Creativity
Mgt 4310
Do you agree?
Tasks that are intrinsically motivating
enhance creativity
Extrinsic motivation diminishes
creativity
To be creative people need
Creativity relevant skills
to see the things in a unique way, to
produce unusual responses
Domain relevant skills
to be able to do the task well
Task motivation
the persistence to keep at the task
Issues
Is the extrinsic reward interpreted as
controlling?
Does it diminish feelings of competence
and free will?
Engagement contingent rewards and
Completion-contingent rewards and
Performance contingent rewards
Performance contingent rewards can be viewed as
less controlling
Issues
If the interpersonal style of administering
performance-contingent rewards is
relatively pressuring, the rewards tend to
be experienced as more controlling,
thereby leading to more diminishment of
intrinsic motivation
When the interpersonal style is relatively
noncontrolling, the rewards tend to be
experienced as more informational, thereby
leading to less diminishment or possible
enhancement of intrinsic motivation.
Conclusions
Rewards made contingent upon doing,
completing, or excelling at an interesting activity
undermine intrinsic motivation for that activity
Positive feedback showed enhancement, and only
unexpected and task-noncontingent rewards
showed no effects
Positive feedback enhanced both free-choice behavior
and self-reported interest
Age had an effect
Tangible rewards tended to be more detrimental for children
than college students, and verbal rewards tended to be less
enhancing for children than college students.
Do Organizations want Creativity?
What if we:
Didn’t search for the skills the organization
needs but looked for people on the
periphery?
Didn’t socialize new members but
encouraged disobedience and active
opposition?
Didn’t strive for efficiency but opted for
many competing designs at one time?