The Insider Artist: A Quartet of Case Studies

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to examine the similarities between creative business leadership and successful artists and to illustrate how the label “outside artist” is a romantic myth.

Design/methodology/approach – Making use of four cases in classical music history, this study analyzes how a quartet of musical artists negotiated their space inside highly organized and changing environments.

Findings – Many qualities exhibited by musical artists are similar to those required of successful organizational managers. One of the reasons that insider artistry is a complex phenomenon is that socio-organizational conditions are not fixed, they change. Therefore, each new generation of artists has to invent new strategies to get the job done.

Practical implications – Understanding the nature of these similar qualities will help clarify the issue of making art work inside organizations and dispel erroneous assumptions about the role of artists in these organizations.

Originality/value – This article will contribute to the practical as well as the philosophical conversation about the place of artists inside successful organizations in society.