La créativité sous le prisme de l'innovation. Une enquête par entretiens semi-directifs auprès de 40 chercheurs industriels

While the literature on factors promoting creativity and innovation has grown substantially in volume, and sophistication, increasing number of researchers are questioning the elusive and the ambiguity use of notions of creativity and innovation, both in the literature and in organizations, regarding their processual aspect and their outcomes. The implicit assumption is that the same factors operate in a similar way on all types of creativity and innovation, regardless of the contexts and activities. From the research perspective, despite their proximity and their interferences, it appears that the two fields of research remain separate, each one characterized by dominant perspectives and specific literature. The purpose of this paper is to better understand the nature of creativity compared to that of innovation. Through a qualitative study in the context of an R&D unit, we explore the perception of 40 industrial researchers who experiment creativity and innovation in their daily life.