This study examined the influence of individual creativity and creativity-supporting organizational culture on financial outcomes within the Research project “Creative Leap (Luova Loikka): Creativity as a competitive advantage in business”. A primary objective was to develop and validate a theoretical framework for mapping the economic impact of creativity and creative culture using companies’ financial data. Quantitative methods were primarily employed, with validation of metrics and the approach through discussions with company representatives.
The study first synthesized existing literature to create a comprehensive framework, offering a structured foundation for future research on the relationships between individual creativity, organizational culture, and financial outcomes. Second, this framework was empirically tested by classifying companies based on their levels of individual creativity and strength of creativity-supporting culture – an approach suitable for small samples and previously unapplied in a creativity research context. The findings indicated that companies with above-average levels of both individual creativity and a creativity-supportive culture were more likely to outperform their industry average in terms of EBITDA margin. Conversely, companies with below-average levels in both areas were more likely to underperform. While creativity-supporting culture demonstrated a more obvious correlation with financial performance than individual creativity alone, predictive analysis suggested complex, non-linear relationships between these constructs. Logistic regression models performed poorly compared to decision tree models, indicating the presence of non-linear dynamics.
The research highlighted two key findings with practical implications: high-quality leadership as a core element of creativity-supporting organizational culture is crucial for financial success, mitigating the probability of underperformance; and a positive psychological atmosphere, as a second element of creativity-supporting organizational culture, is essential for thriving, even with strong leadership and well-organized business processes. Despite limitations in the generalizability of findings due to the methodology’s sensitivity to data variations, this study provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between creativity, culture, and financial performance within the Finnish business context.
