TY - JOUR
T1 - Disentangling the Creative Process
T2 - an Examination of Differential Antecedents and Outcomes for Specific Process Elements
AU - Tolkamp, Gerben
AU - Vriend, Tim
AU - Verwaeren, Bart
AU - Reiter-Palmon, Roni
AU - Nijstad, Bernard
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Building on theories of sensemaking, this study demonstrates the importance of disentangling the creative process. Specifically, we show that the specific elements of the creative process (problem construction, information search and encoding, and idea generation) are differentially related to both antecedents and specific types of creative outcomes. Using survey data from employees and their supervisors from a wide variety of organizations, we found that leader creative expectations were more strongly related to idea generation than to problem construction and to information search and encoding. Job autonomy, in contrast, was significantly related to problem construction, but not to information search and encoding or idea generation. Furthermore, we found that although idea generation is positively related to both radical and incremental creativity, problem construction is only positively related to radical creativity. We discuss implications for the study of creative processes and creativity more generally.
AB - Building on theories of sensemaking, this study demonstrates the importance of disentangling the creative process. Specifically, we show that the specific elements of the creative process (problem construction, information search and encoding, and idea generation) are differentially related to both antecedents and specific types of creative outcomes. Using survey data from employees and their supervisors from a wide variety of organizations, we found that leader creative expectations were more strongly related to idea generation than to problem construction and to information search and encoding. Job autonomy, in contrast, was significantly related to problem construction, but not to information search and encoding or idea generation. Furthermore, we found that although idea generation is positively related to both radical and incremental creativity, problem construction is only positively related to radical creativity. We discuss implications for the study of creative processes and creativity more generally.
KW - Employee creativity
KW - Creative process
KW - Sensemaking
KW - Job autonomy
KW - Leader creative expectations
KW - COMMON METHOD VARIANCE
KW - INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
KW - EMPLOYEE CREATIVITY
KW - PSYCHOLOGICAL EMPOWERMENT
KW - WORKPLACE CREATIVITY
KW - INNOVATIVE BEHAVIOR
KW - WORK
KW - LEADERSHIP
KW - MODEL
KW - ORGANIZATIONS
U2 - 10.1007/s10869-022-09808-0
DO - 10.1007/s10869-022-09808-0
M3 - Article
SN - 0889-3268
VL - 37
SP - 1329
EP - 1346
JO - Journal of Business and Psychology
JF - Journal of Business and Psychology
ER -