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Managerial Creativity and Innovation: A Panacea for Organizational Change

and Development

Article · July 2010

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MANAGERIAL CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION: A PANACEA FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
AND DEVELOPMENT

James Kennedy Turkson (Department of Managerial Science, School of Business, Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana)

Kingsley Opoku Appiah (Department of Finance and Accounting, School of Business, Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana).

Key words: Creativity, Innovation, Organizational Change, Organizational Development, Management

Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Turkson, J.K. and Appiah, K. O (2009) ‘Managerial Creativity
and Innovation: A Panacea for Organizational Change and Development’, Global Business and Economics
Anthology, Vol. II, pages 117-126.(ISSN: 1553-1392)

ABSTRACT

Managers who want to make their marks in the ‘album of successful managerial genius’ have to blend the status
quo, convention and rule-of thumb with their creative and innovative ideas. The success stories of many managers
particularly, in multinational organisations are partly due to the application of key managerial ingredients of
creativity and innovation. Many organisations have collapsed due to lack of creative and innovative ideas on the part
of the managers. Others have also made giant strides due to the creative and innovative ideas of the managers.
Hence creativity and innovation are important and inseparable concepts that can change the fortunes of both
managers and business organisations.

INTRODUCTION

‘A manager who lacks creativity and innovation is more likely to be a slave to the status quo, conventions and rule-
of-thumb’. This opening management philosophical statement clearly epitomizes the need for managers at all
levels, particularly, at the strategic level to demonstrate the need to be creative and innovative in this world of
technological revolution. Many managers have been given the sack because of their traditional dogmatic adherence
to the status quo, conventions and rule-of-thumb in spite of the revolutionary wind blowing across the length and
breadth of the dynamic world. In Ghana, successful managers such as Dr. Sam Jonah, former Chief Executive of
AngloGold Ashanti Ltd., a famous gold mining company in Ghana, the late Dr. Esther Ocloo and several others
have made their marks in the ‘album of successful managerial genius in Ghana’. The success stories of many
managers particularly, in multinational organizations are partly due to the key managerial principles of creativity
and innovation applied by managers in their various spheres of managerial endeavours. In Ghana, many state-
owned organizations have either collapsed or been divested due to lack of creativity and innovation on the part of
the managers. Others have also made giant strides due to creativity and innovation applied by managers.

Creativity and innovation are important inseparable concepts that can change the managerial fortunes of both
managers and organizations. Inasmuch as the status quo, conventions and rule-of-thumb cannot be completely
dispensed with in organizational change and development, the roles of creativity and innovation are equally
indispensable in the success story of progressive organizations. Creativity and innovation should therefore be seen
as indispensable agents of change and development (Anderson, 2007).

Good managerial practice is no doubt, a good tonic for organizational success. It is for this reason that people who
did not have the opportunity to pursue academic studies in Management and Administration go through short-term
courses in Management and Administration. In Ghana, institutions such as Management Development and
Productivity Institute (MDPI) and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and other
universities satisfy the managerial requirements of people in management positions. The philosophical and scientific

Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1639427

basis for this assertion is that a good academic knowledge in Management or Administration predisposes a manager
to basic knowledge in Management and Administration. This assertion addresses the philosophy of Management
being regarded as a science rather than an art (Jones, 2007). Nevertheless, the concepts of creativity and innovation
add important flavour to the practice of Management and Administration. A good blend of theoretical knowledge in
Management on one side and creativity and innovation on the other side gives the manager a holistic approach to
solving intricate managerial and administrative problems.

The manager who is creative and innovative does not always subscribe to the status quo, conventions, and rule-of-
thumb. Rather, he seeks to blend the two opposing positions. Since creativity and innovation draw on a manager’s
own view points rather than what is traditionally laid down, it gives the manager the opportunity to make use of the
management principle of contingency coined from Mary Parker Follett’s Law of the Situation (2008). The principle
simply implies that ‘there is no one best way of doing things’. Emerging situations will dictate to a manager the
approach he should adopt in getting things done through other people. It is at this stage that a manager’s creative and
innovative ideas become a great asset to solving complicated managerial problems where laid-down strategies may
prove incapable of solving such problems.

