Managing Creativity Enhancement Through Goal‐Setting and Feedback*

Transforming a nonprofit work environment for creativity

“…Furthermore, their behaviors may influence employees' perceptions of their work environments, which in turn can affect their creativity (Amabile, Schatzel, Moneta, and Kramer, 2004). In particular, behaviors such as encouraging employees to express their opinions, providing timely and constructive feedback, providing freedom and autonomy, providing high levels of social support, expressing concern for employees' feelings, balancing employees' freedom and responsibility, being noncontrolling, recognizing good work, and facilitating skill development can influence work environments toward greater creativity (Amabile, 1998;Amabile, Schatzel, Moneta, and Kramer, 2004;Andrews and Farris, 1967;Carson and Carson, 1993;Cummings and Oldham, 1997;Deci and Ryan, 1987;Oldham and Cummings, 1996;West, 1989). Leaders who negatively evaluate employee creativity may reduce it, whereas leaders who increase employees' self-confidence can contribute to creativity (Williams, 2004).…”

Motivation for Knowledge Work

“…Challenging and complex jobs for which employees have the autonomy to plan their work are crucial for creativity (Shalley, Gilson, & Blum, 2000). The effect of goal setting in creative work has been shown to be positive: research confirms that clearly stated missions, clear organizational goals, and the assignment of creativity goals are critical factors for high creativity (e.g., Carson, 2001;Carson & Carson, 1993;Gambill et al, 2000). Elements of the work environment have also been shown to be correlated with the motivation for creativity (Amabile, 1997;Shalley & Gilson, 2004): supervisory encouragement, workgroup supports, adequate availability of resources, absence of undue workload pressure, and other work contextual variables have been shown to have a positive impact on creativity.…”

“…Receiving feedback on goal achievement is also essential for motivation. If an employee does not get timely and accurate feedback on performance, it is impossible to know what behaviors to continue in order to achieve similar goals in the future (e.g., Carson & Carson, 1993;Gambill, Clark, & Wilkes, 2000).…”

Defining Creative Ideas

“…An idea is new if it has never before been articulated within a context (e.g., a specific organization) and infrequent to the extent that it is rarely present in a set of ideas. Novelty has been equated with both newness and frequency operationalized as the occurrence of an idea within a context (e.g., Carson & Carson, 1993;Taylor, Berry, & Block, 1958). However, measures of newness and frequency are bounded or have a limit; for example, an idea is perfectly new if it has never been mentioned in the specific context and perfectly infrequent if it occurs only once in a set of ideas.…”

“…Given that researchers have sometimes defined creativity in terms of novelty alone (e.g., Carson & Carson, 1993;Goncalo & Staw, 2006;March, 1976;Ward, 1994), but apparently never in terms of usefulness alone, understanding novelty has long been acknowledged as the most critical component of creativity (e.g., Campbell, 1960;Guilford, 1957).…”