Solving business problems through the creative power of the arts: catalyzing change at Unilever

Abstract

PurposeBusiness leaders, in increasing numbers, are looking to the creative power of the arts in their efforts to manage strategic change, to enhance innovation, or to strengthen corporate cultures. In this case study, we focus attention on what is widely regarded as one of the world's most extensive corporate arts‐based learning initiatives, the Catalyst program at Unilever.Design/methodology/approachIn a wide‐ranging interview with James Hill, now a group vice‐president and Catalyst's leading executive sponsor, this paper explores the origins, operations, and outcomes of this innovative program.FindingsFinds that Catalyst came about as a result of savvy leadership and a corporate willingness to take risks in developing an “enterprise culture;” it now flourishes in three divisions due to ownership at multiple levels of the organization as well as its ability to stimulate new product development, attract and retain creative people, and boost the company's marketing efforts; and it persists because its starting points are always actual business problems, the solutions to which improve financial performance and shareholder returns.Originality/valueTo management scholars, this case provides an additional data point in the ongoing study of strategy implementation and organizational change. To corporate executives seeking fresh ideas, the Unilever/Catalyst story offers a novel and intuitively appealing approach to the vexing challenges of leading strategic change, told from the perspective of an experienced executive.

From Sponsorship to Partnership in Arts and Business Relations

“…So-called creative partnerships, which incorporate the arts into the processes of organizational change, have become the most recent trend in arts and business relations. Creative partnerships come in various forms, including the increasingly popular arts-based learning, which is used in the personal and professional development of employees (Bartelme 2005;Boyle and Ottensmeyer 2005;Seifter 2005;Eriksson 2009;Thomsom 2010). Using techniques borrowed from the performing arts and visual arts, artists train business employees to encourage unconventional problem solving or develop presentation skills.…”

Contribution from different domains for creativity management in the context of innovation

“…It is here understood that such an approach has expanded in the last years due not only to the already consolidated direct association between creativity and art by enterprises themselves, but also to the positive repercussion of successful integration instances between art and business for the sake of innovation in renowned enterprises (e.g. Boyle & Ottensmeyer, 2005;Merritt, 2010). The reflexes of this new collaborative scenario are clear in instances like the non-profit organization Arteconomy (e.g.…”

“…It seems important to remark some with focus on (i) promoting collaboration (Darsø, 2005;Foresta, Kisfaludi, & Barton, 1999;Fourmentraux, 2007;Harris, 1999;Ibbotson & Darsø, 2015;Nissley, 2010;Potts, 2007); (ii) incorporating creative practices for organizational change (Austin & Devin, 2003;Buswick, Creamer, & Pinard, 2004;Darsø, 2004;Reaves & Green, 2010;Thomson, 2010); and (iii) learning (Austin & Devin, 2010;Boyle & Ottensmeyer, 2005;Darsø, 2005;Ibbotson & Darsø, 2015;Merritt, 2010;Nissley, 2010;van der Meer, 2016). …”

It’s not all about the profit: an analysis of changes in arts and business relations

“…Unilever implemented the 'Catalyst Programme' and used the artistic process as a means to solve business problems and explore critical issues. Catalyst drew on the visual and performing arts, poetry, photography, playwriting, circus performance, design and jazz [Boyle and Ottensmeyer 2005]. Companies such as Microsoft, Ford or Aetna display "beautiful, thought-provoking works of art" on their offices' walls and organise art contests for employees [Lynch 2015].…”