According to Osei (2006), research and idea management are twin ingredients that promote creativity and
innovation. One cardinal principle of every research activity is searching to bring from darkness to light. This
principle is in tune with the ideals of creativity and innovation. Also, there cannot be idea management without
creativity and innovation . Idea management is making use for the sake of society, the brain and intelligence God
has given to man. In the absence of research and idea management, creativity and innovation cannot take place.
Consequently, highly creative and innovative people and businesses are constantly researching and managing ideas
to promote social and business advancements. Osei asserts further that people who are bankrupt and deficient in
ideas are less creative and innovative. This is a clear indication that creativity and innovation survive on ideas.

Creative and innovative adventures are not without risks. Some people and businesses have failed due to the
application of creativity and innovation. For this reason, it is sometimes safe to maintain the status quo instead of
creating and innovating. It is for this reason that some businesses are comfortable with innovation than creativity.
This is because, innovation appears to be safer than creativity. It is often perceived that creativity is very risky and
requires a more executive mindset than innovation. The risky nature of creativity could be appreciated in the sense
that the future of a newly created product is unknown. In the case of innovation, the product already exists, and as a
result of consumers’ complaints, it may be desirable to innovate to address a defect. Closely related to the risky
nature of creativity and innovation, is the fact that the two could be negative depending on how one addresses them.

The puzzle of which comes first – creativity or innovation is an issue that has engaged the attention of creativity and
innovation experts. It is an indisputable fact that if a product has not been ‘created’, it cannot be modified through
innovation. Consequently, creativity should always precede innovation. No company has created a car that can
jump over other cars in a traffic jam. Consequently, no any form of innovation could be undertaken on such a car
since it does not exist in the fist place.

The position of management expert, Drucker (1991) cited by Jintract (2006) is that, in consonance with the principle
of innovation, every manager should critically and rigorously review every aspect of his business every three years
or so. Such a review may cover process, technology, market, distribution channels, pricing, promotion, staffing etc.
This is a way of promoting progression and development in the business. Drucker’s philosophy in this direction is
what has culminated in the availability of different models of products of many companies. Drucker further
postulates that innovation is the tool of entrepreneurship and that both innovation and entrepreneurship demand
creativity as cited by Okpara(2007). Anybody who intends to go into entrepreneurial ventures should be creative
and innovative at the same time if such a person should succeed.

Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1639427

A very important principle of creativity and innovation is to surround yourself with creative and innovative thinkers
in other fields of human and business endeavours if interdisciplinary approach is to be applied to any form of
creativity and innovation. Creative and innovative thinkers generate a pool of ideas whilst critical thinkers reduce
the ideas to feasible ones (Bishop, 2006). Allowing ‘old guards’ who are deficient in creative and innovative ideas
to hang around for quite long promotes ‘organizational inbreeding’. ‘Organizational inbreeding’ has to do with
allowing the old ideas to stay in an organization instead of the infusion of new ideas through external employment.
This has the undesirable consequences of stagnation and retrogression.

Creativity and innovation could take place in any organizational setting. Every organization that wants to adapt to
changes and develop must apply the principles of creativity and innovation. The global world is not static. It is
dynamic and always changing to suit circumstances of the day. It is imperative to note that the nature of
organizational setting determines the success or otherwise of creativity and innovation. Many organizations have
not been able to tap on the benefits that accrue from creativity and innovation. This may be due to the dynamics
within the organizational setting. Successful organizational change and development will to a large extent be
determined and influenced by the level of application of creativity and innovation (Aggrey, 2008).Organizational
change has to do with modifying or altering the existing situation to meet changing trends and circumstances.
Change of any form is a very important tool towards development. However if great care is not taken, organizational
change could yield negative results. Any organization that does not change towards improvement is likely to be
kicked out of competition. Even if it finds itself in a monopolistic situation, it is likely to stagnate or retrogress if it
does not adjust to consumers’ tastes and preferences.

