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Tell me what to do not how to do it: Influence of creativity goals and process goals on intrinsic motivation and creative performance

<p>Previous research has
identified creativity goals and process goals as two contextual interventions
for enhancing creativity in the workplace. Whereas creativity goals direct
attention and effort toward outcomes that are both novel and useful, process
goals direct attention and effort toward the creative process – behaviors and
cognitions intended to enhance creative outcomes. The current research draws
from past research and theory on goals and intrinsic motivation to explain how
creativity goals and process goals influence creative performance, and perhaps
more importantly, <i>why</i>. Specifically,
I suggest that creativity goals have a direct, positive relationship with
creative performance; however, process goals have an indirect, positive
relationship with creative performance through creative process engagement.
Additionally, specificity has the ability to focus attention on relevant
processes and outcomes within the creativity criterion space. While specific
creativity goals are predicted to direct attention toward desirable solutions
without thwarting needs for autonomy, specific (i.e., structured) process goals
may thwart autonomy perceptions, resulting in lower levels of intrinsic
motivation, and ultimately creative performance. The hypotheses proposed were
examined in a sample of 560 undergraduate students utilizing a 3 (creativity
goals: specific, general, and no goal) x 3 (process goals: structured,
semi-structured, and no goals) between-subjects experimental design. Results
revealed creativity goals, particularly specific creativity goals, have a
direct positive influence on creative performance. Process goals have an
indirect positive relationship on creative performance through creative process
engagement. Moreover, process goals have a negative impact on perceptions of
autonomy, which in turn negatively impacts creative performance by reducing
intrinsic motivation. The specific creativity goal had the strongest effects
and appears to be an effective way to enhance both creative process engagement
and creative performance. Taken together, these findings suggest that goals are
a tenable means of enhancing creative performance; however, care should be
taken to reduce adverse consequences for autonomy perceptions. </p>

  1. 10.25394/pgs.8024069.v1
Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/8024069
Date10 June 2019
CreatorsMelissa G Keith (6620381)
Source SetsPurdue University
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText, Thesis
RightsCC BY 4.0
Relationhttps://figshare.com/articles/Tell_me_what_to_do_not_how_to_do_it_Influence_of_creativity_goals_and_process_goals_on_intrinsic_motivation_and_creative_performance/8024069

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