Leading Creative Organizations : A study of Haute-Couture

Abstract: Who has never reflected about an artist or a creative person thinking why this person is not recognized and famous? Why so much talent for nobody?Who has never reflected, why this singer sings or this actor plays or this fashion designer draws? And secretly thinks that he or she should not.Finding a talented and a creative leader is a real challenge for the company. Finding the good one, we mean. Indeed, the creative leader is the key of improvement and success for creative organizations such as the theater, cinema, cuisine, music and fashion… Once the company found him or her, it has to keep him or her, to give to him or her all the freedom and power he or she needs because he is the one that is able to create great products, to draw out the creativity of the team and to build a clear vision for the company.However, the company also has to deal with constraints. There are financial, material, humans…This thesis try to understand how creative companies work and what are the characteristics of a creative leader. But we do not let the financial part be a taboo. Creative companies build a bridge between their talented leader and their financial restrictions. This paradox involves the question of whether to control or to let the creativity be completely free. The duality between leading creativity and leading rationality is the matter of this thesis.We illustrate the dichotomy with the business of fashion, in particular with Haute Couture Houses. The study case is a way to go inside a real creative organization and to understand how the leadership is implemented.