Organizational development may be defined as the process through which an organization develops its internal
capacity to be able to most efficiently and effectively provide its mission work and to sustain itself over the long
term (Ambrose, 2007). This definition highlights the explicit connection between organizational development work
and the achievement of organizational mission. This connection is the rationale for doing organizational
development work. Organization development, according to Beckhard, (1969) is defined as ‘a planned effort,
organization-wide, managed from the top, to increase organization effectiveness and health, through planned
interventions in the organization's ‘'processes'’, using behavioural science knowledge’. Organizational development
is also regarded as a complex strategy intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values and structure of organizations
so that they can better adapt to new technologies, markets and challenges. In the words of Burke (1999) cited by
Ninkle (2008), organizational development is not just ‘anything done to better an organization’. It is a particular
kind of change designed to bring about a particular kind of end result. He goes on to state that organizational
development involves organizational reflection, system improvement, planning, and self-analysis.

The Great Almighty God is often referred to as a ‘Creator’. This is because, God created the heavens and the earth
out of nothing. God in His own wisdom created all the ‘great wonders of the heavens and earth’ without any
reference point. For example the sky, sun, moon, stars, rainbow, rains etc are few examples of what God has created
in the heavens. The earth also has wonderful and masterpiece creations such as water bodies and their living
organisms, mountains, forests and their living organisms. Above all these, God created man to be the caretaker of
all these creations.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A manager’s ability to apply creative and innovative ideas depends on his theoretical appreciation of what
constitutes creativity and innovation. The importance of creativity and innovation as management tools has been
creeping into the management education agenda over the past decade lending a so-called soft edge to the business
literature( Mullins, 1999). Some people sometimes have difficulty distinguishing between creativity and innovation
and use them interchangeably. This should not be the case because in the opinion of Davila et al. (2006), creativity
implies coming up with new ideas. It is the introduction of new ideas to already existing ideas that makes innovation
distinctive. Creativity deals with new (novel) ideas altogether. It is worthwhile to address this before any further
discussion proceeds on creativity and innovation. In the opinion of Goodman (1995), ‘creativity is the application of
imaginative thought which results in innovative solution to many problems’. Individuals who are creative possess
certain traits. These include tolerance for ambiguity, sensitivity, independent thinking, imagination and a reasonable
level of intelligence (Henry, 1991). These traits are important for any person to apply and implement creative
ideas. According to Goodman , ‘actively creative people have a talent for getting to the heart of a problem. They
are not confused by details and by the need to invoke standard approaches’. This implies that creativity requires
people who are courageous. This is due to the risk element involved in creativity. It is for this reason that some
people are hesitant to embark on creative ventures. Nerrmann (1999), the Founder and Chair of Herrmann
International and a pioneer of creative thinking defines innovate as ‘to introduce something new to an existing
product or process’. He explains that when we change something or modify it to work better or to fulfill a different
need, we are innovating on what already exits. According to him, to create is ‘to cause something to come into
being as something unique’. That is, the process that created the product in the first place. The product or the
process did not exist in the first place. It is original, unique and novel. According to Nerrmann, innovation is merely
modifying an existing situation to provide better service or increased benefit, whilst creativity is a process that
produces an original outcome. The definition of Nerrmann is shared by Tanner (1997) who also states that
‘creativity is the generation of novel, and useful ideas and innovation as the ‘process for bringing the best ideas to
reality’. According to Tanner, creativity plays an essential role in innovation and helps to generate the original ideas
and overcomes barriers to bringing the idea to reality. The position of Oech (1983) is that ‘creativity is a display or
use of ingenuity and imagination to create a novel approach to things or a unique solution to a problem.

