The creativity of social action: A composite account from art, philosophy, and political science

The pursuit of innovation depends on creativity as a competency, yet creativity-especially in organizational settings — is difficult to understand, let alone manage. By consulting works of Maurice Merleau-Ponty (art), Martin Heidegger (philosophy), and Hannah Arendt (political science), this article offers a composite account of creativity that suggests the aggressive pursuit of creativity in an organizational setting should include an expenditure of effort by leaders to create a social environment where participants can reflect upon and accept their own inner creativity, known as natality, as well as the creativity of others as a collective response to aspects of a reality we ordinarily overlook.