Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Leading clever people.

Rob Goffee1, Gareth Jones

  • 1London Business School, England. rgoffee@london.edu

Harvard Business Review
|March 14, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Leading creative employees requires a shift from traditional management. Effective leaders act as benevolent guardians, respecting their unique needs and providing autonomy to foster innovation.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Accelerometer-measured postoperative physical activity confers a significant mortality benefit following joint arthroplasty.

Bone & joint research·2026
Same author

Outcomes After Kidney Transplantation From Deceased Donors With Diabetes.

Transplantation proceedings·2026
Same author

Return to climbing after musculoskeletal injury: a scoping review protocol of rehabilitation content, outcome measures and return to sport criteria in climbers.

BMJ open sport & exercise medicine·2026
Same author

Conservative versus liberal oxygenation targets in critically ill children: the Oxy-PICU RCT.

Health technology assessment (Winchester, England)·2026
Same author

Tacrolimus intrapatient variability and rejection are associated with inferior allograft outcomes after kidney transplantation.

Frontiers in nephrology·2025
Same author

Consensus-based Recommendations on the Management of Immunosuppression After Squamous Cell Carcinoma Diagnosis in Kidney Transplant Recipients: An International Delphi Consensus Statement.

Transplantation direct·2025
Same journal

The Case for Capitation.

Harvard business review·2016
Same journal

How to Pay for Health Care.

Harvard business review·2016
Same journal

How to Preempt Team Conflict.

Harvard business review·2016
Same journal

The Secrets of Great Teamwork.

Harvard business review·2016
Same journal

Leading the Team You Inherit.

Harvard business review·2016
Same journal

Wicked Problem Solvers.

Harvard business review·2016
See all related articles

Area of Science:

  • Organizational Psychology
  • Human Resources Management
  • Innovation Studies

Background:

  • Modern economies increasingly rely on intellectual capital and creative talent.
  • Traditional leadership models are often ineffective with highly intelligent and creative individuals who resist direct supervision.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the unique characteristics of creative employees and their impact on leadership strategies.
  • To identify effective leadership approaches for managing and retaining top creative talent.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted over 100 interviews with leaders and creative employees across major global organizations.
  • Analyzed the psychological relationships between leaders and their creative subordinates.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Creative employees possess distinct traits: they know their value, are organizationally savvy, disregard hierarchy, expect direct access to leadership, are networked, have low boredom thresholds, and are not overtly appreciative.
  • Effective leaders manage creative talent by acting as "benevolent guardians."

Conclusions:

  • Leaders must provide respect, recognition, autonomy, and protection from organizational bureaucracy to nurture creative minds.
  • This approach fosters a creative environment that benefits the entire organization.