Lean Management Strategies for Creative Organizations: Creacracy versus Bureaucracy

The idea to change the traditional hierarchical structure of the company is emerging as a trend in global management practices of creative industries organizations. The experience of American and Western European companies in the "creative industry" shows that a democratic decision-making process promotes the active participation of employees in the life of the company. The topic of creative management, art management, and "lean" management gets a particularly relevant sound. Today, management experience has been accumulated, thanks to which schools, hospitals, creative organizations, design bureaus have been humanized by the talent of employees, vocation and creative achievements have been supported. The subject of research was determined by the growth and demand for companies in the "creative industry" that produce creative products in the socio-cultural, scientific, artistic, and technical fields. The classification of the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) identifies 44 creative professions, including architecture, IT and video games, publishing, performing arts, crafts, design, advertising, jewelry. The study applied an innovative approach to the management sociology: the experience of creacracy was studied through the prism of culture, the value component of the work of organizations, on the methodological foundation of the "turquoise" philosophy. The study of creacracy culture is based on a set of techniques: value-structural analysis, secondary analysis, document analysis, comparative analysis. Realizing the purpose of the study, the authors theoretically comprehended the experience of modern creative unions and organizations of a non–bureaucratic type based on the foundation of the culture of creative management – creacracy. The authors defined this form of management as the management of organizations, an alternative to bureaucracy, corresponding to a culture based on the values of human-centricity, freedom, creativity, transparency, implemented on the principles of lean or understanding management in the practices of "happy" ("joyful") management of creative projects. A group of types of creacratic management has been formed: adhocratic, chaordic, halordic. With differences in the choice of management tactics, these types are united by the design of management strategies – delegation of authority, coordination, support, orientation towards self-government. This shows the human-centricity of creacratic management. A comparative analysis of bureaucratic and creacratic forms showed differences in values, setting and understanding goals, choosing leading managerial functions, management strategies and practices, and types of employees. The analytics presented in the research results are of practical importance for the heads of creative industries organizations choosing management strategies.

creacracy, culture of creative management, understanding management, adhocratic organizations, chaordic organizations, turquoise industries, creative organizations, bureaucratic organizations, creative management, creative industries