Curating collections of ideas: Museum as metaphor in the management of creativity

We introduce a curatorial metaphor to the management of creative idea generation in order to emphasize and elaborate the importance of managing the creative content, rather than just the size, of collections of ideas. We propose that just as museum curators attend to the shape, maintenance, and usage of their collections in order to facilitate institutional success, managers might focus on collections of ideas with the goal of improving the relevance of the types of creative ideas generated to the needs of organizational innovation processes. By considering curatorial activities in light of distinctions between radical and incremental creativity, we offer suggestions for research and practice that are particularly germane to contexts where idea generation efforts can span both intra- and inter-organizational boundaries.

► Curating represents a set of potentially useful ideas for managers. ► Curating activities increasingly span organizational boundaries, as do creative efforts in firms. ► Curating idea generation applies to both radical and incremental creativity. ► Museum studies can be a useful metaphor for idea management in firms.