2193: Coordinating Creative Collectives: A Discussion on the Unique Challenges and Opportunities (16949)

There is much research on creative work groups and collectives’ behaviors that enable creativity. The work of collectives coordinating for creativity offers a unique opportunity to find, redefine, and solve problems that could not happen without the collective (Hargadon & Bechky, 2006), but it also presents unique challenges when implementing ideas to create the final product. By incorporating insights from research on collective dynamics, such as coordination and routines, we can potentially address these challenges as well as open up new areas of inquiry. This session will convene scholars who are experts in one or both of the two constructs we will discuss: John Paul Stephens, Justin Berg, and Giada Baldessarelli. In this interactive and structured panel discussion, they will touch on the opportunities and tensions when incorporating insights from collective dynamics, coordination and routines, to creative work. Additionally, the discussion will explore the role of the organization and coordinating mechanisms in creative work and output over time and in relation to the consistency of that output for long-term success in creative work and fields.