Creativity within the Media Industries

Question 1

Creativity within media organisations is…

Answer 1

Central to successful product development and thus, as an extension, business growth. It is very important within the context of business models and the organisation’s link to strategy

Question 2

Why is sustained creativity important for the media industry?

Answer 2

Because it is one of the prime drivers for ongoing good performance

Question 3

What are the keys to composing effective teams?

Answer 3

1) Ensure that a range of personality types of different expertise are available within the team, as homogenous teams often diminish creativity
2) Allow for constructive challenging of ideas, but make sure that all team-members have a shared commitment to development of ideas
3) Check that all team-members have good communication skills, as this is an essential skill

Question 4

Why is careful judgement required when assigning resources to a new project?

Answer 4

Time and money is key to a new project’s success, but care is needed to ensure that there is not too much or too little invested in a new idea

Question 5

What is autonomy?

Answer 5

The freedom to self-govern, which is central to intrinsic motivation and by extension, creativity itself. This can be hindered by the industry’s current structure and their approach to product development

Question 6

What is the best way to set creative challenges?

Answer 6

By clearly defining project goals and setting complex challenges that mobilise but do not overwhelm

Question 7

What are some of the ways in which creative ideas can be encouraged?

Answer 7

Publicly celebrating creative contributions
Acknowledging all suggestions regardless of quality
Creating an environment that helps foster ideas - e.g. social workplace

Question 8

Which five aspects influence intrinsic motivation?

Answer 8

Autonomy
Encouragement
Resources
Challenges
Team composition and function

Question 9

What is a testament to the power of intrinsic rewards?

Answer 9

The fact that talented creative people are willing to work for lower starting salaries than other professions in order to work for the creative industries

Question 10

What is intrinsic motivation?

Answer 10

Intrinsic motivation is linked to an individual’s motivation to undertake a task for it’s own value, rather than for some other extrinsic goal. Such motivation results in the individual being more likely to take creative risks, explore new solutions and experiment

Question 11

Where do truly creative solutions originate from?

Answer 11

From expert members of staff who have a thorough understanding of existing facts and issues

Question 12

What are the three key elements needed in a social environment, when trying to boost creativity?

Answer 12

Creativity relevant skills
Expertise
Intrinsic motivation

Question 13

What are some examples of creativity relevant skills?

Answer 13

The ability to think creatively and generate alternative ideas
Problem solving skills and the suspension of judgement
Creativity heuristics - or, having an unusual, idiosyncratic approach to problem solving
The ability to concentrate for long periods of time, persistence, and the self-discipline needed to develop ideas

Question 14

What do all successful programmes, products and services depend upon?

Answer 14

A team or an individual having a good idea and developing it to the point of completion. Both stages are dependent on the social environment within media organisations

Question 15

What is innovation theory closely linked to?

Answer 15

Entrepreneurship (it’s seen as an ‘instrument of entrepreneurship’ - Drucker, 1985)

Question 16

Creativity is often used interchangeably with what other term?

Answer 16

Innovation, although this term is much broader than that of creativity

Question 17

Regarding the definition of creativity, what do theorists generally assume?

Answer 17

That creativity is a subset of the broader domain of innovation, and that innovation is a part of organisation change theory

Question 18

What is Janszen’s 2000 definition of innovation?

Answer 18

“The commercialisation of something new”

Question 19

Why is it difficult to define quality content?

Answer 19

Because the definition of quality content is complicated through the subjectivity of the viewer

Question 20

Why is the need for creativity more urgent than ever?

Answer 20

Because the external environment is incredibly turbulent

Question 21

Aside from the initial product idea, what other stages are creativity embedded in?

Answer 21

Product development, marketing and promotion, recruiting staff with the right skills for the right price, technological features to be used by/for new product

Question 22

Why is creativity important in strategic terms?

Answer 22

Creativity is a critical strategic resource as it allows an ongoing supply of new ideas to be created, which is intrinsic to the nature of the media industries, as producers of cultural goods.

Creativity can also be linked to achieving a competitive advantage

Question 23

How can creativity be enhanced?

Answer 23

Through careful handling of organisation aspects such as deadlines, financial resources, team composition and goal-setting

Question 24

Why is creativity central to all organisations?

Answer 24

Creativity leads to new ideas being formed, which is imperative to the media industry. It relates to products, processes and procedures and is linked to an organisation’s ability to adapt, grow and compete