According to Lueke and Katz (2003) ‘Innovation is generally understood as the successful introduction of a new
thing or method’. They state further that ‘Innovation is the embodiment, combination, or synthesis of knowledge in
original, relevant and valued new products, process, or services’. Amiable et al. (1996) cited in Jones (2006)
propose that ‘All innovations begin with creative ideas’. They define innovation as ‘the successful implementation
of creative ideas within an organization’. In their view, creativity by individuals and teams is the starting point for
innovation, claiming that the first is necessary but not a sufficient condition for the second. From the view points of
Nerrmann, Tanner, Oech and other advocates in creativity and innovation, common words that cut across the
definition of creativity are novelty, uniqueness, originality, new and ingenuity. Implied in these words is the fact that
creativity has to do with bringing the unknown to be known. Furthermore, their position on innovation has to do
with modification to something that already exits. Innovation is known to spring from the creative application of
knowledge (Mokyr, 2005a). Knowledge therefore plays a very important role in the application of creativity and
innovation. Morgan (1991) has prophesized that, for managers to be able to lead their organizations into the next
millennium, they should have the ability to be innovative and initiate change.

Before one could be highly creative and innovative, one should acquire a certain level of knowledge. Such
knowledge could be acquired through education, training and development from various sources such as educational
institutions. In the words of Ikujiro Nonaka, one of Japanese foremost thinkers on Management, innovation is
influenced by ability to create and manage knowledge. There is no doubt that knowledge is a very powerful weapon
in very developmental effort. Therefore, failure or inability to create and manage knowledge is likely to lead to
mediocre performance and achievement. Since knowledge is a vital and powerful human asset among others like
talent, skill, intelligence, and initiative, there is wisdom in Nonaka’s statement. This epitomizes the popular axiom
that ‘knowledge is power’. It is worth noting that innovation should not be influenced by only the ability to create
and manage knowledge. For innovation to be effective there is the need for a blend of knowledge and other human
traits like those stated in this paper. According to The Statesman Editorial (2007), ‘creativity inspires innovation
and innovation is created in the development of business ideas, strategic planning and product design’. The editorial
states further that ‘innovation is the backbone to every successful business’. Creativity is also referred to as the
application of imaginative thought which results in innovative solutions to many problems (Goodman, 1995).
Imaginative thought through creativity may lead to new ways of doing things which may be novel for the person or
completely novel in time. Creativity also involves the ability to combine ideas into something unique or unusual.
The position of Roberts (1988) on innovation is that it is ‘the process of creating new ideas and putting them into
practice’. The implication of this definition is that innovation is the conversion of new ideas into usable
applications. In organizations, these applications occur in two forms. These are process innovation and product
innovation.

Process innovation

This form of innovation results in better ways of doing things. That is, improvement in the technique or method of
doing things. For example if a manager is able to apply any unconventional style of leadership outside the traditional
forms of autocratic and democratic, it is process innovation.

Product innovation

This form of innovation results in the creation of a new or improved goods and/or services to the society. That is, it
aims at enhancing the performance of an already existing product or service.

Creativity draws crucially on our ordinary abilities in the areas of noticing, remembering, seeing, speaking, hearing,
and understanding. These creative trait talents vary from person to person.

All the above definitions on creativity and innovation emphasize on the need for managers and other people in
responsible positions to draw on their mental asset of initiative to find out a more effective ways and means of
dealing with a managerial problem. For innovation to occur, something more than the generation of a creative idea
or insight is required. The insight must be put into action to make a genuine difference, resulting for example in
new or altered business process within an organization or changes in the products and services provided.

Creativity, innovation and invention

Invention is a very important dimension to the principles of creativity and innovation. The three principles are inter-
related and inseparable. According to Mckeown (2008), invention is an idea made manifest whilst innovation is an
idea applied successfully. In the opinion of Mckeown, something new must be substantially different to be
innovative, not an insignificant change. Fagerberg (2004) has also distinguished between innovation and invention.
In his opinion, ‘innovation is the first occurrence of an idea for a new product or process, while invention is the first
attempt to carry it out into practice’. With reference to what other experts on creativity and innovation have stated
and referred to in this paper, it could be deduced that invention is close in meaning to creativity since the two aim at
generating a novel idea for innovation to carry it out into practice.

