Zeinab Sheet

Composition of the Jury

Abstract

The objective of this doctoral research is to identify the dimensions that constitute organizational creative capacity (OCC) and to propose a scale for measuring OCC. The importance of having a model of organizational creative capacity lies in the fact that it is comprised of a set of organizational routines that foster creative acts (Napier and Nilsson, 2006) and that enable the management, development, and sustainability of organizational creativity over time. The gap lies in the fact that the literature on organizational creativity provides little information on the organizational routines that constitute OCC and that foster creative acts, and does not offer an empirical model of organizational creative capacity. In order to construct a model of OCC, and also to develop a scale for measuring OCC, we followed Churchill's (1979) methodology, which consists of three main steps: (1) item generation, (2) scale refinement, and (3) assessment of its validity and reliability. First, during the item generation phase, we reviewed the literature on organizational creativity and conducted a series of 20 semi-structured interviews with individuals working in creative industries. This phase allowed us to identify the dimensions of organizational creativity and their constituent items. Next, in the scale refinement phase, we conducted an exploratory quantitative study, collecting data from creative industries and industries with creative tendencies in France and Quebec, Canada. This phase enabled us to refine the measurement of organizational creativity. Finally, in the validity and reliability assessment phase, we carried out two international data collection efforts in the same industries targeted in the exploratory study. These two data collection efforts constitute two confirmatory studies aimed at assessing the validity and reliability of our measurement scale. At the end of the scale development process, we obtained five dimensions of organizational creativity with 16 items. These dimensions are: (1) internal socialization of ideas, (2) creative resources, (3) external openness, (4) organizational agility, and (5) idea management. Validating this measurement scale will provide organizations with an internal audit tool to assess and improve their creative capabilities. The limitations, contributions, and avenues for future research are presented in the discussion section of this thesis.

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