A case study of Arteconomy - Building a bridge between art and enterprise: Flemish businesses stimulate creativity and innovation through art

Abstract

In a world where there has long since been more at play than functionality and cost price, we need creative innovation more than ever before. Organisations are trying to find ways to embed more creativity, more innovative potential and more entrepreneurship into the everyday running of their businesses. They are constantly in search of effective ways to make their organisation's culture better equipped for change. The Flemish non-profit organisation Arteconomy has developed a method for doing this, by bringing businesspeople and artists together in a series of particularly unique projects. In this case study, you can read about the philosophy that give rise to Arteconomy and the pioneering work that preceded it. The case describes two specific projects that provide a concrete illustration of the arteconomy approach in two Belgian textile firms: 'The Dragon of Deerlijk' at Promo Fashion and 'The Walk' at Concordia Textiles. The case study, and more specifically Arteconomy's approach, provides relevant material for discussion with students (level: Masters and MBA) and managers (in the context of executive business programmes) on: (1) change as an organisational process, and (2) how to stimulate employees' creative skills.