The purpose of this study is to explore understandings of leadership and creativity and how they are seen to connect in particular arts organisations located in Adelaide. Creativity and artistic practice are generally agreed as being at the core of an arts organisation's mission. The subjects of the study are arts organisations in receipt of government subsidy. Given changes to the environment for subsidised arts organisations, particularly over the past decade, the study explores the possible impact of differing expectations of the leadership role of arts organisations and the possible impact on the organisation's creativity. / A literature review focusing on generic leadership, creativity and leadership, and leadership and management in the arts informs the study. This review begins with an exploration of specialist literature related to arts leadership and management and subsequently considers generic literature on leadership and creativity. The literature search explores the interconnections between leadership, creativity and the arts, as a background for the remainder of the study / Using a case study methodology, the study focuses on six different arts organisations in South Australia. The intent of the methodology is to understand how leadership and creativity is understood within these different arts organisations, and how that relationship is perceived, given differences in both artforms and organisational structures. The methodology, while using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, uses a qualitative framework to analyse and discuss the data generated, to address the central issues of leadership and creativity within arts organisations. / An examination of the local environment- South Australia- sets the scene for the study of the arts organisations. A background of each organisation is given which is intended to provide further information and to promote an understanding of individual organisations. The data collection process involved the use of a questionnaire survey and interviews to gather information relevant to the central focus of the study. The results of the data collection are then presented for each organisation. The results of both the individual case studies and the integration of the data from all of the case studies are further discussed and analysed. Then the results of the case studies are integrated with the literature review to determine whether a congruency exists between the literature relating to leadership, creativity, and leadership in the arts in particular, and the results of the case studies. Conclusions are then made about understandings of leadership and creativity in arts organisations, with recommendations for further research. / While leadership is not seen as being directly related to a creative culture, it is generally accepted that the leadership of these arts organisations is embedded in the artistic leadership. However, the exercise of this artistic leadership is not necessarily associated with one individual or individuals, but can be exercised by different people at different times, depending on need and expertise. So there is evidence of a hybrid form of distributed leadership within arts organisations, where leadership is not associated with positional authority but with the capacity to provide artistic leadership. / The study demonstrates that there is a high degree of recognition by those involved with these artistic organisations, of the need for a creative culture and for creativity in general. However, while it is recognised that a creative culture and creativity are important in these organisations, leadership, as the determinant of that creativity, is not necessarily seen as the major catalyst. In fact, there was a general indication that both creativity and leadership were being interpreted differently, by different people at different times. So, with different interpretations and different understandings, come different expectations as to the relationship between leadership and creativity, as well as the importance placed on creativity. It is noted that the changing environment, which is placing an increased emphasis on income generation, can have a negative effect on the organisation's creative culture. There is some limited indication that the pressures placed on leaders of organisations to produce business outcomes as well as artistic outcomes, can be an inherent source of tension, particularly when the current paradigm is inclined more towards the former than the latter. / These insights about leadership and creativity in arts organisations, limited as it is by time, place and sample size, provide an original contribution to knowledge, focussing as it does, on leaders and other key influences on arts organisations in South Australia. / Thesis (PhDBusinessandManagement)--University of South Australia, [2006]
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/267344 |
| Creators | Caust, Jo. |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | copyright under review |
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