““Culture and Creativity”Culture and Creativity”

Mike van der Vijver Mike van der Vijver MindMeeting MindMeeting

Workshop Leonardo Next Workshop Leonardo Next Treviso, 25 March, 2010 Treviso, 25 March, 2010

““FFuunn

is not a Russian Concept” is not a Russian Concept”

The relationship between culture and The relationship between culture and human behaviourhuman behaviour

Culture is the collective programming of the Culture is the collective programming of the human mind. human mind.

Individual

Collectiveby group

Common to all mankind

Inheritedlearned

Learned

Inherited

National cultureNational culture

“Group”: i.e. nation, profession, organisation, family

Human behaviour:

PersonalityPersonality

Human natureHuman nature

SymbolsHeroes

Overt behaviour

Values

Iceberg

Rituals

Broad preferences for one state of affairs over others to which strong emotions are attached, generally felt and

expressed as opposites:

Good – bad Clean – dirty

Right – wrong Moral – immoral

Rational – irrational

Healthy – unhealthy

The core of cultures lies in shared The core of cultures lies in shared values values

Creativity and Culture

1. To what extent do hierarchies promote or stifle openness, creativity and innovation?

2. To what extent do feelings of belonging & togetherness, or individual drive promote or stifle O, C & I?

3. To what extent does the desire to achieve something, or to be laid back about outcomes promote …..

Creativity and Culture

4. To what extent does fear for the unknown promote or ….?

5. To what extent does a focus on short-term results over long-term strengths promote or stifle…..? And at the same time: to what extent are you able to to see beyond fixed laws and pragmatically go for new ideas and solutions?

Uncertainty Avoidance

Let’s focus on the culture dimension with the biggest impact on creativity: uncertainty avoidance.

The extent to which people feel threatened by ambiguous situations and have created beliefs and institutions to avoid these.

High UAI Cultures (1)High UAI Cultures (1)• Need for consensus – intolerance of deviant ideas Need for consensus – intolerance of deviant ideas

and persons and persons • More anxiety and stress More anxiety and stress • Concern with security and avoidance of failure Concern with security and avoidance of failure • Conflict and competition lead to unpreditability and Conflict and competition lead to unpreditability and

are therefore undesirable are therefore undesirable • Need for rules, structures and formality Need for rules, structures and formality • If rules cannot be upheld, we don’t change them but If rules cannot be upheld, we don’t change them but

make additional ones make additional ones • Stronger belief in expert knowledge, less in common Stronger belief in expert knowledge, less in common

sense sense

High UAI Cultures (2)High UAI Cultures (2)

• Standardisation: organisations should be as uniform as Standardisation: organisations should be as uniform as possible possible

• Managers more task-oriented and less flexible in style Managers more task-oriented and less flexible in style • Look for security rather than risk Look for security rather than risk • More xenophobia More xenophobia • More ritual behaviour More ritual behaviour • Search for most reliable physician Search for most reliable physician • Humour at the right place and timeHumour at the right place and time

Conclusion:Conclusion:

What is strange might be What is strange might be dangerous dangerous

What is different inspires What is different inspires distrust, not curiosity distrust, not curiosity

Uncertainty avoidance

0 10025 75

Low UAILow UAILow UAILow UAI High High UAIUAI

High High UAIUAI

Germany 65

50

Russia95

France86

UK35

S-Korea85

Greece 112

China 30

Japan92

USA46

NL53

Hong Kong29

Organisational or Corporate Culture Organisational or Corporate Culture

The specific collection of values and norms that are The specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organisation and shared by people and groups in an organisation and that control the way they interact with each other and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organisation with stakeholders outside the organisation

Or: Or:

““The way we do things here” The way we do things here”

Organisational Cultures Organisational Cultures

1.1.Differ from national cultures in that Differ from national cultures in that they can be shaped they can be shaped

2.2.Need to be aligned with the objectives Need to be aligned with the objectives of the organisation of the organisation

3.3.Require differentiation between the Require differentiation between the parts of the organisation parts of the organisation

Models of Organisational Cultures

For instance:

Goals oriented – Means oriented

Internally driven – Externally driven

Easy-going – Tight work discipline

Local focus – Cosmopolitan

Open – Closed

Employee oriented – Work oriented

Differentiation:Differentiation:

Creativity Production: Creativity Production: few individuals few individuals

Creativity Receptivity: Creativity Receptivity: many individuals many individuals

Mike van der Vijver

Design and support international meetings

Una cosa è certa: Una cosa è certa:

I compromessi I compromessi non non accontentano accontentano nessuno! nessuno!

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