Creativity, innovation, and the historicity of entrepreneurship
| Pages | 513-522 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JEPP-03-2019-0016 |
| Date | 02 December 2019 |
| Published date | 02 December 2019 |
| Author | Jordan J. Ballor,Victor V. Claar |
| Subject Matter | Strategy |
Creativity, innovation, and the
historicity of entrepreneurship
Jordan J. Ballor
Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty,
Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA and
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and
Victor V. Claar
Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, Florida, USA
Abstract
Purpose –Creativity and innovation are interrelated, and indeed often conflated, concepts. A corollary to
this distinction is two different perspectives or types of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs. The purpose of
this paper is to explore the distinction between creativity and innovation on the basis of their relationship to
history and implications for understandings of entrepreneurship.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper is a theoretical exploration of entrepreneurship understood
in relation to a proper distinction between creativity and innovation. Creativity and innovation differ from the
perspective of their relationship to what has already happened in history vs the radical novelty of a particular
discovery or invention.
Findings –Creativity can be understood as what human beings do in connection with the fundamental givenness
of things. Innovation, on the other hand, can be best understood as a phenomenon related to the historical progress
of humankind. Innovation is what human beings discover on the basis of what has already been discovered.
Entrepreneurs can be seen as those who discover something radically new and hidden in the latent possibilities of
reality and creation. Or entrepreneurs can be seen as those who develop new, and even epochal, discoveries
primarily on the basis of the insights and discoveries of those who have come before them in history.
Originality/value –This paper provides a helpful conceptual distinction betweencreativity and innovation, and
finds compatibility in these different perspectives. A holistic and comprehensive understanding of entrepreneurship
embraces both its creative and innovative aspects, its metaphysical grounding as well as its historicity.
Keywords Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Creativity, History
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
Because entrepreneurship occupies such a central role in the modern economy, the
phenomenon has received sustained and significant attention in recent scholarly literature.
The constituent elements of entrepreneurship, as well as the conditions for fostering and
sustaining it, are of particular salience for both theoretical understanding and practical
application. Creativity and innovation are terms that have had a longstanding connection
with entrepreneurship, although the heuristic use of such concepts varies greatly.
In some works, creativity is associated with individual action while innovation occurs at
the level of the firm or institution. Oftentimes a bottom-up causality is assumed: creative
activity by the individual, when occurring within appropriate circumstances and conditions,
can lead to innovativefirms (Ahlin et al., 2014; An et al., 2017).In other discussions, creativity
is understood to be a broader cultural or sociological phenomenon, while innovation has a
particularly economic or commercial element. Innovation can thus be understood as creative
activity in the economic sphere. Still other usages distinguish between theory and practice,
with creativity referring to the discovery or development of ideas, while innovation refers to
the application of those ideas (Galbraith, 1982; Majaro, 1988, p. 27; Amabile et al., 1996; Journal of Entrepreneurship and
Public Policy
Vol. 8 No. 4, 2019
pp. 513-522
© Emerald PublishingLimited
2045-2101
DOI 10.1108/JEPP-03-2019-0016
Received 15 March 2019
Revised 27 June 2019
28 June 2019
Accepted 28 June 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2045-2101.htm
This work was supported by the Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc. The opinions expressed in
this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Templeton World
Charity Foundation, Inc.
513
Historicity of
entrepreneurship
To continue reading
Request your trial