The impact of national culture

On creativity and innovation in organisations (Study on Libyan culture)

Literature review A large body of literature has focused on determining a set of personal characteristicsand attributes associated with creative achievement (Barron and Harrington, 1981;Davis, 1989; Martindale, 1989). This research has examined personal characteristicsranging from biographical factors to measures of cognitive styles and intelligence(Amabile, 1983; Barron and Harrington, 1981; Davis, 1989; However and Bachelor, 1989, Woodman and Schoenfeldt, 1989). In general, these studies have demonstrated that astable set of core personal characteristics, including broad interests, attraction tocomplexity, intuition, aesthetic sensitivity, toleration of ambiguity, self confidence,relate positively and consistently to measures of creative performance across a varietyof domains(Barron and Harrington,1981;Gough,1979).Prior research also examined organisational factors, such as job complexity andsupervision style that facilitate creative performance (e.g. Amabile, 1988; Amabileet al., 1996). Mott’s (1972) comparative research showed that effective organizations areSimultaneously efficient and creative. Efficiency means optimising, stabilizing,and polishing current methods and routines for highest quantity, quality, and customersatisfaction at the lowest cost possible. Organisational creativity means deliberatelychanging current methods to make new levels of quantity, quality, cost, and customersatisfaction possible. Both new methods and new products result from creativity.Basadur et al. (2002) found that creativity can be developed, increased, and managedby organisations. Specific results from increasing organisational creativity can be

identified, including new products and methods, increased efficiency, greatermotivation, job satisfaction, teamwork, a focus on customer satisfaction, and morestrategic thinking at all levels.Studies on Arabic context While there is large amount of research in creativity and innovation in the West, little research has been conducted to assess the factors affecting creativity and innovation in the Arab world.Atiyya(1992)and Parnll Hatim(1999)noted that there is alack of empirical research into Arab management practices in general and creativity research in particular. The paucity of research on creativity in Arab world can be ascribed, among other thing, to the traditional thinking about creativity prevailing in Arab culture.Creatiity research requires curiosity,adventurousness,and risk taking.These are comfortable traits for most Westerners but not for the typical Arab. Most Arabs prefer the comfort of proven ideas and shy away from exploring risky options. They seem to prefer a more structured, team-oriented approach to avoid losing face or being excluded.Despite this lack of academic attention to creativity in the Arab world, a few studies have focused on creativity and innovation. In an Arab context, a study by Makhamerah and Al-Dahhan (1988) examinedfactors affecting employees’ innovation in public companies in Jordan. It concludedthat innovation is affected by managerial attitudes, the establishment of objectivecriteria and encouragement of employees’ interactions and exchange of ideas. Anotherstudy by Abu-Farris (1990) attempted to test the impact of certain factors on employees’innovation in a sample of public enterprises in Jordan. It found that material and nonmaterialincentives affected positively employees’ innovation. It also found no impactof sex and position on employees’ innovation.Awamleh (1994) examined the relationship between managerial creativity (dependentvariable) and sex, age, education, organisational level, and length of service asindependent variables in a sample of 293 managers in Jordan. The study found that themost significant obstacles to creativity are those related to organisational climate.Mikdashi (1999) assessed the effects of organisational climate on managers’ creativity

in Lebanon. This study also investigated the constitutive meaning of creativity as aconstruct through the relation between creativity and other organisational constructs.Al-Beraidi and Rickards (2003) studied the creative team climate in Saudi Arabia.This study argued that creative performance of teams could be stimulated by leadershipintervention. A transformational leadership style has been found the most appropriate inencouraging innovative behaviours.Abu-Taieh (2003) studied the relationship between leadership style and individualinnovative behaviour. A sample of 430 managers from five large industrial firms inJordan participated in the study. A statistically significant relationship betweenleadership power and individual innovative behaviour was found. However, nostatistically significant relationship between legitimate and reward power, on onehand, and individual innovative behaviour on the other hand was found.Using a sample of 170 managers, Mostafa (2005) studied factors affectingorganisational creativity in Egyptian organisations. The study detected a statisticallysignificant difference in attitudes towards organisational creativity based on themanagers’ functional area in the organisation. The study also found that the higher theeducation of the manager, the more he or she is likely to adopt creative and innovativeactivities. The study detected no generation gap in the managers’ attitudes towardsorganisational creativity. Finally, the study found that male managers havesignificantly favourable attitudes towards creativity compared with their femalecounterparts.There is evidence that culture may affect one’s attitudes towards creativity andinnovativeness. Csikszentmihayli (1996) asserts that creativity is the culturalcounterpart of genetic change resulting from biological evolution. In biologicalevolution random variations take place in genes and chromosomes, whereas in cultural

