Capitalizing on Careabouts to Facilitate Creativity

Abstract

Low‐level knowledge work is work that requires some, but not a great deal, of knowledge to perform. This work sustains the operations of all of our major businesses. As we transform to a knowledge society, it will become increasingly important that this work be performed creatively. Amabile’s well‐researched framework for understanding creative action suggests that reward strategies will be successful if knowledge workers are intrinsically motivated, but low‐level knowledge work more often than not attracts those who lack intrinsic motivation. As a result, the likelihood of creative action for this group of workers is low. How can “garden variety” creative action be facilitated when knowledge workers lack intrinsic motivation? I introduce the notion of “careabouts,” and suggest ways of linking personal careabouts to incorporate objectives. This linkage provides the hook that can hoist these low‐level knowledge workers into creative knowledge work in the knowledge society.

Developing a Scale to Measure the Creative Environment Perceptions: A Questionnaire for Investigating Garden Variety Creativity

“…Mayfield & Mayfield, 2004;Stafford, 1998;von Krogh, 1998). This growth has come from several interdependent and mutually reinforcing business climate changes-intellectual product commodification, an increasingly global marketplace, reduced idea-to-product life cycles, intensified firm rivalries resulting from a global marketplace, and increased demand for technical expertise to successfully run organizations.…”

“…This growth has come from several interdependent and mutually reinforcing business climate changes-intellectual product commodification, an increasingly global marketplace, reduced idea-to-product life cycles, intensified firm rivalries resulting from a global marketplace, and increased demand for technical expertise to successfully run organizations. Independently, any one of these trends would have forced changes in organizational management; together, they have caused a revolution in the very structure of business (Leonard & Straus, 1998;Robbins & Judge, 2007;Stafford, 1998;von Krogh, 1998).…”

“…Studies have mainly focused on employees specializing in creative output. Another issue with existing Component Model measures has been the time needed to administer them (Amabile, 1993(Amabile, , 1996(Amabile, , 1997(Amabile, , 1998Amabile et al, 1996;Glor, 1998;Shalley, Gilson, & Blum, 2000;Stafford, 1998;von Krogh, 1998). To help redress this situation, a measure is needed that is both easily administered and relevant for studying creativity in more typical work situations.…”

“…M. Mayfield & Mayfield, 2004Stafford, 1998;von Krogh, 1998). It is usually done by a high percentage of an organization's workforce, and is focused on improving developer-related outcomes: their customers, their colleagues, their own.…”

Epistemology for sale

“…We come to know what we care to know. Care-abouts are personal character traits that motivate knowers to create, maintain and share knowledge (Stafford, 1998). They account directly for much of the content of university courses and academic papers, as well as for how knowledge, once acquired, is applied in any setting-academic or corporate.…”