4IpaUJbnm

consists of factors and trends operating outside the organisation and affecting its ability to
meet users’ needs (Assaelis, 1999). Bagdonienė (2009) argues that the external environment
is all events happening outside an organisation, which may operate potentially or factually.
The main external factors (macro-environment) that directly and indirectly affect creativity in
an organisation are as follows:
historical factors (creativity depends on social attitudes of the time, available
information, its accessibility, the development of individual activities and hierarchical
position);
economic factors (creativity depends on investment into research and artistic
activities);
social factors (creativity depends on the social structure of a country, the nature of
governance and the dynamism of the society);
cultural factors (creativity depends on traditions prevailing in various cultures, the
concept of a person’s role in the society);
religious factors (creativity depends on the professed faith and the concept of a
person’s spiritual life in a particular religion).
These factors drive the public interest in creative activities, their initiation and support. Even
though it is believed that the impact of a macro-environment is more felt by famous artists or
groups of artists, these factors create a background of the favourable or unfavourable
environment for all people. This background does not depend on their activities and either
stimulates or blocks their creativity.
Everyone works within a clearly defined social environment, in which creative initiatives are
supported or not supported, decisions are accepted or not accepted and a person is
encouraged to look deeper or is met by resistance from others. It is therefore the greatest
influence on human creativity is made by a close environment (micro-environment). It is more
difficult to describe the internal environment (micro-environment) of an organisation. All
organisations are different. They are all unique in terms of structure, traditions and
management style.
When knowledge is combined, the biggest impact on human creativity is made by a close
environment, i.e. the environment of an organisation in which the person works. The
environment of an organisation is a totality of active entities and internal and external objects,
operating within and outside an organisation (Ginevičius, Sūdžius, 2005). Creativity-friendly
environment is a complex and multi-dimensional phenomenon. Analysis of research papers
published in the recent decade shows that when creativity is fostered, regardless of the area
of expression or the nature of work, creativity-friendly environment is described by similar
characteristics, only authors provide different combinations of those characteristics (Table 3).
26