evolution changes take place in memes, i.e. in units of information created, maintainedand transmitted by the culture. Thus, creativity understood as a mental process cannot be isolated from the socio-cultural systems in which the individual functions(Rudowicz, 2003). Amabile et al. (1996) noted that creativity requires curiosity and risktaking. These are comfortable traits for most Westerners but not for the typical Arab.Most Arabs prefer the comfort of proven ideas and shy away from exploring riskyoptions. They seem to prefer a more structured, team-oriented approach to avoid losingface or being excluded. According to Barakat (1993), the traditional culture, which isthe dominant one in the Arab World, is characterised by the following facets: fatalismstrengthened by conventional religious though; shame as apposed to guilt, reflected inthe psychological drive to escape or prevent negative judgment by others rather thanconscious questioning; conformity as apposed to creativity, which legitimises the Gender is important in studying organisational creativity since creativity requiresmany behaviour patterns in which men and women differ. For example, Instone et al.(1983) found that men and women use different influence strategies in businessactivities and showed that men and women have different norms about how rewardsshould be used to influence creative organisational behaviour. The importance ofexamining creativity in relation to gender is based primarily on the socio-culturaldifferences among females and males (Abra, 1991). Traditionally, females in Westernsocieties have been encouraged to conform, whereas males are expected to be activeand dominant risk-takers (Block, 1976). Furthermore, Davis and Rimm (1989)acknowledge that most boys are provided with toys that enhance their visual-spatialabilities, such as trucks, and models, while Lever (1976) notes that the games of girls

are often highly structured requiring turn-taking and rules. In addition, socialexpectations, conformity pressures and attitudes towards women in Arab countriesmay create ‘‘cultural blocks’’ to female creativity (Mostafa, 2003).Previous research found that younger and less experienced managers are moreLikely to pursue creative strategies since older mangers dislike change from the status and show greater adherence to the norms of the organization (Hambrick andMason, 1984).Work experience also gives individuals credibility as champions (Howelland Higgins, 1991) and makes them better able to navigate political coalitions in theorganization (Chakrabarti, 1974). Contribution From this brief review we find that although numerous studies have attempted to identity the personal and organisational characteristics that predict creative accomplishment in the West,littie research has focused on determining the factors that affect creativity and innovation on organisational in non-West culture.Moreover, this brief review makes it clear that, in most previous research on organisational creativity, there has been a bias toward factors that appear to enhance creativity, there is comparatively little research evidence on factors that may undermine creativity, and in addition, there is no research about how can culture factors outside organisations enable or disable creativity and innovation in organisation. The need to better understand how national culture impact innovation and creativity in Arab society.Arab people are creative, they have lots of ideas and a high interest in technology. The larger problem is the lack of a social value system that encourages innovation and creativity in all aspects of societal life.

These social disadvantages should be better understood and recognised more clearly as major obstacles for creativity and innovation in Arab world.Yet, we do not, in Arab world, have a good, fact-based, understanding of the social fabric of our society and its contribution to creation and innovation. We do not have a comprehensive understanding of how our

social values and belief system affect Arabian’s capacity for creativity and innovation. The purpose of this investigation is to address these issues.Therefore,I offer a distinct contribution to the literature by understanding relationship between national culture and creativity and innovation. This will lead also to better understanding of the culture-related in general and impact on creativity and innovation. Aims

The main aim of this research is to further our understanding of how national culture can enable or disable creativity and innovative in organisations. To achieve this, the research has the following objectives: 1-To identify the impact of national culture in terms of(values,beliefs,attitudes)on creativity and innovation in organisations.

2-To identify values, beliefs and attitudes toward creativity and

innovation from the viewpoint of the administrative leaderships.

3-finding logical model, taking into consideration the culture impediment

to creation and innovation in Libya culture, which can be applied for

create creative and innovation culture, which help to solve problem of

lack of capability on creativity and innovation in organisations.

To meet the above objectives,this research will attempt to answer the following main questions:

1-Does national culture in Libya support innovation and creativity or no. In addition, how it impede or aid creativity and innovation

2- What kind of relationship between national culture and creativity and innovation in organisations.

3- What kind of values,beliefs,and attitudes that leaderships are carrying

Toward creativity and innovation

4-How can Libyan improve its culture value to create innovative and creativity culture in society and in organisations.

Methodology

The first stage of the research will be a review of the existing literature And archival sources on Libya culture to understand the national culture characteristics in Libya. The primary methodology consists of two stages, the exploratory research which focus on leaderships values,beliefs,and attitude toward creativity and innovation, And this will be by in-depth interviews, and questionnaire. Stage two will be compare between leaderships culture and general culture in terms of (values,beliefs,and attitude). I- Study Community

The study community consists of all Administrative Leadership in Industrial organizations, under the following conditions:

1- Large size organizations, in terms of size of manpower, operating capital, type of work and number of branches.

2- Long-term organizations relatively (ten years and more).

Organizational requiring permanent and continual development more than others, such as; .Textile companies .Beverage companies .Electronics companies

II- Study Sample

The Administrative Leaderships working in the aforesaid organizations. The sample of these Leaderships is selected for distribution of Questionnaire sheet, and interviews under the following conditions:

1- The Administrative Leaderships holding high academic and training

2- The Administrative Leaderships having more administrative experience.

3- The Administrative Leaderships working in high and medial Administrative levels

4- The Administrative Leaderships of older age relatively