of different disciplines and sub-specialties, • proportion of people with research experience in different disciplines and/or paradigms; • Depth • number of scientists in each area of diversity, • diversity of talents in each scientific area (e.g., genetics: Drosophila, neurospora, maize, mice); • Differentiation • the number of departments and other kinds of units, • delegation of recruitment to department or other subunit, • responsibility for extramural funding at departmental or other subunit level; Source: Hollingsworth (2000, 2002, 2004) Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

16. Organizational features conducive to creativity in research (2 of 3) • Low Hierarchical and Bureaucratic Coordination • low standardization of rules/procedures, • no centralized budgetary controls, no centralized decision-making about research programs and about number of personnel; • Visionary Leadership: • strategic vision for integrating diverse areas, • ability to secure funding for these activities, • ability to conduct recruitment of sufficiently diverse personnel so research groups are constantly aware of what are significant and "doable" problems, • ability to provide rigorous criticism in a nurturing environment Source: Hollingsworth (2000, 2002, 2004) Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

17. Organizational features conducive to creativity in research (3 of 3) • Integration of Multi-disciplinary Perspectives. Across specialties… • high frequency and intensity of interaction, • many publications of papers, • existence of journal clubs, sharing of meals and leisure time activities; • High Quality • high proportion of scientists in the nation’s most prestigious academy of science, • high research funding per scientist Source: Hollingsworth (2000, 2002, 2004) Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

18. Factors impeding creativity in research • Lack of core funding for research • Heavy dependency on external project funding • Limited time for research due to other priorities • Narrow range of expertise or disciplinary perspectives • Unclear research goals • Excessive evaluation and accountability pressures • Bureaucratic research management and administration • Overemphasis on extrinsic motivation e.g. financial rewards • Poor leadership Source: Hemlin, Martin, Allwood (2004) Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

19. Hypotheses at work group level H1: High frequency and intensity of interaction within a workgroup fosters creativity on the individual level. H2: High number of different subfields in a workgroup, coupled with several tools of intellectual integration, make individual researchers more productive and creative. H3: High number of external contacts or collaborations enhances number of individual contributions judged by peers as creative. H4: Good leadership is beneficial to creativity in work groups. Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

20. Hypotheses at organisational level (1 of 2) H5: Flat structure and small size foster knowledge transfer and thus emergence of creative ideas. H6: Decentralised decision-making supports intellectual pluralism, scientific competition and thus creative work. H7: Clear research goals are beneficial to intellectual innovations. H8: Lack of core funding impedes creative work. Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

21. Hypotheses at organisational level (2 of 2) H9: Excessive evaluation/ accountability pressures impede creative work. H10: Scientific reputation and visibility of organisation attracts creative individuals. H11: Flexible labour markets for researchers and job turnover enable knowledge transfer and organisational learning. Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

22. Consequences for research policy (1 of 3) • External governance: • Combination of public and market governance • Relevant shares of performance/excellence based funding • Differentiation shares of institutional and contract-based funding depending on life cycle of scientific / technological development • Reliable regulatory frame for inter-institutional collaboration and ventures • Facilitation of inter-institutional career development • Open, fluid international labour market, not hampered by national legislation Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

23. Consequences for research policy (2 of 3) • Internal governance (meso level): • Open interfaces; networking; “Porous boundaries” (Rip) • "Smart mix" of frontier research, development, links with academic and other education (see some US universities) • Mobility of staff across heterogeneous institutional borders (e.g. university, national labs, RTO, industry, ...) • Internationalisation of research staff • Relevant shares of performance-based programme and project funding, beyond institutional funding Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

24. Consequences for research policy (3 of 3) • Cultural orientation: • Clear mission identity (“Leitbild”) and mission, e.g. “problem-oriented”; industrial innovation; break-through scientific insights – but don't prevent heterogeneous combinations! • Profile: scientific and technological core competencies • International alliances and mergers: “Go European and beyond!” Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research

25. Contact stefan.kuhlmann@isi.fraunhofer.de thomas.heinze@isi.fraunhofer.de Kuhlmann: Organizing for Creativity in Research