PRUL E. T E S l U K
J A M E S 1. F A R R
STEPHANIE R . KLElN

Influences of Organizcltioncll Culture and Climate on Individual Creativitv
This paper provides a framework for conceptualizing and reviewing the literature on the influences of organizational culture and climate on individual creativity.
Although often treated interchangeably, culture and climate are distinct constructs operating a t different levels of meaning; yet a t the s a m e time, they are closely interrelated. Culture is the beliefs and values held by management and communicated to employees through norms, stories, socialization processes, and observations of managerial responses to critical events. The beliefs and values that typify a culture for creativity become manifested in organizational structures, practices, and policies.
In turn, these structures, practices, and policies guide and shape individual creativity by creating a climate that communicates both the organization's goals regarding creativity and the means to achieve those goals. The paper concludes with a discussion of issues relating to the development of cultures and climates for creativity and potential new directions for future research.
ABSTRACT

The important role of creativity in brganizations is attracting an increasing amount of attention from both practitioners and researchers. In business journals and books, practitioners continuously emphasize the need for organizations to create conditions that s u p port creativity a s a means for promoting organizational effectiveness, and even survival, in the face of fierce competition and rapidly changing technological, economic, regulatory, and market conditions
(e.g., Loeb, 1995; Verespej, 1994). Researchers have responded to calls for examining the innovation process in organizational settings by developing models of creativity and innovation (e.g..