Commercial Success and Creativity: A Resource Dependence View

Abstract

Does commercial success diminish creativity? With arguments both for and against, the question remains one the biggest of puzzles in the study of creativity. In this paper, using novel measures of creativity and success, we identify the causal impact of success on subsequent levels of creativity. While exploration/exploitation framework predicts an increase in exploitation (lower creativity) after success a resource dependence perspective points out that commercial success might facilitate greater creative risk-taking by enhancing access to important complementary resources. We find that creativity decreases after commercial success. More specifically, creativity risk goes down by a 1/3 standard deviation after a successful movie. Creativity does not go down for filmmakers with family connections in the industry because they are disproportionately more likely to retain their popularity and access to financial and other resources than directors without such connections. We conclude with the methodological and theoretical contributions of the study and discuss its implications on policy and practice for creativity and innovation management.