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Experiments on creativity and work design

Experiments on creativity and work design Creative jobs make up an increasingly large part of the economy. While contextual factors of work design have been shown to affect job performance in various settings, their impact on creative tasks is understudied. This study uses a controlled laboratory experiment to understand the impact of time constraints and goal setting on creativity. I find that reducing task constraints by making time constraints ambiguous increases the creativity of ideas without undermining their quantity, relative to the baseline. I also find that a nonbinding quantity‐oriented goal increases the quantity of ideas without reducing creative quality. Likewise, a nonbinding creativity‐oriented goal increases the creativity of ideas without decreasing the number of ideas. Results indicate that work design is an important factor when developing strategies for cultivating creativity, and managers have several tools at their disposal. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Economics & Management Strategy Wiley

Experiments on creativity and work design

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References (52)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC
ISSN
1058-6407
eISSN
1530-9134
DOI
10.1111/jems.12417
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Creative jobs make up an increasingly large part of the economy. While contextual factors of work design have been shown to affect job performance in various settings, their impact on creative tasks is understudied. This study uses a controlled laboratory experiment to understand the impact of time constraints and goal setting on creativity. I find that reducing task constraints by making time constraints ambiguous increases the creativity of ideas without undermining their quantity, relative to the baseline. I also find that a nonbinding quantity‐oriented goal increases the quantity of ideas without reducing creative quality. Likewise, a nonbinding creativity‐oriented goal increases the creativity of ideas without decreasing the number of ideas. Results indicate that work design is an important factor when developing strategies for cultivating creativity, and managers have several tools at their disposal.

Journal

Journal of Economics & Management Strategy – Wiley

Published: Aug 1, 2021

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