Creativity and group-counseling in the corporate world - A Qualitative Study of Employee's Experiences with Creativity and Innovation

In this master thesis, the focus was on the theme of creative group- counseling in larger corporations. Through a qualitative research process I have sought answers to the following research question: How can a creative group counseling project improve the cooperation and thus the work environment in a larger corporation? The process started with the idea of researching how employees respond to creativity during group counseling in the work place. I interviewed participants from the Choir Cooperation, which was a creative project with the counseling perspective of making employees cooperate better through using creativity. The project took place in a large corporation called New Corp. Afterwards I transcribed, coded and analyzed the material, in accordance with the qualitative research method. I discovered four key categories in answer to the research question. They are: The Experienced Creativity in New Corp, Toward a Better Work Environment through Creative Cooperation, Further Developing the Choir Cooperation, and Implications on Developing Creative Counseling. The findings were then discussed using theories on holistic counseling, group counseling, cooperation, and creative counseling. My focus in the discussion also included a theatre perspective and this sub-research question: In what ways can such creative projects create a culture that inspires employee-driven innovation? I have found that creative group counseling can improve cooperation because it betters the work environment. I propose that creativity brings out the best in people, such as the employees in a corporation, and it is necessary in order to create innovation. Innovation is needed for development, and without it neither the employees nor the corporation can grow. The research lends support to creativity as helping development and communication, the foundation for cooperation and a better work environment