Journal of Knowledge Management, Volume 21, Issue 3, Page 607-622, May 2017.
Purpose Into cultural and creative industries, the innovation is increasingly realized by a lead creator which is supported by a specific team. Hence, this paper aims to understand the composition of this particular team. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted an in-depth case study of “Dal Pescatore”. This is the Italian restaurant keeping the highest award previewed by Michelin Guide from the longer period. The main figures of the restaurant are the head chefs (Nadia and Giovanni Santini) who are continually supported by a dedicated team Findings The analysis underlines the necessity to create a team which combines aged people linked to firms’ tradition with a low percentage of young foreign apprentices. If the old-timer member assures a deep understanding of the firm’s knowledge base, the young foreign apprentice can show an high learning attitude through which he/she more easily shares their different knowledge. Research limitations/implications This study discussed organizational efforts to foster innovation capacities of the main individuals into a firm. However, the present research suffers from some limitations which limits the generalizability of the results beyond the company studied: a single case study on a small and family firm with consolidated organizational routines. In addition, this research does not solutions about the mechanisms of interaction among these different team members. Originality/value Recent studies observed how a number of cultural and creative firms innovate through a particular team that develops the ideas of a lead creator. Nevertheless, despite the increasing importance of these teams, their composition remains unclear.