Talent is another interesting dimension to the principles of creativity, innovation and invention. Talent is a natural
ability to do something very well. It is a God-given asset that makes one person unique from another. One’s ability
to create, innovate and invent depends on one’s stock of talent. It is one thing having the talent and another thing
making use of it. Some people have allowed their God-given talents to go waste or fallow. According to Jusuf
(2007), ‘talent is the bedrock of a creative society’. He states further that ‘augmenting talent involves mobilizing
culture and tradition, building institutions to increase the stock of human capital, enhance its quality and instill
values favouring achievements and initiatives. It is worth noting that actively creative people have a talent for
getting to the root of a problem and coming out with the right prescriptive solution.

MANAGERIAL CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND CHANGE

The opening statement to this paper shows the importance of creativity and innovation to every manager who
intends to excel in his position as a manager or an administrator. A manager who finds himself in a new distressed
company on the verge of collapse has to put in place a creative and innovative strategy to be able to salvage the
sinking image of t he company. The collapse of many viable state-owned organizations in Ghana including the
former Ghana Airways Ltd. has been mainly due to lack of strong managerial creativity and innovation in grappling
with the seeming insurmountable problems aggravated by frequent changes in managerial personnel. No amount of
management qualification and experience can turn around the sinking fortunes of a collapsing company into a ‘blue
ship’ company if top-level managers lack creativity and innovation. Managers who seek for success in their
managerial endeavours have to be creative and innovative.

Some of the competencies required of a manager to introduce change are the ability to be creative and innovative. If
organizations want to be innovative, creative solutions should be explored to solve problems. Organizations and
their managers must continually innovate and adapt to new situations if they are to survive and prosper over the long
run. There cannot be change without creativity and innovation. It has already been noted that both creativity and
innovation lead to the creation and introduction of new ideas. Change is simply making things different through
some form of modification. If a manager does not create or innovate, there is now way he can effect a change by
making things better than they are. This will depend on the creative and innovative ideas of the manager effecting
the change. Change should not be effected for is own sake. It should be effected with the intention of making
things better than they were some time ago. Change that will lead to a deterioration of the present situation should
be avoided. Innovation is a more specialized kind of change. Innovation is a new idea applied to improving a
product, product or service.

All innovations involve change, but not all changes necessarily involve new ideas or lead to significant
improvements. Innovative organizations tend to have similar cultures. That is, they encourage experimentations,
reward both success and failures and celebrate mistakes. Such organizations build culture to support people who try
something that does not work out. The culture of rewarding the absence of failures rather than the presence of
success extinguishes risk-taking and innovation. People will suggest and try new ideas only when they feel such
effort exacts no penalties. To promote creativity and innovation therefore, people who commit blunders through
creativity and innovation should not be criticized beyond a certain limit. They should however be encouraged and
praised for venturing into creativity and innovation. It is important to note that the power behind creativity and
innovation is partly influenced by the intelligence of the manager undertaking the creativity and innovation.

Why creative and innovative managers succeed

Managers who have succeeded in their managerial endeavours have done so through a number of factors. These
factors include creativity and innovation. Some managers increase their chances of success through creativity and
innovation in the following ways.

(a) Experimental and unconventional

.Managers who are not slaves to the status quo but are adventurous in their managerial success pursuits are more
likely to be experimental and unconventional. Such managers always explore new ways and means of doing things.
They always come out with novelty managerial and administrative ideas and viewpoints. Such managers are risk
takers.

(b) They explore more than one best way of doing things

Creative and innovative managers do not rely on only one prescribed way of doing things. They apply the
management approach of ‘contingency’ which states that there is no one best way of doing things. According to
Mary Parker Follett, the initiator of this principle, managers have to explore other situational ways and means of
doing things.
 (c) They are less logical and allow their brains to search for more ideas

Managers who have wide latitude to operate rarely rely on the status quo. They allow their brains to dictate to them
in search of novel ideas. They are adventurous for unique ideas capable of solving problems which traditional
solution tools cannot effectively address.

