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Home > HCAS > HCAS_PUBS > HCAS_JOURNALS > TQR Home > TQR > Vol. 24 > No. 11 (2019)

 

Abstract

Previous research has examined organizational factors that could facilitate or limit creativity also indicating that although cooperatives can be seen as innovative business formats, they are also considered slow growth models because of their organizational characteristics. In this study we aim to explore the processes, practices, and other organizational characteristics that define the creative dynamics in cooperatives. In this way, our goals are (a) to understand how the promotion of the creativity is carried out in the cooperative workplace and (b) to study the factors that can accelerate the development of a more positive climate for creativity, boosting transformative elements and neutralizing exclusionary elements. This article is focused on a qualitative case study of an architecture cooperative from Catalonia (Spain), Lacol. The data were collected through two in-depth interviews. Also, visual material was collected to study how the physical space is organised and how this affects creative processes. The results show that, of the studied elements, those most relevant to produce a creative work environment in Lacol are power decentralization, freedom and autonomy, work team support, training, and challenges. Likewise, friendship has been identified as an important transversal element. Finally, future research lines are discussed.

Keywords

Creativity, Cooperative, Work Environment, Case Study

Author Bio(s)

Teresa Morlà-Folch is a PhD student and Assistant Professor at the University Rovira i Virgili. She mainly focuses on creative learning and teaching from a qualitative perspective. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: teresa.morla@urv.cat.

Mar Joanpere Foraster is a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Barcelona. She is focused on social creation of social sciences research, using methodologies that relate theories that help societies to overcome inequalities with the practices to apply them.

Eleni Papaoikonomou is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing. She has published various books, book chapters and articles in journals such as Ethics and Behavior, Journal of Consumer Culture, Journal of Business Ethics, Agriculture and Human Values and Journal of Macromarketing. Her main research lines are about ethical consumption, collaborative consumption and cooperativism.

Publication Date

11-4-2019

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2019.3947

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