A systems approach to creativity

So if individual creativity is only half the picture, what does the whole picture look like?

Csikszentmihalyi believes creativity can be seen in the relationship three interrelated parts, the domain, the field and the individual.

The domain is a set of symbolic rules and procedures, these can exist at more and more granular levels, for example biology is a domain, with genetics, molecular biology etc as domains within the broader domain. In business functional departments can be seen as domains, HR, Finance, projects etc.

The field are the gatekeepers of the domain, these are the "experts" who allow new information, ideas and products into the domain. In modern organisations the field/s could be senior managers, experts in a particular discipline, or even cohesive teams.

Individuals can be consideredcreative when he uses the symbols, rules and procedures of the domain to invent some new idea or product which is accepted by in it's field and becomes part of the domain. As new ideas become part of the domain new individuals use these innovations to make new creative discoveries and so the system moves on continually improving itself.

A systems definition of creativity then would be:

An act, idea or product which changes an existing domain into a new on. A creative individual is: someone whose thoughts or actions change a domain or establish a new domain.