Labor of Creative Workers: Specifics of Organization and Management

The relevance of this work is based on the fact that the sphere of creativity, culture and art of the last decade is influenced both by global (recognition of creativity as an industry, transition to a post-industrial society), and local processes that reflect the national specifics of each country.   The modern context of the development of creative industries seeks to reduce uncertainty about potential success for the consumer, which is characteristic of creating a cultural good by focusing on market demands and taking into account the main trends in its development. In this connection the question arises: the result of creativity for the sake of creativity or for profit? The indicated situational context contributes to the formation of conditions for the management system and the organization of labor, where creative personalities simultaneously correspond to both the artistic and commercial logics of cultural production. The creative profession exists inextricably from the creative (creative) industry, which, firstly, is characterized by a permanent excess of creative workers who are independent of economic cycles, that is, the number of beginning representatives of this professional group steadily exceeds the demands of the labor market. Secondly, there is extreme uncertainty regarding the success potential of any particular creative product, since before direct consumption a person cannot have comprehensive information about it. The arguments put forward actualize the problem of studying the specifics of labor organization and the impact of the organizational management system on workers in the creative profession in the Russian context. The empirical object was Russian workers employed in creative professions and industries. The empirical part of the study is based on the collection, processing and analysis of data obtained during the implementation of two stages of the strategy of “sequential contributions” mixed methods research - conducting a semi-structured interview (n = 23), collecting quantitative data using the online questionnaire survey (n = 302). Biting words: cultural (creative, creative) industry (industry), creative profession, creative worker, labor, identity, professional identity, employee identity management, “work-life balance.