Bringing Creativity Into Being: Underlying Assumptions That Influence Methods of Studying Organizational Creativity

Different epistemological frameworks are presented for the effective collection of creativity data in organizations. It is suggested that researchers’ epistemological approaches can significantly influence collection methods and subsequent outcomes. Classic sociological epistemological approaches—functionalism, interpretivism, radical humanism, and radical structuralism—are used to categorize definitions of creativity. An overview of methods used in extant literature on creativity is provided, and it is suggested that alternative approaches may be useful in studies of organizational creativity.