Legendary management thinker Peter Drucker in the 1980s envisaged a world where the loss of manufacturing jobs from the USA and other developed economies would offset by the emergence of micro-level entrepreneurship. While that has been realized to quite an extent, the entire vision has not been fulfilled. One of the reasons for that is that management practices have changed enormously so older models such as Toyota’s Production System which promotes efficiency above all else is no longer as relevant as it was. Secondly, the rate of change has been enormous, far exceeding the level of innovation. However, the best of leaders have been able to leverage creativity to be a competitive edge. Three major approaches have been identified. First of them is the explorer who leads from the front but instead of ordering subordinates, asks relevant questions so that a conducive environment is created for business innovation to flourish. The next approach is gardener which is leadership from behind the scenes so that the right system and tools are provided for the employees to nurture their own creativity though collaboration. Lastly, there is the player- coach approach the leader works alongside the team at all stages to be constantly there to support their endeavours.

Source:https://hbr.org/2016/11/leaders-can-turn-creativity-into-a-competitive-advantage