(d) They are supportive of differences and nonconformity

Managers who are slaves to conventional ways of doing things are less supportive of different shades of opinions
and serious conformist. This is not the case with managers who are creative and innovative. Such managers always
encourage suggestions from their subordinates. They also do not conform blindly.

(e) They open up to dissenting opinions and do not suppress other view points

Creative and innovative managers tolerate dissenting and opposing viewpoints. They embrace genuine criticisms
and are willing to learn from subordinates who have good ideas to share with them. They do not suppress ideas
from subordinates but are ready to learn from such ideas which have the potential of yielding good results.

(f) They are not averse to errors or mistakes, and allow ‘try and error’ to dictate the path of success and
prosperity

Managers who fear to make mistakes are less likely to take managerial risk. Failure to take managerial risk means
adherence to the old ways of doing things. Creative and innovative managers take managerial risk and allow ‘try and
error’ to be their guiding principle.

(g) They are ‘rebels’ to the status quo and constantly keep on challenging rules, laws, conventions and
norms.

Managers who have the characteristics of rebellion ask mind-boggling questions such as why, how, when, who,
which and where. Such managers have inquisitive minds and want answers to questions that are likely to assist in
managerial decisions.

(h) They wade through ambiguities to settle at a unique and unconventional solution to a problem

This is one of the managerial styles of creative and innovative managers. They like to manage through difficult
situations that risk-averse managers will not dream of venturing into. They end up finding a more effective and
unconventional solution to a problem.

(i) They see creativity as an element that makes a difference in managerial practice

Managers who are creative in particular and innovative see creativity and innovation as a twin tool which when
effectively applied will make a positive impact in their managerial practices. They will therefore see their success as
managers to be closely linked to how they effectively apply creativity and innovation in solving managerial
problems that will defy conventional solution strategy.

Every manager has his own philosophy of management. A manager’s philosophy of management may be based on
conventional and dogmatic ways and means of doing things. Another manager’s philosophy of management may
be based on creativity and innovation. Therefore, the success of the above creative and innovative application to
management practice will to a large extent depend on a manager’s philosophical thinking on creativity and
innovation.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

From the above theoretical framework, it could be noted that a lot of creative and innovative studies have gone into
creativity and innovation. Some of these studies have been translated into social and business benefits and
developments. Literature abounds in creativity and innovation. However, such literature would be useless if not put
into practice. It is therefore necessary to blend theoretical framework and practice on creativity and innovation in
order to create a platform for the realization of creative and innovative ideas. Creativity and innovation are practiced
by people in all forms of positions. This includes people in managerial positions such as Rev. Ministers/Pastors,
Parents, and Teachers etc. In the absence of practical application of creativity and innovation, there cannot be
visionary leaders. This is because, to be visionary is to have creative and innovative ideas and skills which can
transform society and business enterprises. All the great inventions of the world such as mobile phones, aircrafts,
submarines, internet connectivity, bomb, incubated babies, fax machines etc. are the result of practical application of
creativity and innovation.

A manager who has no creative and innovative ideas stands the chance of being a victim to the opening sentence of
this paper. Since we live in a dynamic environment, norms, conventions, and the status quo may lose touch with
realities on the ground. This inevitably calls for innovation and creativity. As a result of dynamism in innovation,
all the great inventions of the world have been improved upon. Creativity and innovation should be one of the
greatest tasks of every manager who has the desire to move his organization forward and to stand tall among others
managers in his grade and status.

A manager should be creative and innovative in the process of management through planning, organizing,
directing/leading and controlling. It is through creativity and innovation that Henri Fayol’s process of management
of planning, organizing, commanding, co-ordinating and controlling have been re-organized into planning,
organizing, directing/leading and controlling. Creativity and innovation should permeate every aspect of human
endeavour. It should not be restricted to only managerial activities. Lower grade employees such as Accounts
Clerks and Conservancy Labourers should have the opportunity to create and innovate in their respective fields of
endeavour. In the non-workplace environment such as the domestic setting, parents and children should have the
opportunity to create and innovation and create new and better ways of doing things. If it is remembered that
creativity and innovation implies the introduction of new and better ways of doing things hen it is logical to
conclude that almost everybody has the capacity to introduce new things irrespective of whether a person is a
manager or not. Everybody, in one way or the other creates and innovates. It is the level of the position at which
one operates that determines the degree or the quality of creativity and innovation.

