The Role of Leadership and Management in Organizational Innovation and Creativity

Goals: In today’s organizational world, Creative Directors, Creative Organizations and Creative Workers are the sides of the creative triangle which do not get the meaning without any creativity or innovation. The appropriate organizational structure and support and encouragement of leaders and managers are two essential elements in creativity, and contexts and conditions of creativity is a requirement that organizations must provide to achieve the desired goals. This paper examines the important role of leadership and management in the process of innovation of organizations. Method: This study is a review article in which internet searches using search engines and creative keywords of leadership and management and organizational innovation in credible databases such as Magiran, Noormags, Scientific Information Database, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, as well as Library Studies in published scientific books and articles are carried out. During this process, 43 relevant Persian and English sources during the period 1985-2017 were found, while only 34 sources were used. Findings: The organizations’ leadership structure ends in results which can encourage creativity and innovation. However, any kind of leadership style is not effective in creating this opportunity. Investing in a particular type of leadership styles and models can create results that will expand creativity. Successful organizations have discovered that participatory and collaborative leadership, rather than heroic and authoritative management, is what empowers organizations. Discussion and Conclusion: Creativity and innovation is a phenomenon that requires management, plan, and purposefulness, and is brought forth with individual and collective will, self-confidence, suffering and endeavor and brings prosperity and progress. Therefore, leaders must create an environment that can revise organizational culture and structure which encourages creation and innovation. Organizational creativity also depends on how leaders manage and encourage diversity in the organization, as well as creating an effective leadership structure that maintains innovation process in the organization.