Table 1 Chart of findings from one... | Emerald Publishing

Table 1

Chart of findings from one workshop

Thematic analysis–group task	Components of an activity system (Engeström, 1999)	Collated sub-groups’ findings	Six categories of management practice affecting creativity (Amabile, 2006)
(1) Common principles of innovation	Rules Community	Clear purpose, clear end point Make a statement Community value-added value: “More than just a …” Responded to local environment All are collaborations	4 Work-group features “Autonomy around process fosters creativity” (Amabile, 2006, p. 20)

(2) Features of design process	Informal and formal procedures	Collaboration Planning – formal and informal Sustained energy Emergent changes Getting right expertise at right time Ownership/leadership Maintaining motivation Willingness to take risks	2 Freedom over reaching specified goals Public sector leaders face big obstacles in winning for themselves and others the kind of freedom to experiment and take risks which Amabile (2006) sees fostering creativity 5 Supervisory encouragement “In many companies new ideas are met not with open minds but with time-consuming layers of evaluation” (Amabile, 2006, p. 22)

(3) Tools for facilitation	Mediating artefacts: tools and signs Division of labour	Money Competition High tech computer modelling Public relations and consultation Explaining/sharing vision – dialogue, including with users Appropriate resources Expertise	4 Work-group features Putting people together who have the right chemistry 1 Challenge Managing creativity is “the deceptively simple task of matching people with the right assignments” (Amabile, 2006, p. 19) 6 Organisational Support Particularly when steering an innovation through a complex “political” process with multiple stakeholders

(4) “Aha!” moments	Sense, meaning, outcome	Brief is prescribed within existing constraints, so need to search for innovation/creativity Even architects make compromises Environmental considerations count Technical achievement can come through lateral thinking	3 Resources “Adding more resources above a ‘threshold of sufficiency’ does not boost creativity” (Amabile, 2006, p. 21)

Thematic analysis–group task	Components of an activity system (Engeström, 1999)	Collated sub-groups’ findings	Six categories of management practice affecting creativity (Amabile, 2006)
(1) Common principles of innovation	RulesCommunity	Clear purpose, clear end pointMake a statementCommunity value-added value: “More than just a …”Responded to local environmentAll are collaborations	4 Work-group features“Autonomy around process fosters creativity” (Amabile, 2006, p. 20)

(2) Features of design process	Informal and formal procedures	CollaborationPlanning – formal and informalSustained energyEmergent changesGetting right expertise at right timeOwnership/leadershipMaintaining motivationWillingness to take risks	2 Freedom over reaching specified goalsPublic sector leaders face big obstacles in winning for themselves and others the kind of freedom to experiment and take risks which Amabile (2006) sees fostering creativity5 Supervisory encouragement“In many companies new ideas are met not with open minds but with time-consuming layers of evaluation” (Amabile, 2006, p. 22)

(3) Tools for facilitation	Mediating artefacts: tools and signsDivision of labour	MoneyCompetitionHigh tech computer modellingPublic relations and consultationExplaining/sharing vision – dialogue, including with usersAppropriate resourcesExpertise	4 Work-group featuresPutting people together who have the right chemistry1 ChallengeManaging creativity is “the deceptively simple task of matching people with the right assignments” (Amabile, 2006, p. 19)6 Organisational SupportParticularly when steering an innovation through a complex “political” process with multiple stakeholders

(4) “Aha!” moments	Sense, meaning, outcome	Brief is prescribed within existing constraints, so need to search for innovation/creativityEven architects make compromisesEnvironmental considerations countTechnical achievement can come through lateral thinking	3 Resources“Adding more resources above a ‘threshold of sufficiency’ does not boost creativity” (Amabile, 2006, p. 21)