Specific practical application of creativity and innovation

(a) Managerial creativity and innovation

The core theme of this paper is ‘Managerial creativity and Innovation’. It seeks to address creativity and innovation
gaps in managerial performance. Managers who seek to advance in their managerial competence have to be
creative and innovative. The global world has no room for managers who are slaves to the status quo and are used
to dogmatic application of archaic principles. In spite of the challenges associated with creativity and innovation,
managers are required to take the’ bull by the horn’ by venturing into them. The future is always unknown and it is
a visionary and determined manager who can be creative and innovative. Managers are required to solve daily
managerial and administrative problems as and when they emerge. Managers are therefore required to be alert and
anticipate problems. They should always have ‘sensitive feelers’ that can give a hint of emerging challenges that
will require pragmatic, creative and innovative decisions in dealing with such challenges. A manager who has no
creative and innovative spirit is not likely to advance into managerial excellence.
Several barriers sometimes frustrate the intentions of managers to be creative and innovative. For example,
bureaucratic bottlenecks such as a requirement to subject all creative and innovative decisions to ratifications are a
typical example. Intolerance of differences among all the stakeholders of the creative and innovative decisions is
another barrier that can affect a genuine desire for creativity and innovation.

The Chief Executive is a repository of a certain level of knowledge in his technical area of operation. As the
highest source and point of strategic decisions, he can create and innovate in a boundary-free environment to
achieve organizational objectives. In a similar vein, all other categories of employees who are lower level managers
or are not managers at all, have certain levels of creative and innovative ideas which should be nurtured into
fruition. It will be quite misleading and a great sign of parochial-mindedness to assert that knowledge, creativity
and innovation are the preserve of only managers. Everybody has knowledge and the potential to create and
innovate. It is a position of responsibility that determines to a large extent, the degree of creativity and innovation.

The role of middle-level managers in creativity and innovation has been a subject of debate. Nonaka and Peters
(1980) share contrasting positions on whether or not middle-level managers should be involved in creative and
innovative decisions. They are sharply critical of each other’s position on middle-level management involvement in
creative and innovative decisions. According to Peters, the existence of middle-level management does not
promote creativity and innovation among top-level management personnel. In his opinion, the existence of middle-
level management stifles the creative and innovative ideas of top-level management. According to Nonaka, doing
away with middle-level management personnel is tantamount to ripping the heart out of an organization. His
position is that middle-level management personnel have a vital role to play not only in creating knowledge but also
in holding an organization together and transmitting knowledge through it. Whether or not to maintain middle-
level management personnel should be based on the ‘Law of the Situation’. That is, the prevailing circumstance
will dictate whether or not to maintain middle-level management personnel.

. (b) Teaching and lecturing creativity and innovation

Some teachers and lecturers bore their students with routine and conventional ways of teaching and lecturing as
means of imparting knowledge. Even though the status quo of imparting knowledge to students should be respected,
creative and innovative teaching and lecturing methodology should be blended with the traditional methods. The
contingency or situational position of Mary Parker Follett’s philosophy on management should be applied to
teaching and lecturing. The researchers’ casual investigative survey on teaching and learning in some higher
institutions of learning in Ghana has revealed that teachers and lecturers are dogmatic to the traditional methods of
assessing students through rigorous examination. Even though continuous assessment is supposed to be a component
of the overall assessment process, little is done in this direction. The researchers recommend that regular class
attendance, punctuality, class contribution, meeting deadlines in submitting assignments and other creative and
innovative assessment criteria should be blended with traditional examination and continuous assessment to
determine the overall performance of students.

