Keywords
order
structure
power
How to Cite
Abstract
Using both a religious and secular example, this article seeks to understand the intersection between authority and creativity in leadership. A hermeneutic of semantic theory guided the analysis of the early chapters of Genesis, supporting the use of these two attributes in effective leadership. By allow- ing the world to be very good and yet not perfect, God offers humanity the potential to use authority and creativity in a way that reflects His own character. The prohibition that God establishes enhances rather than hinders humanity’s potential for authority and creativity by framing a context for these at- tributes to grow. Additionally, the contemporary leadership analysis suggests the importance of under- standing how authority, power, creativity, and freedom are associated with both leadership and follow- ership. Here, again, the literature suggests that a boundary marking authority is needed for the fullest expression of creativity to occur. The question naturally arises as to what occurs when there are vary- ing levels of authority and creativity in an organizational context. These varying levels result in the development of a model of leadership that seeks to understand the dimensions of Order and Freedom in four typologies measuring the degree of authority and creativity in organizational contexts and rec- ommends a greater balance between authority and creativity for both leadership and followership.
References
Bournois, F., Duval-Hamel, J., Roussillon, S., & Scaringella, J. (2010). Handbook of Top Management Teams. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Calvin, J. (1992). Genesis (transl. John King). Edinburgh, Banner of Truth.
Carmeli, A., Gelbard, R., & Reiter-Palmon, R. (2013). Leadership, Creative Problem-solving Capacity, and Creative Performance: The Importance of Knowledge Sharing. Human Resources Management, 52, 95-121.
Carter, J. F. (2009). Power and Authority in Pentecostal Leadership. Asian Journal of Pente- costal Studies, 12(2), 185-207.
Choi, S. B., Hanh Tran, T. B., & Park, B. I. (2015). Inclusive Leadership and Work Engage- ment: Mediating Roles of Affective Organizational Commitment and Creativity. So- cial Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 43(6), 931-943.
Crouch, A. (2008). Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Inven- tion. New York: HarperCollins, 28.
D’Orsie, S. M. (2004). Leadership Without Authority. Professional Safety, 49(8), 32-35. Einwohner, R. L. (2007). Leadership, Authority, and Collective Action: Jewish Resistance in the Ghettos of Warsaw and Vilna. American Behavioral Scientist, 50(10), 1306-1326. Fritsch, C. T. (1959). The Book of Genesis. Atlanta: John Knox Press
Gibson, J. C. (1981). Genesis: Volume 1. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Harding, T. (2010). Fostering Creativity for Leadership and Leading Change. Arts Education Policy Review, 111(2), 51-53.
Heifetz, R. (2016). “The Dynamics of Inclusive Leadership.” Lecture, 18th Annual Conference of International Leadership Association: The Dynamics of Inclusive Leadership, At- lanta, GA, November 4, 2016.
Helmstadter, C. (2008). Authority and Leadership: The Evolution of Nursing Management in 19th Century Teaching Hospitals. Journal of Nursing Management, 16, (1), 4-13.
Huebert Hecht, L. A. (1999). A Brief Moment in Time: Informal Leadership and Shared Au- thority Among Sixteenth Century Anabaptist Women. Journal of Mennonite Studies, 17, 53.
Hyypiä, M. & Parjanen, S. (2013). Boosting Creativity with Transformational Leadership in Fuzzy Front-End Innovation Processes. Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge & Management, 8, 21-41.
Jung, D. I. (2001). Transformational and Transactional Leadership and Their Effects on Crea- tivity in Groups. Creativity Research Journal, 13(2), 186.
Kandiko, C. B. (2012). Leadership and Creativity in Higher Education: The Role of Interdis- ciplinarity. London Review of Education, 10(2), 191.
Kaufman, G. (2000). In the Beginning...Creativity. Minneapolis, MN; Augsburg Fortress Press.
Lynch, P. A., & Roberts, J. (2010). Native American Mythology A to Z (2nd ed). New York: Chelsea House Publications.
Ma, Y., Cheng, W., Ribbens, B. A., & Zhou, J. (2013). Linking Ethical Leadership to Em- ployee Creativity: Knowledge Sharing and Self-Efficacy as Mediators. Social Behav- ior & Personality: An International Journal, 41(9), 1411.
Morris, H. M. (1976). The Genesis Record: A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
Nasar, J. L. & Holloman, C. H. (2013). Playground Characteristics to Encourage Children to Visit and Play. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 10, 1205.
Niehaus, J. (1995). God at Sinai. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan.
Nitsun, M. (2009). Authority and Revolt: The Challenges of Group Leadership. Group Analysis, 42(4), 325-348.
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice (6th ed). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Ogereau, J. M. (2009). Apostolic Authority and Pastoral Leadership in the Johannine Epistles. Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies, 12(2), 223.
Osborne, G. R. (2006). The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
Saperstein, M. (2013). Positions of Jewish Leadership: Sources of Authority and Power. Eu- ropean Judaism, 46(1), 50-59.
Sternberg, R. H. (2005). WICS: A Model of Positive Educational Leadership Comprising Wisdom, Intelligence, and Creativity Synthesized. Educational Psychology Review, 17(3), 228.
Stough, R. R. (2010). Leadership and Creativity in Regional Economic Development. Euro- pean Planning Studies, 18(4), 613-627.
Taragin-Zeller, L. (2014). Modesty for Heaven’s Sake: Authority and Creativity Among Fe- male Ultra-Orthodox Teenagers in Israel. Nashim: A Journal for Jewish Women’s Studies & Gender Issues, 26(Spring), 75-96.
Tu, Y. & Lu, X. (2013). How Ethical Leadership Influence Employees’ Innovative Work Be- havior: A Perspective of Intrinsic Motivation. Journal of Business Ethics, 116(2), 441- 455.
Vargish, T. (2014). Postmodern Authority. War, Literature & the Arts: An International Journal of the Humanities, 26, 2.
Walker, J. (2004). Incredibles. Film. Directed by Bird, B. Burbank, CA: Buena Vista Pictures.
Yao, X. (2000). An Introduction to Confucianism. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Yau Fai Ho, D. & Tin Hung Ho, R. (2008). Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing: Authority Re- lations, Ideological Conservatism, and Creativity in Confucian-Heritage Cultures. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, 38(1), 67-86.
Zhang, W. (2015). Leadership, Organization and Moral Authority: Explaining Peasant Mili- tancy in Contemporary China. China Journal, 73, 59-83.
Zubair, A. & Kamal, A. (2015). Authentic Leadership and Creativity: Mediating Role of Work-Related Flow and Psychological Capital. Journal of Behavioural Sciences, 25(1), 151.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2021 Curt N. Wanner , Russell L. Huizing