Creativity Under Pressure in Digital Innovation: The Case of Norwegian Game Development Start-ups

Abstract

In today’s hypercompetitive market, companies are forced to be creative and innovate in order to survive. Digital technology has brought new possibilities for organisations as well as enabled thousands of start-ups to enter the marketplace. However, the constant flood of start-ups leads to intense competition increasing pressure on the companies to innovate. Developing novel ideas and bringing them to fruition is often a chaotic process influenced by pressure and uncertainty. The concept of creativity in information systems (IS) development and digital innovation has been under-researched with a too-narrow focus. This thesis aims to extend research on digital innovation and creativity and the interaction between human actors and digital technology during this process in a high-pressure environment. A case study of game development start-up companies in the Norwegian video game industry was conducted to gain empirical insight into the work situation of a high-pressure environment with creative and technologically savvy developers. A new theoretical process model is presented, as well as propositions to guide practitioners in their creative endeavours.