(b) Creativity and innovation in the artisan profession

A casual survey of an industrial village in Kumasi, Ghana popularly known as ‘Suame Magazine’ typically
exemplifies a high degree of creativity and innovation at work in the artisan profession. The village abounds in
skilled and unskilled mechanics whose mental and ingenious abilities are admirable. Many of these skilled and
unskilled mechanics are so creative and innovative that they have been able to imitate (though illegally), create and
innovate on some of the imported vehicle spare parts sometimes to the benefit and detriment of users. Vehicle and
machine parts such as break bands and outside Ghana have their imitated and innovative versions flouting patent
and copyright regulations. The ‘Suame Magazine’ has therefore assumed a high level of popularity in the vehicle
and machine parts trade attracting clients in the transportation business in and outside Ghana. An unfortunate
notoriety the village has become associated with is its innovative modification to the 207 Benz Bus to carry
passengers for long distance. Meanwhile, such buses have purposely been built to carry cargoes in the western
world. The modification through innovation, has contributed to a large extent, high accident rate on the highways in
Ghana. The innovation has led to the creation of passenger seats, tempering with the axle load, brakes and other
sensitive parts of the vehicle. It is also interesting to see creative and innovative systems of lifting heavy vehicle
engines from vehicles for repairs.

The ordinary Ghanaian is very adventurous in the field of creativity and innovation. Apart from creativity and
innovation in the vehicle business at ‘Suame Magazine’ the principles are also applied in other fields of human
endeavour. For example, it is interesting to see traditional ‘Kente’ (a colourful special type of cloth) woven
manually through creative and innovative weaving systems very admirable to watch. The dexterity with which the
weavers manipulate the arms, fingers and the feet is a showpiece worth watching. Colour blending of different
types of weaving thread and yarn to produce an admirable piece of ‘Kente’ is the hallmark of the ‘Kente’ industry in
Ghana. Other areas in the artisan profession that have experienced a high level of creativity and innovation in Ghana
are carpentry, wood carving, art and craft, dressmaking, music, construction, irrigation, etc.

CONCLUSION

This paper has clearly demonstrated that creativity and innovation are the hub and the fulcrum around which
managerial success partly depends. Managers who want to ascend to the top of their chosen profession should
lubricate their career path with creative and innovative ideas. This is the only way to improve upon the old ways of
doing things. Managers who lack creative and innovative ideas are likely to be slaves to conventions and the status
quo. However, the current wave of technological change does not make room for managers who are dogmatic to
conventions and the status quo. As it has been noted already, strict adherence to conventions and the status quo is
likely to lead to organizational inbreeding. Such a phenomenon is likely to lead to stagnation and retrogression.
Refresher courses and other forms of training go a long way to improve upon the performance of managers. Since
managers rise to the level of their inefficiency, as postulated by the ‘Peter Principle’, it is refresher courses and other
forms of performance enhancing applications that will improve a manager’s creative and innovative ideas.

As a motivational factor to influence creativity and innovation on the part of managers, the researchers recommend
for appropriate rewards for managers who introduce creativity and innovation that lead to progress. It should be
noted that since creativity and innovation are risky managerial ventures, they should be applied with the appropriate
care and caution.

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Bibliographical notes of Authors:

1. James Kennedy Turkson is a Lecturer at the School of Business, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science
and Technology, Ghana with an MBA in Management-related courses with specialization in Human
Resource Management and Marketing Management. Before venturing into teaching at the university level,
he worked with a state-owned organization as an Administrative Manager. He has been and still a popular
figure among high school students in Ghana since he is the author of the Ghana Education Service textbook
 on Business Management for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination. He is also the
author of other Business Management books for secondary and tertiary students in Ghana. He is currently
the Head of the Department of Managerial Science of the School of Business, Kwame Nkrumah University
of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

2. Kingsley Opoku Appiah is a Lecturer at the School of Business, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science
and Technology, Ghana with an MSc in Accounting with Finance from the London South Bank University.
Areas of research interest include predicting corporate failure, management accounting and Small and
Medium Enterprises. All correspondences with respect to this paper must be directed to
nanaking40@yahoo.com

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