How Important Is Creativity? The Impact Of Age, Occupation And Cultural Background On The Assessment Of Ideas

Abstract

Since the early work of Schumpeter (1950), the role of the entrepreneur has been integrally linked with innovation, the bringing of a new idea to the firm to improve either its products or its processes. Schumpeter’s entrepreneur is a person who has conceived of a new product or process or has recognized the value of new products or processes that have been invented elsewhere.  The recognition of the value of a creative concept is a precondition to innovation. The role of the manager as a conduit for introducing potentially innovative concepts to the firm is to be able to recognize and appraise creative accomplishments, assess whether and how they might give the firm a competitive advantage, and to design the ways in which that might be accomplished. The current study seeks to identify how people view creativity as they age, and across occupations and cultures. The concept of creativity was found to vary with these three characteristics and changes qualitatively with age and occupation. Suggestions for further research are outlined.