Publications

Research on creative organizations generally focuses on large organizations, with little attention given to small organizations. This study aims to contribute to the field of creative organizations management with the objective of understanding how creative work is organized in small creative organizations. We uncover two ways in which these organizations structure creative work. We conducted 11 case studies in small advertising agencies, during which 35 semi-structured interviews were conducted with creative workers and managers. Three of the studied agencies adopt what we refer to as flexible work organization, where creative workers take on both project management and creative tasks. The remaining eight agencies structure creative work according to specialized work organization. In these agencies, project managers handle projects, and creative workers focus solely on creative tasks. This second model resembles the structure found in large organizations, but the mechanisms within the organizations are different. While large organizations rely on communities of practice, small organizations emphasize personalized management of workers.