Our Centre's research into the relationship between creativity and management has been foundational to our approach to creative industries teaching and can be found in the publications of Dr Chris Bilton and in the explorations of the links between creative production and sustainable cultures in the work of Dr Lee Martin.

Their research sets out to challenge some of the orthodoxies in management theory and practice, and in creative industries policies. One assumption has been around stereotypes of creative managers. The assumption that the cultural sector is badly managed is premised on a characterisation of creative people and processes as individualistic, unpredictable and irrational. The belief that creativity is inherently unmanageable contributes to a sometimes crude managerialism in cultural policy interventions in the creative sector, and lies behind a double-edged mix of fear and attraction towards ‘creativity’ in management theory and practice.

At the same time the Centre's research in this area has also explored cultural and creative freedom and the managerial and work conditions necessary to sustain this. In this sense the research of the Centre explores key aspects of creativity: discovery, new possibilities brought into being and the development of creative potential. All of which requires deeper philosophical and theoretical understanding of how creativity works and is put to work.

Our starting point for research into creativity, is that the complexity and diversity of creative processes requires a nuanced approach. Dr Chris Bilton's research on the relationship between management and creativity has challenged the stereotypical separation of ‘creatives’ and ‘suits’. Opposing this ‘genius’ perspective on creativity, he has argued that creative thinking depends upon making transitions and connections between seemingly contradictory frames of reference, thinking styles and collaborative contexts. This approach to creativity can be observed both in the creative industries and in mainstream management.

Our research in the Centre has sought to uncover the connections between creative processes and contemporary and global working strategies and more recently Dr Carolina Bandinelli's research has explored self-branding, authenticity and social relationships in the creative industries as well as deeply investigating young entrepreneurs in London and Milan. In her work she has addressed social innovation, the sharing economy and ethical businesses that are part of a cultural trend that seeks a co-working ethos as well as the idea of 'making money while doing good' in the world.