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Self-leadership
Christopher P. Neck
Introduction
The strategy for achieving transformation in the Department of Defense must begin with an effort to transform the overall culture into one where innovation and informed risk taking are encouraged and rewarded ([54] Office of the Secretary of Defense/Office of Force Transformation, 2004).
Innovation and creativity are generally considered to be critical competencies for improving organizational staying power (e.g. [3] Amabile, 1988; [32] Kanter, 1983; [68] Tushman and O'Reilly, 1997; [69] Utterback, 1994; [70] Woodman et al. , 1993). Creativity theory suggests that when a working environment facilitates idea generation, knowledge sharing and creative problem solving, individuals in that environment are more likely to generate creative ideas that involve unique concepts or new applications of existing concepts. Creative ideas can be used for problem resolution, process improvements and the development of new services and/or products. Researchers also suggest that individual creativity is essential to organizational innovation ([3] Amabile, 1988; [70] Woodman et al. , 1993), which in turn is imperative to long-term organizational survival and success ([32] Kanter, 1983; [68] Tushman and O'Reilly, 1997; [69] Utterback, 1994). In order to enhance the chances of long-term survival, organizations should focus on supporting individual creativity in the workplace ([3] Amabile, 1988; [15] Cummings et al. , 1975; [70] Woodman et al. , 1993). Individual creativity consists of two distinct elements:
creative potential; and
creative behavior ([28] Hinton, 1970).
Creative potential refers to an individual's creative skills and abilities. Creative behavior or creative output, on the other hand, is the measured result of creative efforts. Creative potential may never be realized as creative behavior if an organization's work environment does not foster creativity ([27] Hinton, 1968). An organization that does not encourage innovation and creativity will likely have significant untapped resources.
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is a good example of an organization that has acknowledged the importance of creativity and innovation. The DoD's ability to develop and sustain a competitive advantage while fulfilling its mission of averting enemy terrorization depends in large part on the extent to which it can "develop new capabilities" ([54] Office of the Secretary of Defense/Office of Force Transformation, 2004, p. 2). The DoD has recently acknowledged the need for change within the military and the...